Social Short Story – The Legend of Tiger-Lily
Photo credit: demondimum from morguefile.com
There is a village hidden deep within the mountains with forest surrounding it. The village has a legend about a Great and Mighty Beast that lurks around the forest waiting for a meal. They say that you can walk into the forest and everyone can hear the bellowing roar of the beast and when the villager tries to run it will seem like there is a barrier stopping anything from leaving.
In a little shed is a little girl no older than fourteen who has no family and is an outcast and one day some of the villagers destroy her so called home and drag her to the middle of the village. The villagers shout out to everyone “Maybe if we give it a sacrifice it will let us be!”
The little girl starts to kick and scream until they throw her into the forest. They wait and wait for the beast’s mighty roar but it never comes instead they see a magnificent white tiger prowling up to the little girl who has started to cry. All the villagers watch with hope that the beast will accept their offer but instead it lays down in front of the girl and licks all her tears away.
As the villagers watch they can see the beast starting to shake when they hear a very deep melodic voice “Why is it that humans will do such cruel things because they want something. I’m going to ask you all a question. Do you even know what this girl’s name is or are you to selfish to see that she is the key to all your hope and happiness?”
At that last word the tiger crouches down and the little girl climbs on the back of the mighty beast and as the villagers watch the beast disappear from view they hear the beast talk to the child and say “I shall call you Tiger lily because of your pure heart and your bravery”
As their village starts to burn the villagers try to run but there is no way out the fire consumes everything except the forest and keeps burning until all their cries are heard no more, and in that destruction you can hear the little girls cries of joy and laughter.
A few years later people have reported seeing a girl around eighteen running with a tiger by her side but when people hear about it they will warn them about the legend.
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