Whispering Verse

Two of the three wishes were difficult, but the remaining one just matched Shade's guess about the "Match Girl" today. In fact, when thinking of the title of this god who fell in 1068 of the Fifth Age, it is difficult not to think of fairy tales.

After thinking for a moment, Shade looked at the owner of the toy store. The young man with the ridiculous hat was staring at him.

"We don't have much time. To fulfill my wish for a story today, I will try to tell a fairy tale. My wish for growth and strength will come again next time."

"Of course, then from now until you leave, they can temporarily understand the language you use."

The saint walked out from behind the counter, clapped his hands, and five high stools appeared in the open space in front of the counter. So the two men sat down, and the three children happily climbed onto the chairs and sat there obediently with their hands on their knees.

This neat appearance reminded Shade of a puppet being manipulated. Even if the gods have no ill intentions towards mortals, mortals still cannot contact the gods for a long time.

Everyone looked at Shade with expectant eyes. Shade cleared his throat after clearing his thoughts. He understood what he was going to do:

"Oh, children, I am going to tell a very ancient story now. It is impossible to verify the specific era when this story took place, but it is definitely true."

The three children looked at Shade with bright eyes. Even the most mature-looking girl was attracted by such an opening statement.

"It was a cold winter, and the snowflakes were like knives and falling from the sky like goose feathers. It was a dimly lit street..."

The saint waved his hand behind him, and the light in the toy store suddenly dimmed. Darkness surrounded the five people sitting together, snowflakes fell from the sky, and under the weak moonlight, the surroundings turned into a cold and deserted dilapidated street.

Shade looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowed slightly, and there was only a silver moon above his head, with no trace of the yellow moon or the red moon.

I pondered in my heart, but the story did not stop. Moreover, seeing the changes in the surrounding environment, he doubted whether [Innocent Creator]'s statement of "no power" was true or false, but the young man smiled at him and asked him to continue.

"The girl was barefoot and wearing a pair of slippers, her feet were bruised and bruised by the cold, and there were countless patches on her clothes. She wrapped her golden hair in a shabby scarf, huddled up and walked down the street carrying a small basket. superior."

The three children looked around and saw a girl walking slowly in the snow. They both sighed "Oh~" at the same time. Shade paused and continued hesitantly:

"She was very tired, very hungry, and very cold. But she had to sell the matches in the basket before her father allowed her to return home. The girl stopped in front of the shining window and looked at the magnificent interior 's hall, it's... the holiday season, and in the window is a bustling restaurant, with fragrant roast chicken on the table under the decorative tree."

The dilapidated streets around the girl suddenly lit up, and the windows showed her the lives of rich people. The girl's hands, which were purple from the cold, were holding the basket. She stopped in front of the display window and looked inside the display window with bright eyes.

There were surprises on the children's faces, and Shade suddenly couldn't bear it.

"She was so cold that she huddled up and rested against the wall. The snow was getting heavier and heavier. The girl took out a box of matches from the basket, pulled one out, and lit it in front of her eyes, trying to keep herself warm. In the light of the fire, she saw There was a warm fireplace, but as soon as she put her foot in it, the match went out, and there was only a burned match stem in her hand."

The girl on the street struck a match and looked at the fire, then it went out. This time, the Saint did not show the part of the vision described by Shade. What they saw was just cold reality.

"She lit another match, and a roast goose jumped out of the plate, with a knife and fork stuck in its back, and came towards her. But the match went out again, and there were only piles of cold snowflakes in front of her."

The children listened carefully to Shade's story. Only the boy who asked for the "story" looked at him, while the older girls and boys looked at the phantom created by the saint.

"So she struck a match a third time, and this time she sat under a beautiful tree with gift boxes stacked under it."

The saint suddenly raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"The little girl reached out to the red box closest to her, but the match went out again. So she lit the match for the fourth time. This time, in the light of the fire, her grandmother who loved her appeared, as gentle and loving as her grandmother. She I didn’t want to let grandma leave, so I hurriedly struck the whole match.”

The children saw the girl huddled in front lighting the match. This time, the part of the "phantom" described by Shade also appeared.

But that was not the loving grandma that Shade described. What appeared on the street on a snowy night was a tall figure wearing a black cloak and holding a sickle.

From the perspective of the cultural customs of this world, this represents death.

Shade's speech slowed down, and he looked doubtfully at the old god [Creator of Innocence], who shook his head.

Time is running out, so Shade ends the story:

"In the light of the match, grandma held her in her arms, and the two of them flew away in bright joy, flying higher and higher to a place where there was no cold, hunger, or pain."

The figure in black robe reached out and took the girl's hand.

Shade looked at this scene and subconsciously slowed down his tone:

"The next day, the sun rose and shone on her little body."

The phantom floated out from the girl's body, holding the hand of the man in black robe, and disappeared together with the illusion of the street.

The warm and bright toy store returned to the five people again, and the children were still immersed in this story. Shade looked at the old gods, who clapped their hands:

"It's a good story, although the ending is not so happy, but for children, this kind of story is the best."

The boy who asked Shade for a story also looked at him. He hugged the teddy bear and said timidly:

"Sir, this is a really good story. Does it have a name?"

"The Little Match Girl."

After saying the name of the fairy tale, Shade hesitated and asked a question:

"So, what's your name?"

"Sir, my name is Parker Child."

Shade nodded and wrote down the name. The saint had returned behind the counter and said with a smile:

"Children, what do you understand from this story?"

"Power! You must have power to control your own destiny!"

The girl said loudly while sitting on a high stool.

"Grow up! There's nothing a kid can't do!"

said the boy holding the toy knife.

"Stories, sir, stories don't need meaning, stories don't need to be preachy, stories just need to be deeply rooted in people's hearts."

The youngest boy looked at the saint, who smiled and shook his head:

"Yes, you are right. My child, you will definitely become an excellent fairy tale writer. This is my blessing to you."