Dead Letters

[rextenebrae]

[ Knoll has letters left on top of his bed so it won't be difficult to miss.

They're all written for a few people, starting with: Percival, Velvet, and Yukina.

All of the words are crossed out for Percival's but let me tell you I did have Knoll write a letter for Percival and it was LONG. ]

Comments

why did i write this

[rextenebrae]

[ There are a few more papers stuck together here. ]

1. The Diamond of Hope

Once upon a time, there was a poor man, and he didn’t know what to do for his suffering family at first. He was desperate to do anything he could to ensure their survival. He even considered resorting to being a part of the local crime by stealing whatever he could from those who would pass by his town. However, his attempts in thievery didn’t result in anything, since he was too unskilled to even steal one item successfully. He even was caught in his late attempt and spent months in jail.

When he left, he made the 8 mile journey home to find that his family had passed while he had been trapped. Following this, he threw himself onto his feet as he wept before the stars, and asked why he had suffered such misfortune. He didn’t believe himself worthy of this mortal coil, should he have failed to provide for his family. However, his sorrow was heard from above by the stars themselves.

Long have the stars watched over the lives of every soul that walked the world, though they hardly intervened for the sake of allowing life to proceed its natural course. That changed on this day.

One of the stars in the sky shot down to the ground, nestling beside the man in the form of a golden stone—when he looked he could not believe his eyes! It was diamond colored and large enough to tower over him. To him it spoke these words:

“I can end your suffering and bring back the lives of your family. All I would need is an individual of noble spirit.”

With the words spoken to him by the diamond-shaped stone, the man took it as his chance to regain something he had once lost. From thereon, he looked for a worthy person to give to the stone for keeps—however he found that no matter how hard he searched for someone worthy or willing enough to present before this being, he couldn’t help but feel as if the deed was wrong. In the end, he returned, empty-handed.

When asked why, he simply answered, “If I am noble and worthy enough for you to take, I will give myself, and beg for you to return the lives of my loved ones.”

Following such words, a bright light came over him. The stone had dissipated back into the sky to rejoin the stars, but his family did not stand before him. Dejected, the man headed back into his home, and prepared to live the rest of his life in misery. The next day, he descended the stairs and prepared to force his life through another day.

Imagine his surprise when he found that his family stood before him, waiting, and in each of their hands a piece of gold each. He never received an answer to why he was granted this, but it didn’t matter.

And they all lived happily…

END


2. The Two Birds

There were two birds who lived together--a robin and a raven. They knew each other since they were both young. They were inseparable, and promised that no matter what happened, their friendship would carry them through whatever hardship would occur.

One day, the robin couldn’t find the raven at their normal meeting spot in the woods. She was worried since there was a raging turbulent storm that had been encroaching upon their forest. Yet, she could do nothing as everything was washed away in an extraordinary deluge.

After the storm had passed, she searched for him, but to no avail. She was told by her other companions to give up, and that no one could have survived such a thing on their own. She ignored their protests, and searched through the debris for three days and three nights. She was told that there was only obvious outcome and she should give up, lest she continue to look like a fool.

On the fourth day, she uncovered where the raven had been resting, trapped underneath a number of shredded pieces of bark. Imagine her glee and their embarrassment as she and her friend reunited due to her efforts…

Since then, the two have been inseparable.

END

[ There are three other stories written here. One is A Cleric’s Story, The King of Benevolence, and The Frozen Lake. For someone as pessimistic as Knoll was, they end up being tales of suffering but at the end containing a guaranteed happy ending. ]