Princess Alyssia, the Woman, and the Cave

A woman was lost in a great dark cave. Her friends and family had searched for her in vain. They called her name and urged her to join them in the sun, but all to no avail. They did not know that the woman had gone willingly into the cave to escape, to hide.

At first, she sought quiet and solace and rest in the cave and would venture out again to face the day. But, the world was a cruel, harsh place inhabited by mean-spirited individuals who came to rob the world of peace. Her gentle spirit was ravaged and the woman was exhausted. She ran to the cave, wounded and broken. The joy had left her heart and she was filled with great emptiness and sadness.

She wandered alone in the darkness, cold and frightened, yet she was even more afraid of what awaited her outside and what a new day would bring. She knew the darkness and allowed it to shut out the world. She ran from the voices and the light. She lay on the floor of the cave and the darkness enveloped her. She drifted slowly into sleep and hoped never to awake....

Princess Alyssia sat in the garden playing a tune on her flute. A light breeze brushed her cheek and she paused. Alyssia could hear the sound of weeping and felt the woman’s pain. Alyssia left the garden and walked to the banks of a small stream. A tiny row boat waited for her and she climbed in.

As the boat moved along, the sound of weeping grew louder and Alyssia could see the woman in the distance. The small boat carried her across time and space to the Land of Man and soon the small boat arrived on the banks of a great lake that lay at the mouth of the cave. Alyssia motioned to the woman and the woman knew that the small girl wanted her to come out of the cave, but she was afraid and turned away.

Alyssia reached for a package that lay at her feet, a beautiful quilt made of all the colors of the rainbow. As soon as she wrapped herself in the quilt the sky shone with hues of soft pink and purple. The woman peeked from within the cave and thought these were the most beautiful colors she had ever seen.

Princess Alyssia climbed from the boat and made her way toward the woman. As she got closer the cave glowed with a warm light and soon the darkness was banished. Alyssia pulled the woman to her and wrapped her in the quilt, gently leading her from the darkness, out of the cave. She never said a word. The two stood by the water and watched the colors as they danced in the sky casting their peaceful light on the lake like a beautiful sunset. They stood there a long time, both wrapped in the quilt holding each other. The woman felt safe and peaceful and she held the little girl tighter. She had known this child her whole life.

Alyssia stayed with the woman a while - just the right length of time. She knew when the time was right. Then, and only then, she stepped away, pulling the quilt around the woman’s shoulders. They looked at each other one last time and smiled a secret smile. The woman knew that the small girl had brought her a great gift and she would never be alone again. She watched as the little girl rowed away into the light. She watched until she could see her no more. She pulled the quilt around herself a little more tightly and smiled. This small girl had brought her peace and love and light. The woman was ready to face the day once more.
The End