Night's Enchantress Part 1

There is an old legend, about the young girl who enchanted the night. There are few who still live to believe it, but I will tell it to you now, in hopes that should you not believe it, you will at least learn from it and grow in yourself.

There was a young girl, old enough to have experiences but young enough to still have much to live. She was a strong girl, who worked hard at all she did. But life had dealt her an ill-hand in the game of happiness. She had only one friend, who was dear to her in every way, and an empty barn that only reminded her of the happiness that used to be. She lived alone, had for many years, but in her heart she longed for companionship more than anything. Her friend, though dear, was a farmer’s daughter and left the young girl often alone in her small cottage next to her quiet barn. The young girl, not having a job, lived off what she could grow in her yard. She would spend all day nurturing and loving her plants so that they might bloom into the food she would need to live on. Thus, every day was spent in the garden, but every night, was spent under the stars.

The young girl loved the stars and the moon and would often walk in the stillness of the darkness. She did not fear the lack of light and rather embraced the beauty she felt and knew existed in the shadows. She would walk for hours, singing soft lullabies to the sleeping world around. But most of the night she would spend in deep prayer.

“Stars above, and grass below, how you know me. Moon that shines and lights the way, you can see right through me. So I cannot hide, nor should I try, the loneliness that consumes me. If you care, or might want to share, do send a love my way. Someone to walk along at night and occupy my day.” Such were her prayers to the heavens above, every night as she would meander from pasture to pasture.

For years she had prayed and never been answered. Still she clung to her dear friend for refuge from the solitude. “My dearest girl,” Said the young girl’s friend. “You are more true to me than life.”

“And you to me.” The girl embraced her companion.

“Then you must know, and do not be afraid, that I am to no longer be my father’s daughter.”

“I do not understand,” Said the young girl, “Did he do something wrong?”

“No.” Her friend laughed. “Not in the slightest. But I cannot be my father’s daughter, when I am to be another man’s wife.”

The young girl did not know what to say to her longtime companion. She felt happy, of course, but a sharp pain pierced through her heart and struck her like a knife. Quickly she dismissed her friend and returned to her simple cottage. For hours she cried. Such loneliness no human has ever felt. Such pain in the separation of a loved one had never been truer. As the time slipped by, so did the sun and soon the night engulfed the earth. Frustrated with her plight, the young girl ran out into the night.

“Why have you done this to me?” She screamed, pleading with the stars. “I live a quiet life with no one to hurt. I speak simple things and dream only of friendship, yet you take away the one thing I ask for?” Throwing her arms towards the sky, she commanded the earth. “Give me a love that I can cherish! That no other can steal away. Give me the one, the truest, to help me through my days! You must do this for me to repay the damage you’ve done!” And as she spoke the words, her heart burst in pain. Collapsing to the ground, the young girl fell asleep from exhaustion.

She woke, the next morning, to a bright and beautiful day. The sun warmed her skin and the grass around her glistened with the moisture of a fresh morning. The night had gone, but it left her more exhausted than when it had come. She could move her body for fear of being too weak. But with tears of anger and remorse flowing down her cheeks, she lifted herself from the soft grass and walked back to her home.

She wasn’t far from her simple cottage when she heard a noise in the barn. Fearful of who might have come to cause mischief, she gathered a garden tool and walked cautiously towards the barn door. Slowly and quietly, she snuck inside. Her eyes took a few moments to adjust from the bright sunshine. Once she was able to see her surroundings, she was awestruck by what she found.

Standing, like a triumphant champion, in the corner of one of the abandoned stalls, was the most beautiful of horses. He was sheer black from nose to tail. Not even the white of his eyes could be called such. He was the most fearsome and handsome creature she had ever beheld and she marveled at him for a few moments. He stood quietly, watching her. With a long main and a forelock that fell with dignity across his face, he looked to be a creature of myths. His muscles were strong and his body was perfectly carved. He stood tall, like the magnificent creature that he was.

The girl wondered where he could have come from and determined it did not matter. He was here now, in her barn, and he was hers. The heavens had answered her pleas. Here was a companion known to be the truest of all companions. The young girl went to her horse, and placing her hand on his neck, promised to never let anything come between them.

The girl spent her entire day looking after the horse. She fed him and watered him and took him to the pastures. The lay together and rode together and she couldn’t have been happier. Finally the world had realized who she was and had granted her happiness. The warm day turned to hot and made the sweat run down the girl and her horse’s skin. The played in a nearby creek to cool off and still the horse’s coat did not shine in the light. The darkness that he was took her breath away. She ran her fingers over and over his silky coat and was amazed by the vibrancy of his blackness. He was beautiful, and wonderful in every way.

Exhaustion soon overcame the young girl, so she took her horse to her garden and fed him whatever he picked. She ate happily, knowing she would never have to be alone again. She had found her one companion and her heart felt full. Once she had finished eating, she lay back and closed her eyes, grateful for the satisfying relief of a nap.

When she finally woke, it felt like hours later, yet the sun was no lower. Still her companion lay next to her and she couldn’t mind the beautiful sun that warmed her. Having regained her strength, she began working in her garden; singing quietly and whispering such loving things that had never been heard. Often she would feed her horse treats she would find, and he would be happy. She worked for hours in her garden, always watching her horse. But even after the many hours of labor, the sun still hung high in the sky.

“Why does it not descend into the land like it always does?” She wondered as patted her horse. “Why does it not give us reprieve into the night?”

A soft wind blew through her hair and whispered in her ear, “Because you commanded it to stay.”

At first, the young girl was frightened and didn’t know who had spoken to her, but as she looked at her new found companion, he stared at her with such knowing eyes that it both calmed and unnerved her. “What could you mean?”

“You made the night repay your lost with a companion. But in return, the night must forfeit the whole day to the sunshine.” The breeze whispered.

“You mean to tell me,” The young girl said as she placed a hand on her horse. “That you are the night?”

“I am the night and all that goes with me. And you are my enchantress.”

“I am no enchantress.” Said the girl, “I am a lonely, quiet country girl who only wanted to have someone to share my time with. I cannot enchant the night.”

“But you already have. Now, I am here as your companion, forever with you.”

The girl could hardly believe her luck. She had enchanted one of the most beautiful things of the world and now it was her companion for life. Wrapping her arms tightly around the horse’s neck, she swore she would always adore Night for the true repayment of her misfortune.