The young Enchantress and her stallion, Night, slept in the barn together. She would not leave his side. Though the sun still shined, their eyes were heavy and the straw was welcoming. As the hours passed, Night and Enchantress slept in peace, breathing deep and steady. When they awoke, feeling restful and renewed, the Enchantress decided she would visit the village. She wondered what people were saying about this glorious day that never ended.
To her surprise, there was a great deal of fear spreading throughout the village. People claimed that this eternal sunshine was a curse, sent to doom them all for their sins. The Enchantress could not see it that way. She saw the eternal sunshine as a blessing. She had the Night as her friend and companion and in return was blessed with an environment that would satisfy her mood. Annoyed and angry at the villagers’ ignorance of the bliss around them, the Enchantress returned to her confidant.
“People are dumb.” The Enchantress said to Night as she ran her comb through his mane. “If they can’t understand that the sun is a gift and not curse, then I do not think they deserve to enjoy it.” She contemplated their ignorance. “We will enjoy it. Let us go for a ride.” She smiled greatly at the idea, and walking from the barn, was happy to find Night close behind.
With the help of her stool, she climbed onto the broad back of the strong horse. “Let’s fly across these plains, Night!” She grabbed a handful of his mane and urged him forward with her legs. She had been a young girl when she had last ridden a horse and the excitement from the moment soon overpowered her. She laughed aloud and threw one of her arms in the air, while the other held firmly to the mane which kept her from falling off.
Night’s power was great. He thrust himself forward through the tall grass, cutting through it with no effort at all. His feet hardly touched the ground as he moved with speed and accuracy across the miles of open land. He did not tire of exhaustion. He did not grow weary. With the power within him, he captured the lands the Enchantress had never before set her eyes on. The world was theirs and as the sun hung high, they were free.
For many hours they ran. The Enchantress had no desire to return to her little garden with its little vegetables. With the strength of her horse, she was able to go more places, see more things, and become more than she ever had. She vowed she would never return. After a long journey, the Enchantress grew tired. She and Night stopped in a town, some miles from her home, to rest and eat, but the Enchantress had no money to buy food. Her thoughts returned to her little garden and she wondered if she had made a mistake.
“Beautiful horse you have there, missy.” A man with dirty beard and even dirtier clothes slurred. The Enchantress was appalled that the man should address her, an Enchantress, and her horse, the Night, with such impropriety. “I’ll give you 50 shillings for a horse like that.” He laughed as he patted Night on the neck.
The Enchantress was about to reproach the man for bringing up such a stupid idea, when she thought better of the situation. “Alright,” She said, dismounting her steed. “You have a deal. But he is hungry and thirsty, and you should feed him, straight away.” The man agreed heartily and pulled the money from his pocket. The Enchantress whispered to Night, so that the man may not hear, “You shall have your food and when you are full, come to me outside of the town, for I will have eaten as well, and we will be on our way yet again.”
As she took the money from the man, the Enchantress felt slightly guilty for robbing the man of money, but as she could see of no other way to get food, she continued into the town to find some lunch. The man took Night away to the stables to feed and water him.
Food and a large cup of fresh water were easy to come by. The Enchantress ate until she could eat no more, with plenty of money still rattling in her pocket. She walked from the town, content with her trickery. It wasn’t until she had spent some time waiting outside the borders that she began to worry of her folly. What if Night did not have the power to escape the stables? What if he did not want to? After several minutes of anxiety, the Enchantress was about to return to the town when she saw Night’s graceful movements come galloping across the plain. Relief washed over her as well as a feeling of excitement as her plan succeeded.
When Night was close enough, though, the Enchantress realized that she was too short to get on the back of her great stallion. Beginning to feel like she would be caught and thrown into prison for being a thief, the young girl begged Night to come up with a solution. He was quick in his reactions and bowed low for her to climb onto his back. Happily placed on his back, the Enchantress urged Night forward and they continued on their journey.
They traveled for several more hours, crossing all types of lands and going through many different towns. Soon, they were once again exhausted and the Enchantress and her Night stopped in a large town. Having spent the whole of the day, or what they could figure, traversing the country side, the young Enchantress looked forward to resting in a bed. She stopped at an Inn and asked for a room.
“We do not have nights anymore, as you know.” The inn keeper said, flustered. “But we monitor the hours now. You may have a room for ten hours, if that is what you wish.”
The Enchantress felt that was plenty of time and agreed. A young servant boy took Night to the inn stables, where he could rest and replenish his strength. The Enchantress paid the inn keeper with her stolen money, then went to her room to rest.
It wasn’t long when the ten hours had passed and the Enchantress and Night were yet again on their way. They took to the country side, wanting nothing more than to feel the breeze on their face. They began to travel on lesser traveled paths, through fields and country sides. As they passed a particular field, the Enchantress saw that there was man, on his knees, wailing.
“Stop, Night. I wonder what is wrong with that man.” She went towards the distraught man, curious of his dilemmas. “Sir, why do you wail so?”
“Do you not see? Do you not see how I am ruined?” He picked the dirt up from his field and held it in his hands.
“I do not know what you mean.” The Enchantress saw nothing wrong.
“It’s dead. All of it. All of my fields. They’re all dead.”
Finally, the Enchantress saw what the man feared. There was no green in his lands. The plants had all withered and many had fallen to the ground. “What has caused such a disaster?” The Enchantress felt pity for the man.
“This sun!” The man turned to the sky and screamed. “It has dried up all my land. It has scorched the very existence of my livelihood. I am a simple farmer and my crops are my life. But now, with no night, the plants die through the scorching rays of the sun!” The farmer screamed in contempt and pounded his hands on the ground.
Instantly, the Enchantress felt dread spread through her heart. She now realized what had happened. This man’s loss was her fault. She had enchanted the Night and now kept him for her own, but now the plants had no reprieve from the sun and had died.
To her horror, the Enchantress comprehended the folly of her selfishness. But even with the man wailing in front of her, and the fields around her stolen of their lushness, she could not imagine giving up her Night. She had been alone for far too long, and wished never to be alone again.
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