Anna and the Sun

The Ballad the Stars Remember

A Myth

from

Mark Lewis

A Note to the Reader:

This story is set in the Time of Wonder. It takes place in a valley. As in all good valleys, there are the East Mountains, the West Mountains, the mountains at the head of the valley, and the Ocean on the fourth side.

If you were to catch a glimpse of the people of this valley at their work or play, or at their meals, they would look as though they had just stepped out of a Breughel Painting … all earth-colored and “peasanty”.

Now, please open yourself to the magic, and enjoy this myth from my muse and me to you.

✦

The Sun would rise and set, and the stars would come out and accompany Night as he walked amongst the sleeping trees. The people would close their days and relax until Sleep would come and carry them into the lands of their choice.

But Anna would stay awake and sing a lullaby to the Sun as he lay down to rest. At times she would stay and talk with Night until he stepped over the mountains at the head of the valley and headed home. She would then sing songs of love and praise to wake the Sun and bring him to her…

Pick me up and take me, I will go.

I need your strength and love to feel

The sprocket fits and turns the wheel

My love calls out, I can’t conceal, so

Pick me up and take me,

I will go…

She loved him very much.

The people of the town thought this young girl mad to reach out to the Sun. They knew that he would always be there to help them work in their fields and vineyards. On their way to work they would pass by and laugh at her as she stood on the small hill behind her house and sang. They would mock her and question her, but always she would remain silent. She felt she needn’t explain to someone who wouldn’t try to understand.

One morning, as the Sun sat on the East Hills before beginning his long climb to the noon, he looked down into the valley. The townspeople were busily hitching their wagons and gathering their tools for the day’s work. He stood up, content, and began to walk when something caught his eye. He sent one of his brightest rays to find what he had seen. The light ran down and revealed a young girl singing. He recognized her voice and the piece fell into the puzzle that it was this mortal girl who had been waking him so beautifully. He sent his finest colors down to her as a thank you and when they reached her, they bounced off her long, chestnut brown hair and woke up the flowers. Anna realized that her far-love had recognized her and she began to dance and sing more beautifully. The Sun was very flattered that such a beautiful girl would pay so much attention to him. He smiled as he continued his climb.

Later, when the Sun was ready to drop down behind the Western Mountains, he heard her voice again and was so pleased with her song that he painted the clouds with his finest evening colors for her.

✦

Planting time came and passed and the Sun found himself looking forward to seeing this mortal in the mornings and disappointed when, his sky-painting done, he would have to leave her singing.

One morning, while he stood on the hills and stretched, he looked down to find her. There she danced, singing her love. He smiled and started to walk when slowly, a strange pain began to creep into his breast. It was a very good pain. He stopped, looked down to her again, and she blew him a kiss. His heart jumped and its door swung open. He looked once more and then he couldn’t look away! A young maiden in a long, diaphanous gown with flowers in her hair entered his heart and closed the door behind her.

The Sun had fallen in love with a mortal.

Love had settled into his heart.

All that day he kept his gaze on her and she would dance and sing to him.

The Sun began to wake earlier than usual and stay up longer so that he could be with her. All the light hurt Night’s eyes, so finally Night just shut himself into his dark castle and would not come out.

Anna was in her element! She would sit on the small hill behind her house and catch the sunbeams the Sun would send to her. She would laugh and sing him the hero-songs of old. The Sun already knew the stories of which she was singing because he had seen the deeds being done, but he loved her and loved her voice. She would sleep in his light and her skin was turning the warm brown color of her hair.

The Sun called together all of the winds to accompany him as he sang a song he had composed just for her…

Sing me the ballads the stars can remember,

Tell me the hero stories of old.

The taste of the colors you see in November,

Come here and watch while my love I unfold …

✦

Tell me the innermost thoughts of a sparrow,

Trying to see how high he can go.

What is the message the water keeps whispering,

Falling from Heaven, the ocean to flow …

✦

Your hair glows in colors of springtime through autumn,

My castle-day memories pass in review.

I see in your smile the style of a woman,

A little child laughs from behind eyes of blue.

✦

Lonely echoes quickly die,

Talking of days and ships gone by.

Gray cat smiling

Seagull flying

Underlying harmonies …

Please …

And she loved him.

✦

The townspeople became very upset and worried because the Sun would not set. All of the crops began to dry out and the vines couldn’t retain any moisture. A meeting was called in the Guild Hall to decide what to do. The Burgermeister called together the town elders to report on what was causing this disaster and it was decided that Anna was the cause of this curse. They decided that she was some sort of evildoer and was trying to destroy them, because she never spoke to them and remained alone. A plan was decided upon to capture her.

Anna was sitting on the shore and watching her love chasing clouds with the West Wind and she was laughing at him being so beautifully foolish. The Sun had waded out waist-deep into the ocean with his back to her …when a group of men rode up at full gallop. They grabbed her, gagged her and threw her into a chariot. They tied her arms around the driver so that she wouldn’t fall out, and rode off toward the town. She had tried to call to him, but they had surprised her.

The Sun finally caught the cloud he had been chasing and poured all of his colors over the top of it so that they would drip down through. When he turned to give it to her, he saw her riding away with her arms around another man! He went numb and his knees felt weak. The cloud floated out of his hands as he stared in disbelief. Suddenly, Anger ran up and enveloped the Sun in his yellowed arms. The Sun grabbed the cloud and tore it into a million mists! Jealousy and Heartbreak rushed at him from below the earth and attached themselves to him. Jealousy surrounded his head in a green mist and Heartbreak sat on his chest and stuck needle-like fingernails into his heart. A gaunt and skeletal Fear strolled up and whispered horrible thoughts into his ears and Remorse climbed on his back and grinned.

Their weight forced the Sun to sit down on the Western Mountains and he began to cry. Anguish came running across the fields towards him. As the Sun let out a long wail of sadness, Anguish struck, penetrated, and drove into the Sun’s heart forcing Love into a corner. The impact of Anguish toppled the Sun over the mountains, and he fell down the other side. As he stood up, Anger and Jealousy covered his eyes and he stumbled and fell many times before, bruised and bleeding, he reached his palace. He locked himself into the innermost chamber and began to cry. Fear and Remorse stood at the outside gates to guard the palace. Jealousy and Heartbreak took their positions inside the chambers, so that they could stay close and remind him. Anguish settled into the Sun’s heart and made himself quite comfortable.

With the Sun gone, Night came rushing out of his castle and ran over the countryside.

And Anna cried.

✦

The people rejoiced that their plan had succeeded! They had conquered the Sun! They held a huge celebration and gave Night the “Chair of Honor” with his son Twilight at his right and their servant Sleep standing behind him to do his every bidding. The town laughed and danced and sang far into Night’s arms. When everyone had drunk his fill (and then some), Night motioned for Sleep to take over the festivities. He began to sing “The Saga of Somnolence”…

Close your eyes,

Surrender …

Drift like leaves in fall,

Snowflakes in December,

Hear the night winds call.

Down - Down -

Down

down

down …

When all had surrendered to Sleep’s song, Night kicked back his chair, threw back his head and began to laugh!

And Anna sat and cried.

When the town finally woke up and began to prepare for work, they noticed that there wasn’t the familiar glow over the East Mountains as in the past. Thinking that their inner clocks had unwound because of the festivities, they all came back to Sleep. He gathered them into his arms and assured them that everything was “…All Right…”

Upon awakening, the people discovered that Night was still standing over the town, laughing. He was very pleased that he was able to stay on earth longer than usual. He began to play tricks on the people, being a mischievous creature. He sent mists and dreams to assume the shapes of dragons or headless spirits walking among the houses.

Night laughed.

And Anna lay in her bed and cried.

The Sun was staying in his palace and he wouldn’t come out. His love had left him and he was alone. He was dimming - losing his glow. Anguish kept him company and Jealousy would keep peeking in to see if he was still upset. The Sun would cry for long hours. His tears made golden rivers, which ran into the rocks and solidified. Anguish was being fed by Jealousy, Fear and Remorse from the storerooms of the Sun’s palace. He had grown to where he had overpowered the little lady Love in the Sun’s heart, and had forced her into a corner. The Sun’s heart was bursting.

He longed for her very much.

✦

Night’s pranks became more malicious as time went on, because he was tired of being around all the time, and also irritable because he couldn’t get any sleep. The townspeople were frightened and many were being hurt from running blindly from Night’s henchmen. Finally, Night called together all the mists, dreams, and spirits and held the “Mass of Confusion” in the huge Gothic Hall within his castle. Night sat at the pipe organ at the end of the hall and the music fell into the darkness and smothered the people.

A small circle of demons began to dance in the center of the hall with all of the rest watching. As the tempo began to increase, more and more shapes joined the dance. Soon the entire haunted assemblage was involved, swirling and blending in the eerie glow of the torches. This awful maelstrom began to give birth to an even greater evil.

As the music grew harder and harder, a shape lifted its head from the moving mass, and the rest of the spirits ran to take part. It was a horse of massive proportion, the worst of dreams, the dreaded specter, Nightmare. With burning red eyes this phantom tore itself up from the mass which had spawned it, punctuating its struggling movements with ghastly shrieks.

At the crescendo, with music screaming out of every window, the gates of Night’s castle burst open and Nightmare, with Night astride his back, leapt across the threshold and stood poised, motionless for a moment. Within the translucent contours of the horse’s muscular body could be seen all of the specters that were part of the whole, screeching and reaching. Screaming a human scream, Nightmare lunged away from the castle and flooded down the hills into the town. As it reached the village, its tail would crack like a whip and with each snap, an incubus or demon would leap free from the whole, and run into its own part of the town. This ghoul was infecting the village; spreading a pestilence of fear and evil.

No one knew or understood what was happening.

✦

Anna had been kept in the wine cellar of the Guild Hall. Without her love and knowing that he had been fooled, she pined away. She would eat nothing and became terribly ill. She was dying.

Her brother Matthew was worried about her. He knew all that had happened because he sat with her every night and listened to her cry for her love. Matthew decided that he would set out and tell the Sun what had happened.

He knew that Anna would try to stop him from going so, quietly he left her, packed a rucksack with provisions and saddled his horse. He rode out to their house and took Courage, their father’s sword, down from over the hearth. The inscription on the blade read: All enemies bow to Courage. It was a beautiful sword, and on it’s pommel was carved a face which took on the likeness of the previous owner. The face’s beard wound down the grip to where it entwined with the cross guard. When all was made ready, he hung the sword at his side and set out on his quest.

Night saw Matthew leaving and sent a small group of worries to hinder him. The evils came swooping down on him - their bodies stretching to even more grotesque shapes as they rushed through the air towards him. But, when they saw that he had Courage by his side, they stopped dead in their tracks and vanished.

His travels were easy until he reached the Western Mountains. He would have turned back many times because of the height and the lack of light, but he was able to grasp Courage by the hilt and it would whisper to him and encourage him onward.

✦

When Matthew reached the summit of the Western Mountains he found a bearded old man sitting by a fire near the path. He was resting against a huge bag which he had been carrying. Matthew offered him a drink of wine from his leather covered bottle and asked him for directions to the Sun’s palace. The old man looked up at Matthew with the eyes of a child; smiled, pointed the direction and asked his purpose. Matthew dismounted and explained over supper and the old man’s eyes flashed with excitement! The ancient one reached into his bag and pulled out a large package wrapped in oilskin and bound in twine.

He handed it to Matthew saying, “This will help you in your quest.”

The twine was quickly cut and as the oilskin was pulled back it revealed a slightly tarnished breastplate, the matching back plate and a coat of chain mail. Matthew immediately recognized them as the laurelled Mail of Patience and the Armor of Youth. He quickly put them on to a perfect fit. As he fastened the straps, his arms brushed across the tarnished surface of the breastplate. With these motions, he was unconsciously removing the patina that had collected over the many years that the armor had lain idle.

From the bag, the old one handed Matthew the Helmet of Wisdom, which, when he put it on, was a shade too big for him but he cinched the Strap of Learning tight and it fit well.

“You are going to need more than just Courage to achieve your goal.” said the old man, as a tear ran down his cheek remembering how well the armor had fit him once.

The knowledge of the armor filled Matthew as he mounted his horse. He was an impressive figure of a man to begin with and now all of the virtues of the armor realized themselves in him. He took the old man’s hand and thanked him. As Matthew turned to go, the old man kept hold of his hand with a grip of surprising strength and turned Matthew back to face him. The old man looked into Matthew and said,

“This is my advice to you, and remember what I say -

‘Never cast a shadow …

Always a reflection.’”

Not fully understanding the meaning of the words, Matthew nodded and rode off down the road toward the Sun’s Palace.

The old man watched Matthew ride until he was swallowed by the darkness. He turned, put out his fire, and shouldered his bag - pleased at the reduction in weight. Looking back in the direction in which Matthew had gone, he nodded his head and smiled the smile of a father. Then, turning, he walked up into the mists of the mountain … and disappeared.

✦

Upon reaching the Sun’s palace, Matthew dismounted and walked straight up to the outer gates. Like a pair of sodden bookends, Fear and Remorse were lying against the gatehouses, sleeping off the wine they had just drunk. Drawing his sword, Matthew slew Remorse in his sleep. Fear heard the sword pass through his friend and awoke to the sight of Matthew standing in front of him with the blood of Remorse dripping from his sword.

Jumping to his feet, Fear began to assume a different shape. His thin, frail, bony body began to spread. Muscles began to form and firm. Hair began to grow all over his body. His eyes widened to the size of a child’s head with one ugly slit as each pupil. His nose elongated and an unctuous beard grew from his bony chin.

He stood fifty feet tall and the claws that were his hands ripped an oak tree out of the ground and raised it above his head. He began to laugh hideously and gnashed his spear-teeth. His pupils dilated and an eerie glow poured out as he rushed at Matthew.

With Courage in his hand, Matthew leapt forward to meet the charge. The creature, startled at being attacked, lost his balance and stumbled. Matthew saw him fall towards him and, holding his sword in both hands he drove it into the monster’s chest. Screaming with pain, the creature fell at his feet and with one blow Matthew severed the head from the body.

Before the echo of the scream had fled over the hills, Matthew was through the gate, leaving the thin, frail, bony body of Fear lying headless in the dust.

On hearing the scream, Heartbreak and Jealousy ran for their lives leaving the inner gates wide open. Matthew slapped them with the broad side of his sword as they rushed past him. Matthew ran to the Sun’s chamber and kicked open the door. Startled, the Sun jumped up and his glow brightened. Anguish fell out of the Sun’s heart and shot at Matthew to conquer him, but the reflection off of the recently rubbed surface of the breastplate blinded him. He glanced off of Matthew and struck the wall. Matthew grabbed Anguish in his gloved fist and crushed the life out of him.

With all of the guards gone, the Sun was ready to listen

to what Matthew had to say.

✦

Anna lay alone in her cellar cell. She had one window: a half-round portal at street level with bars crossing it. From this low vantage point she watched as Nightmare ravaged the town. She could see groups of terrified townspeople being chased and herded by different ghosts and demons. Evil dreams and specters were looting the houses and shops and carrying away huge loads of valuables. And through it all, Nightmare ran through the streets, sparks flying from its hooves. There were fires burning everywhere, casting an orange and yellow pall over the horror. Many buildings had already succumbed to the flames.

The frightened people came to Anna and pleaded with her to bring the Sun back to them. She was so weak that even if she wanted to, she couldn’t have told them. She only asked that she be carried to her favorite place, the small hill behind her home, so that she could die happily. Since her brother hadn’t returned and her love had been forced away, she had nothing to live for.

The people did as she requested and took her to her hill. As she lay back to die, she poured every remaining ounce of her life into her once happy song as she sang …

Pick me up and take me, I will go.

I need your strength and love to feel

The sprocket fits and turns the wheel

My love calls out, I can’t conceal, so

Pick me up and take me, I will go…

✦

The deepness of your feelings I must know.

The time of capture far behind.

The threat of losing now benign.

A whispered clue I must go find so

Pick me up and take me, I will go …

✦

As she lay back, the townspeople crowded around themselves and whispered to one another, saying, “Who is she talking to…?” “What is she saying …?” “I don’t understand…” They all became silent as she lifted herself up to one elbow and sang for the last time …

When you are gone and Night walks through.

He whispers secrets trite but true.

My love calls out, but I need you,

To hold my love in warm, soft, blue…

So … Pick me up…

and take me —

I …

Will …

As she lay back to die, over in the East Mountains, the Sun kicked open the Gates of Morning and came running up into the sky with Matthew riding right beside him!

Night saw them coming, reigned in on Nightmare, and tried to run. Matthew rode straight for him, grabbed him, and threw him to the ground. With its master gone, Nightmare began to disintegrate from the hindquarters forward. The spirits fled from its form and ran back into the shadows, under the rocks, over to the trees and around the corners. The evil horse watched itself falling away and began to scream. The shrieks grew louder and louder as its end grew nearer. As the last spirit jumped away from the horse’s brow, the burning eyes and the screams vanished …

and it was gone.

✦

No one who was there knows exactly what happened. The facts that can be boiled out of the soup of exaggeration are that as the Sun rose, Anna was surrounded in a bluish aura. She was lifted up out of her mortal body dressed in a long, flowing iridescent white gown. As she ascended, she was wrapped in a veil of stars which extended the entire length of the heavens. Soon she became a soft, glowing sphere of light in the Western sky.

Her love had rescued her. Now she would rule the night forever as her king rules the day.

She always faces him, and once every twenty-eight days …

she visits her love in his palace.

✦

The End

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