A Fairy Tale

Some of you may have already seen this.

Once upon a time, a little girl was born with very odd skin. At first her mother thought it was some type of protective coating that would soon go away, but it did not seem to change no matter what type of salve she tried to use. Her mother was angry with the gods for giving her such a child, and named her Acrimonia. Since nobody else in the village had skin like this, the family kept the child hidden as long as they could.

As Acrimonia grew older, she began asking her parents why she could not do the things her brother could do. They never let her play outside and they would not take her to the marketplace, nor would they allow any visitors to see her. She began to plead with her parents to allow her to go outside.

One day, the father told Acrimonia that she could go with the family to the forest. They needed to find more of the special berries that her mother used to make pie. Her mother packed some bread and cheese in a basket and told Acrimonia to get dressed in her warmest clothes. When they got to the forest, her brother and mother said they would look for berries at the edge of the forest while Acrimonia and her father searched deeper into the forest. So Acrimonia and her father took the basket and set off to find some berries.

At first Acrimonia was afraid of the darkest part of the forest, but soon she became so engrossed with searching for berries that she forgot about her fears. It was not until she began to feel hungry that she stopped and noticed she no longer could hear or see her father. She ran back on the path, calling for her father, but he never answered her. She soon found the picnic basket, but her father was nowhere near by. She started to cry and kept calling for her parents. Acrimonia became so exhausted from her trek into the forest, and all of her crying, that she finally just lay down in a pile of leaves and fell asleep.

The next day Acrimonia thought that she should stay by the picnic basket, because her father was a very smart man and surely he would remember where he left her and come back for her. Day after day she stayed in that clearing in the forest, until she finally realized that no one was coming back. When she ran out of bread and cheese, she found some other clothes and a blanket beneath the cloth at the bottom of the basket. Acrimonia was then sure that her parents had meant to abandon her there because of her ugliness, and she needed to figure out how to survive on her own. She took her basket and went back to where she had found the berries. She found some more, and then gathered sticks for a fire and leaves to sleep on.

~*~

She eventually figured out how to find the things she needed to survive by herself, and as she became stronger she was able to build a small shelter. She was doing just fine on her own, until one day a young man came across her while she was sleeping in a sunny clearing. He thought to himself he had never seen such a beautiful young woman, but worried that perhaps she was dead or injured.

As he drew closer, he realized she was breathing and merely asleep. A twig snapped beneath his feet, and Acrimonia awoke in a panic. She was staring at the young man with disbelief, and immediately looked down to make sure her skin was completely covered. She tried to keep her face hidden by her hair, for fear she would frighten the young man away. But at the same time, he was staring at her, thinking she had the most beautiful skin he had ever seen.

He reached his hand out, saying, “I am Emil, I have no wish to hurt you. What are you doing out here by yourself?”

Acrimonia stammered, it had been so many years since she had spoken to anyone or seen anyone; she did not know what to do. She saw that Emil had gentle eyes, and her fear began to fade away. “My name is Acrimonia, I was left here by my father so many years ago that I cannot remember how long it has been.”

“Come back with me to my home,” said Emil. “I am sure the people in my village will help you start a new life.”

But Acrimonia did not want to leave the forest. She was so ashamed of her appearance; she did not want anyone else to see her. She felt safe in the dark forest. “I cannot leave, Emil. I have made a home for myself here and am content to stay.”

“At least let me come back to see you again, I will bring you clothes, food, and books. I will bring anything you need,” said Emil.

“Thank you, Emil, that is very kind of you. I would appreciate that very much.”

So Emil came back many times, and their friendship grew. “Please, Acrimonia, come back to my village with me,” Emil begged her. “Why is it that you would rather stay here?”

“Oh Emil, can you not see how ugly my skin is? My father left me here so I would no long cause distress to others in the village.”

“What are you talking about, Acrimonia, you have the most beautiful skin I have ever laid eyes on. Please, come back with me. You will see, it will be just fine.”

Acrimonia thought that it would be nice to be around people again, and if she did frighten anyone she could always come back to the forest. “All right, Emil, I will return with you, but I will not live in your home. I have lived alone for so long that I have become used to it, and do not want to live in a home belonging to someone else.”

~*~

Emil and Acrimonia gathered up her few belongings, and walked together back out of the forest. By the time they had returned to the village, it was nighttime and Emil took Acrimonia to the home of his sister. “Corrine, this is Acrimonia. Would you please allow her to stay the night with you?” Corrine was so very kind, and smiled warmly at Acrimonia. “Of course dear, you are most welcome in our home.” She held open the door for Acrimonia, and after she was settled in, Emil bade them goodnight.

“It is very late, you can sleep here in my room. I lost my husband in a hunting accident, so I am alone here with my two children. I can sleep with them.” Acrimonia smiled at the kind woman. “Thank you. I am very grateful to you for providing a place for me to stay.”

The laughter of small children and the lovely odor of something delicious cooking woke Acrimonia in the morning. She was very hungry and eager to go out and find a place to live, but she did not want to frighten the children. Soon Corrine came into the room. “Breakfast is ready, please come out and join us.”

“Oh Corrine, I do not want to upset your children, may I please just eat in my room?” Asked Acrimonia.

“What are you talking about? Why on earth would you think my children would be upset? I have told them you are here, and they are eager to meet you.”

“But look at me, Corrine. I am sure your children have never seen anyone with such horrible skin.”

Corrine drew closer to Acrimonia, looking into her face. “I see nothing but kindness, strength, and beauty. When was the last time you saw your image in a mirror?”

“Not since I was a child. My parents abandoned me because of my hideous skin. Does it not frighten you?”

“Come have breakfast, dear Acrimonia, then I will draw a bath for you and we can discuss it after you have put on one of my clean dresses.”

Instead of recoiling in fear as she expected they would, the two children, Anna and Benjamin, bombarded Acrimonia with many questions about living in the forest. Acrimonia was a wonderful storyteller, and soon the children were giggling at the stories of bugs and forest creatures. After Anna and Benjamin cleared the table and Acrimonia helped Corrine clean up the kitchen, Acrimonia took a long, much needed hot bath.

Dressed in clean clothes and brushing out her long dark brown hair, Acrimonia dared a sideways look out of the corner of her eye at her reflection in the large mirror. Slowly, she stood up and turned to face the mirror. The brush slipped out of her hand, and her eyes grew wide as she walked closer towards the beautiful image of a woman she did not recognize. Acrimonia laid her fingertips on the reflection of her face. “Is this my face?” Then she brought her hand up to her cheek and felt the softness of her skin. She looked down at her arms, pushing up the sleeves on her dress. She had never really looked at herself before. Even in the bath, with the steam and the bubbles, she did not really pay attention, concentrating on scrubbing away the dirt and grime. She ran her hand up and down the smooth skin of her arm. It was amazing; she had no idea what had happened. All the time she was growing stronger and taller, the coating over her skin had slowly disappeared.

Corrine, wondering what was taking Acrimonia so long, walked into the bedroom to check on her. There she found Acrimonia sitting on the floor in front of the mirror, tears running down her cheeks. “Acrimonia, why are you crying? Are you frightened, are you ill, is something wrong?” Acrimonia just looked at her wonderful new friend, smiled and said, “No, Corrine, everything is just fine.” She was not yet ready to tell Corrine what she had been through. Corrine helped her up from the floor, and standing tall, Acrimonia walked out of the bedroom.

Anna and Benjamin were shouting “Uncle Emil! Come in the house! We have a forest fairy that has come to visit!” “Calm down, little ones,” Emil said laughingly. “She is not a forest fairy, she is merely a woman just like your Mama.” But when Emil looked up and saw Acrimonia, he abruptly stopped in the middle of the room; she was even more beautiful than she looked when he found her. Not wanting to embarrass her or cause any distress, he said nothing and sat down with the women to help Acrimonia figure out what to do.

“I have no skills other than what I learned to do to survive. I was able to figure out how to take apart my clothes and piece them back together again as I grew taller, but I am afraid my primitive ways will not be adequate for the people of the village.”

“I will teach you how to sew and embroider,” offered Corrine. And Emil told her that he knew of an old woman in the village who was recently widowed and needed help with her garden and her home. So while Corrine stayed home to do her chores and give the children their lessons, Emil and Acrimonia walked down the street to Mrs. Emerson’s house.

Mrs. Emerson was very pleased to see Emil and Acrimonia. She was very lonely since her husband died, and loved having visitors. “Mrs. Emerson, this is Acrimonia. She is new in the village and needs a place to stay,” said Emil. “I am willing to work for my room and board, Mrs. Emerson, I am strong and am capable of doing many things,” Acrimonia added. Mrs. Emerson noticed that, although beautiful, Acrimonia did not look like a spoiled young lady. She could see the calluses on Acrimonia’s hands, and the kindness and eagerness in Acrimonia’s beautiful hazel eyes. “Yes dear, I could certainly use the companionship and the help. I have a shed in the back in the middle of the garden, and I am sure we can do something with it to make it livable.”

~*~

By the end of a year, Acrimonia had become a talented seamstress, and talk of her beautiful work traveled to other villages. In her visits to the other areas to deliver or fit her dresses, Acrimonia found a lovely little cottage that she decided to buy. Everyone in her village was sad to see her go, especially Emil, Corrine and her children. But they all promised to visit each other and Acrimonia went off to live in her new home. As Acrimonia’s reputation for intricate and beautiful work traveled further across the lands, her small business became very successful, and Acrimonia decided to move to the city. She found the perfect place that had living quarters above a shop in a very nice part of the city, and her business flourished. Acrimonia was finally content with her life, never even thinking about her past.

Acrimonia never forgot her dear friends, and they kept in touch, sending letters back and forth over the years. She loved reading the letters from the children, and was happy to hear that Corrine had remarried, and Corrine regaled tales of Emil in his brave escapades.

Emil would occasionally come to the city, and while he was there, he and Acrimonia would talk for hours. He was never able to stay very long, but Acrimonia treasured the time that they were able to have together. Sometimes at night she would lie in her bed and recall the lines of his face, his eyes, his smile and voice. She was so grateful to him for bringing her out of the forest, and giving her a chance at a wonderful life.

One morning Acrimonia woke up with a terrible cough and pains in her joints. She could barely hold her needle and went back to bed. It happened that this was one of the days that Emil came to the city, and when he found her feverish in her bed, he sent word to his sister. He told Corrine that he was going to stay with Acrimonia and help nurse her back to health. So Emil brought the doctor to Acrimonia, and followed his directions on how to make the broth that would help Acrimonia to get well again.

“Emil, it has been two weeks that you have been taking care of me. I am so much better, and it is time that I got back to work.”

“I am glad you are feeling better, Acrimonia, and I would like to stay in the city for a while longer.”

“No Emil, I must get back to my work, and you need to go back to your village. But I am grateful that you happened by at just the right time.” So Emil and Acrimonia had one last meal together and he went back to his village.

~*~

Mrs. Devane was one of Acrimonia’s more demanding customers, and Acrimonia had to make many visits to the Devane Mansion to make several adjustments to everything she made for the exasperating woman. On one of these visits, while Mrs. Devane was in her dressing room, Mr. Devane came into the parlor and sat down very close to Acrimonia. He knew she was a single woman, and whispered some very disturbing suggestions into Acrimonia’s ear. Just as Mrs. Devane came back into the room, Mr. Devane stood up, and with a wink at Acrimonia strode out of the room. Later that night, Acrimonia heard the tinkling of breaking glass, and as she was going downstairs to investigate, there was Mr. Devane. He put his hand over her mouth so she could not scream, and she struggled against him.

At that same moment, Emil had come into the city, and was standing outside Acrimonia’s door wondering why the window was broken. He heard the struggle, rushed in, and pulled Mr. Devane off of Acrimonia. Mr. Devane declared, “This woman has been bothering me! I came to tell her to stay away from me, but she begged me to stay.” “I cannot believe that sir,” said Emil. “Acrimonia would never do such a thing.”

Worried about his reputation, Mr. Devane shoved Emil out of his way, and as he was leaving the house said “I will destroy you, Acrimonia, if you say anything about this to anyone.” Acrimonia collapsed into Emil’s arms, and he carried her to her bedroom. He helped her under the covers and brought her a glass of sherry. He sat by her bed the rest of the night, and repaired the glass the next day.

“Oh Emil, thank you so much. How lucky I am that you were able to help me at just the right time once again. You are such a wonderful friend.”

“Acrimonia, you cannot stay here alone. What if Mr. Devane comes back again?” Emil was very concerned.

“Nonsense, Emil, I will be fine. I have survived this long alone, I can surely take care of myself.”

After Emil added an extra lock to Acrimonia’s door, she sent him back to the village. This time as she watched him, she felt an unfamiliar tug at her heart. Was she falling in love with Emil? She decided she was just being silly and the feeling was just from the fright she had the night before, and got to work filling her orders.

~*~

Time after time, some disaster, illness or trouble would befall poor Acrimonia; she just could not seem to turn her luck around. But miraculously, Emil seemed to appear at just the right moment. After a recent theft from her shop, Acrimonia and Emil were dining together, and Emil took Acrimonia’s hand and said “Acrimonia, you must know by now how much I love you. Please come back to the village with me and be my wife.”

“Oh my beloved Emil, I cannot leave my shop. I have so many customers who depend on me, and I do not want to let them down. It has taken me such a long time to build up my business, and it would be such a shame to let it go,” Acrimonia said with a trace of sadness in her voice.

“I do not understand you, Acrimonia, but as before, I will let you be. But please understand that I will no longer come to the city. I love you so much, and if you will not be my wife then I cannot return.” With tears in her eyes, Acrimonia nodded. “I understand, dear Emil, but I cannot leave yet.”

So Emil left the city with a great weight of despair in his heart. But he understood his beloved Acrimonia. She had always been this way. He went back to his village, never to return to the city again.

~*~

Acrimonia went about her days joylessly. She missed Emil, but eventually learned to push thoughts of him to the back of her mind. Then one horrible night, she awoke to the smell of smoke and angry shouts. She ran downstairs to find her shop was on fire! As she threw open the door she thought she could see the shape of Mr. Devane running away. The fire was extinguished, but not before everything was destroyed. Acrimonia knew Emil would come. He must, he always did. But sitting alone in her room in the hotel that night, she began to fear this time he would not save her.

The next day, Mr. Devane came to her room. “I understand a terrible tragedy has befallen you. But do not fret, I am prepared to make you a generous offer.” Acrimonia looked at Mr. Devane with anger. She had no proof that he was the one who burnt her shop and her home, but she knew it was he. “I want nothing from you, Mr. Devane, you must leave now.”

“But my dear Acrimonia, you have lost everything. How will you be able to return to your business? What do you have to offer your clients?”

“I will survive, Mr. Devane, I always have and I always will.” She slammed the door in his face, and sat on her bed as she started to cry.

“Surely Emil will come once he hears of the fire. I have no money to travel to the village. I do not know what to do,” Acrimonia thought to herself. Her tears soaked her pillow as she cried herself to sleep.

The next morning she received a note from Mrs. Devane. “Acrimonia, as you know I have a very important event coming up soon. Since the dress you were working on for me was surely destroyed in the fire, I will need to find someone else who will make a new dress quickly. I will expect reimbursement for the fabric and notions that were ruined.” Shortly after she read the note, Mr. Devane returned to her room. “I hope you will reconsider, and allow me to explain my generous offer,” he said to Acrimonia. “Go ahead, Mr. Devane, I am listening.” Acrimonia replied resignedly.

“I have purchased a small home in the country where I occasionally go to hunt and be on my own. It has become quite dreary, and I could use the services of a seamstress with your talents to sew curtains and linens to brighten it up for me. Of course, you understand, you will be living there, and will only be working for me.” He explained. “How much will you pay me, and how long do you expect this project to take. I am eager to rebuild my business.” Acrimonia said.

“Oh, my dear Acrimonia, you misunderstand. You will not be coming back to the city. I will find ways that you will be able to repay me for my kind and generous offer. You will not need to rebuild your business once you are my mistress. I will take very good care of you.” He answered. “I will do no such thing!” she forcefully replied. “I do not need that kind of help. I will be fine on my own. Now, please leave at once, Mr. Devane.” As Acrimonia watched Mr. Devane leave the hotel, she noticed he stopped to speak to the owner. They spoke for quite awhile, money changed hands, and she wondered what he was up to.

“Miss Acrimonia,” the hotel owner said as he knocked on her door. “I need to speak to you about your payment for your lodging.” Acrimonia thought perhaps Mr. Devane had paid for her room, and opened the door. “Miss Acrimonia, unless you can pay upfront for another week, I cannot allow you stay any longer.”

“But sir, you know I have nothing left, you offered to allow me to stay for a month.”

“Well, things have changed, and I need the money now. I will expect you to be out of here in the morning if you cannot pay.” And with that awful statement, he went back to his office. Once again, Acrimonia began to cry. She could not understand why Emil had not come. But then as she lay in her bed that night, she remembered Emil’s words “…if you will not be my wife then I cannot return….”

The next morning, just as she suspected he would, Mr. Devane returned. “I will accept your offer, Mr. Devane. I have no other choice.” “I knew you would see things my way, Acrimonia. I am sure you will be very happy.” Mr. Devane said with an awful leer.

~*~

The country house turned out to be a very dark and dreary place, just as Mr. Devane had described. He wrote down all the supplies she told him she would need and went back to the city after he got Acrimonia settled in. The house was very small. There was one bedroom, one workroom, and the kitchen. Acrimonia recalled that she had slept on the floor of the forest, and decided she could sleep on the floor of the workroom. But Mr. Devane had other plans. When he returned, Acrimonia realized what a horrible situation she was now in.

Acrimonia reluctantly settled into a routine, and as before in the forest, put all thoughts of being rescued out of her mind. She went about her days working and her nights trying the best she could to think about anything but what was happening to her. The years went by, and Acrimonia made the horrible house a beautiful home. As Mr. Devane became older, he started to come to the country house less often.

There was a knock on the door one afternoon, and Acrimonia opened it to find a man she did not know standing there in a suit with a worn leather bag. “Acrimonia,” he said. “I am Mr. Williams, Mr. Devane’s solicitor. May I come in?” “Of course, Mr. Williams let me get some tea.” Mr. Williams pulled some papers out of his bag while Acrimonia prepared the tea.

“Mr. Devane has passed away, Acrimonia, and I am here to present you with the deed to this house and the land it is on. In addition, an account is set up so that you will be provided with enough money to live on for the rest of your life.” Acrimonia was stunned, even though her heart had hardened with hatred and grief, she was grateful for this gift. “I certainly earned it, Mr. Williams. Thank you.”

Acrimonia had begun to allow herself to think about Emil again. She never really forgot about him, just put the memories deep in the recesses of her mind. But now that she was finally free, she realized that 30 years had passed since she had last seen him. So much had changed, but she still longed to see him once again.

When her supplies for the month were delivered the next morning, she sent a letter back to the city with the delivery boy with instructions to send it to Emil’s village. At first she eagerly awaited his reply, but then she came to accept that he was not coming back to her. She looked back on her life on all that she had been through. She had been able to accept that her father would leave her to fend for herself in the forest, and she survived. Then after so many times of rescuing her, she had been able to accept that Emil would not return, and she survived. Once more, she let go of the hope that he would come again, and went about her days, doing what she did best…surviving.

~*~

A year went by, and Acrimonia was coming back from a walk. She saw Emil sitting on her doorstep. She would run to him, but she was not longer a young girl of 20. He stood up and smiled as she drew closer. “Acrimonia, I have been out of the country, and upon my return I found your letter waiting for me. Of course as soon as I read it, I came here.”

Acrimonia was speechless she never expected to hear from him or see him again. He put his arm around her shoulders, and they walked into the house together. “I cannot believe you are finally here Emil, I have dreamed of this moment for thirty years.” They sat down, side by side on her sofa, and she began to tell him all of what she had been through. “Acrimonia, I am so proud of you that you have been able to survive and make a life for yourself despite your troubles. But Acrimonia, I cannot stay. I only went back to the village for the birth of Anna’s first child, and I need to leave the country again.”

“Oh Emil, take me with you, please do not leave me here. I do not want to be without you. I should never have let you leave without me before, I was so stubborn.” The tears were pouring down Acrimonia’s face, and Emil reached up to wipe them from her cheeks.

“Oh my beloved Acrimonia, I would take you with me if I could, but I cannot. Too much has happened over the years, and I have built a life for myself,” Emil said with sadness. Acrimonia knew he was right, but still hung on to the hope that he would change his mind. “I must leave now, Acrimonia. I need to go back, but I promise I will never forget you. If something in my life changes and I am able to return, I will come back for you. I will love you always, Acrimonia.” And with that he turned and left.

As she stood at her doorway watching him leave once more, she said to herself “I have survived before, I will survive again.”