• The kids huddled together in the front room of their small house. The guards were tramping through the streets outside, suddenly the door opened and they cringed together wishing their parents hadn't left before they were all told they had to be in their houses until the streets were searched. A young woman stood in the door, her long brown hair held in an elaborate braid, her blue eyes wide with what the assumed to be fear. "Hello, I'm sorry to intrude, but I was passing through the town on my way to a relatives house could I stay here until whatever danger they're out there searching for is gone?" The oldest, a boy with dark green eyes and black hair stood, "I'm sorry the guards said not to let anyone who didn't belong in." She grabbed his left hand, "If stay out a stranger in this town, they will kill me, would you let that happen?" He shifted guiltily and looked down at his feet, "I don't...." "I have no money but I could pay you with a story if that would make it easier." The kids excepted, at the thought of a new tale and the presence of an adult bringing them comfort, and they gathered around the fire watching her with wide eyes as she began....

    "Once upon a time there lived a young princess who was happy..... Until she died....." She paused watching the children's startled expressions and began speaking again.
    "Okay let's elaborate on that a little. Once there was this really pretty princess and she had everything she wanted, including her true love, and everybody loved her. Except one person, I mean how could a little brat..... I mean sweet thing like that have any enemies? One would not have thought it possible. Well there was one. A beautiful, powerful, valiant... I mean, umm, wicked? Young lady who hated everything about the princess, her angelic smile, beautiful figure, sparkling blue eyes, invisible horns, I mean halo, her kindness to her people especially her love. You see the evil, I mean loving, young princess had asked Aphrodite to bring her one of the fairest, strongest, and wisest men in the kingdom to be her husband and Aphrodite or Lady Love, whatever it is that you prefer to call her came and whispered into Johns ear and made him fall madly in love with the princess at the same time making him break off his engagement to Helen.
    Helen was so angry she devised a plan to bring about the princess's demise. One day while the princess was sitting out on the veranda with her new fiance a maid came onto the veranda with a basket of grapes, tested it for poison, like any good servant, and then handed the basket to the princess, the princess took some and popped them in her mouth. Then she passed them to John who ate them slowly savoring the taste as if he sensed what was about to happen. The maid took a basin from the side of the deck and washed her face, she turned to John who's eyes widened with surprise as he recognized his ex-fiance. "Sorry", Helen whispered her face showing no regret and handed him the grape she had supposedly eaten. Then the princess started coughing as the poison began entering her bloodstream she fell over and John caught her and started shouting for the guards as Helen slipped over the balcony edge dropped to the ground disappearing into the crowded streets below. Leaving her love to die by the one who and literally stolen her heart"

    The woman got up as her story finished and the sound of the palace guards receded into the quite sounds of the animals in the town, the woman got up and walked to the door. She opened it a crack her body faded into a black shadow as the glare of the sun peeked through, she turned back to the children one last time flashing them a grin they saw only when they squinted against the glare and even then they could barely see as she slipped out into the street, "Thanks. Oh and by the way I'm Helen."