Lost in the Maze - an Easter Egg Hunt

Lost in the Maze
By Ryan Slattery

Once upon a time there was a wealthy King. His daughter’s birthday was coming up and he asked her what she would like. The girl reminded her father how much she loved puzzles and riddles. The King went off quickly and secretly built the largest hedge maze of all the kingdoms of the Earth. It was so vast that many of the King’s men became lost in it while they were building it!

                On the birthday of his daughter the King held a huge party in her honor. Many of her friends came and they brought gifts of every size, but none as large as the maze of the King. After celebrating and eating cake, it was finally time for the King to reveal the maze to his daughter. He blindfolded her and brought her up to a high balcony. Then he removed the blindfold so that she could see just how big the maze was. The sight was such a surprise to her that she squealed in delight.

                The King brought her down from the balcony and said to the girl and her friends, “There are many entrances, but only one exit. The first to find the prize at the end of the exit will have won the maze-race.”

The Flute of Edellos

 



The Flute of Edellos
By Ryan Slattery

There was once a wood elf named Edellos. He enjoyed nothing more than making music and dancing. Because he had so much fun he gathered to himself many friends who would sing and dance with him. He was greatly loved and everyone spoke well of him.

One winter’s night the wood elves built a fire and Edellos began to play his flute and dance. The elves cheered and clapped and danced and yelled. This night the clamor from the festival was so great that it carried a distance off to a cave inhabited by Jwar, the violent enemy of the elves. The noise was so pounding that it woke the great bear from his hibernation far earlier than he wanted. He awoke and crashed off angrily to put an end to this horrible interruption.

The Treasure of Lady Ica

 

The Treasure of Lady Ica

By Ryan Slattery

                Once upon a time there was a young princess known in the King’s court as Lady Ica. Even though she was still young, all who saw her marveled at her great beauty. Most only knew this by rumor, however, since she rarely left the castle. Her mother died in childbirth and her father was often exploring distant lands which, he said, were far too dangerous for a young princess.

The Wood and the Witch

The Wood and the Witch
By Ryan Slattery
 Once upon a time there was a little boy. Like all boys he loved playing outside and watching the sun go down behind the trees. But one day he felt adventurous and walked into the wood behind his parents’ house. They always warned him not to venture into the woods because he might become lost. But the boy thought to himself, I won’t get lost, and I’ll only go in a little bit.

Jasper and the Ring of Gyges

Jasper and the Ring of Gyges
By Ryan Slattery

 I never used to talk much, but when you’re chained to wall in a dungeon there’s not a whole lot else to do. My friend’s name was Jasper. He was an older man, but told interesting stories about life before the dungeon cell. He was also a thief like me; at least, that’s why he was in prison. He didn’t talk much about anything he stole, but that was about to change. For you see, I was set to be released the following day and old Jasper had one last story to tell.

The Painter's Daughters

 

 

The Painter's Daughters
By Ryan Slattery

There was once a painter who had two daughters; one rare and beautiful, the other common and ugly. The painter delighted greatly in his beautiful daughter and made her the subject of all his paintings. The ugly daughter, however, received no attention and wept alone hidden in her room.

                When the daughters’ mother came to see the father’s paintings, she felt great sorrow for her ugly daughter. She entered her room, comforted the child, and took a single tear from her cheek and placed it in her garden outside.

                Over time the beautiful daughter grew vain and could only see beauty in the contours of her own face. Even the paintings by her father, once cherished relics of her father’s preference, now seemed incomplete and a mockery of her true beauty.

                Meanwhile it happened that the solitary tear which had fallen into the garden soil produced a flower so beautiful and fragrant, yet delicate and fragile, that the ugly daughter found delight in her soul. The colors of this treasure were so complex and vibrant that the painter broke from his obsession with painting only the beautiful daughter and tried desperately to capture the flower’s beauty in paint.