Save me a Story – Enticement

This is the continuing story of my adventures in the tale: Save me a Story. If you wish to read the introduction to understand what is happening, click this link: 

https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=3431 

Otherwise, I’ve tried to summarize what happened at the beginning of most of the sections of this story.  

Enticement

Necroma, an evil, power-hungry sorceress, plans to take control of Selat and possibly other realms, including ours. Her plan involves getting rid of all the characters of folk and fairy tales and thus eliminating all those stories we grew up on that helped us become who we are.  Once the stories are all gone and forgotten, Necroma can rewrite her own tales to make herself the hero. She would reign supreme if no one is there to save the world from her evil scheme. 

Her plan was clear. Enticement and misdirection was the key. Sorcerers under her control would enter a town stealthily and send messages to the homes of folktale characters. For some, these messages included an unsigned invitation to a meeting of the storytelling council of that town to discuss the future of storytelling. 

There had been long discussions about the fate of folktales throughout Selat. Interest in hearing these stories had waned. People seemed to be more interested in themselves than in their folklore heritage. Something needed to be done to bring the world back to where it was when folk and fairy tales helped teach lessons to children that formed their character.

Receiving an invitation to discuss the issues of the future of storytelling did not raise any red flags. And so they came.

In the mountains of Loren, there came three billygoats, princes, princesses, little boys, girls, frogs, and others.

Don’t think that these meetings were held only for our folktale protagonists.

Some other invitations were sent out to the bad characters as well. These invites promised discussions about being wronged and what could be done to rectify the deaths of so many characters in folklore. You have to believe that giants, trolls, wolves, evil queens, and Baba Yaga herself were eager to attend those meetings, no questions asked. 

Once each character arrived, they were put into a trance and taken away to an unknown island, where through magic and incantations, they were stripped of their awareness of self and left alone to fend for themselves with no escape. 

A few characters were not caught, but they were so small in number that Necroma ignored them.

Continued in…Friend