That Night, Magic was Created

Each time a problem arose, the thoughts of that fateful night also arose, the night the Pandora Box was opened in this very room. Believe it or not, it happened right here where I'm sitting, writing the story of one of the greatest elements of all time, Magic...

                                                    CHAPTER ONE

Dawn broke. Just another sunrise, a part of my cluttered, unhappy world. In our ancient realm, nobody knew the true essence of happiness, not one. All because of her curiosity that killed joy in the world. She was my friend, my most trustworthy one, in fact. All I gave her was one simple job. Keep the box and remember, do not open it any cost. Pandora betrayed my trust. I could never forgive her until that day. The day she told me the secret of the magic of the Hope Fairy.

 I was the chief of my people. I couldn't just sit there and bear to watch my people suffer. An invisible fire burnt inside me. I had to save my people. I simply had to. Pandora's secret turned a curse into a boon to save my people. I felt happiness in my soul for the first time since that disastrous night.

What happened that night, when Pandora gave out the secret....

"I CANNOT FORGIVE YOU! I DON'T TRUST YOU ANYMORE!"

But please... I beg you. I never wanted the world to suffer. The curse from my Goddess, Athena controlled me that night.... Please pardon me, chief (sobs)! I come to you with a secret that could destroy all of our problems. A secret from our saviour I told you about, The Hope Fairy.

A sudden flash. Everything goes blank, except for a tiny path of moonlight that entered through the window. It gets bigger.

Pandora rises, not as a human girl. She rises as Goddess Athena herself. The moonlight becomes a halo for her.

The chief unknowingly falls on her knees. The very presence of the Goddess makes one lose their sense of movement.

Goddess Athena, what have I done to see your holy form? After all, I am just a mere chief!

Dimitra, I have come to enlighten you on the sixth worldly element, after earth, wind, water, sky and fire. I want to tell you about Magic...

                                                  CHAPTER TWO

I woke up late as the Zeus' temple bells started booming right in my ears. I looked at myself in my kathreftis, what people nowadays call a 'mirror'. Whatever solace Pandora's secret bought me was surpassed by the atrocity of her deed. I was ashamed to even look at myself in my mirror considering that I had done absolutely nothing to save my people from terrible despair. They had affected me too, I had forgotten my duty as a chief towards my subjects. Anyways, I was able to see the joy in my people's faces as soon as I had done what my Goddess told me to. Anyways, now, I had

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to take my holy plysimo, a ritual bath we Greeks had to take everyday, especially the important people, before praying for the welfare of the people of our community. 

I took a look at my palace, the chief's palace, its grandeur. The court with my gilded throne, the silver thrones of the courtiers. A door, just behind my throne, that led to the vast acres of the royal garden, filled with exotic plants from all corners of the world from India to Mesopotamia and Egypt and a far-off, newly-found land named South America. Then lay the large, comfortable chambers of all my family members. Then lay the secret room which no one knew about. The very room which contained the magic. The very room in which Goddess Athena revealed the secrets of magic. At last were my ever so faithful servants, ever so loyal and true. They were my most trustworthy men and women.

Let me explain the great features of our land.

Our chief source of water was the river Murat, the longest river in our ancient Greece. Its splendor enhanced the lands of our community. It was just the perfect river for us. During monsoons, the river flooded its banks and made our lands fertile even without rainfall. During the summers, the sun shone straight through the river, amplifying its reflective properties to such an extent that we could use it as a natural mirror. The brilliance of the river was further escalated by my people, who always managed to retain the excess water of this river for future uses. Animals lapping up the water and playing in the river was marvelous sight to see.

Our neighbours were Illyria, Thrace and the Persian Empire. We imported leather from the Illyrians, jewels and fabric from Thrace and purple dye (rarest colour), glassware from Persia. These three were our reliable allies as well. We could trust them to help during most of our problems. And, yes. They were not like those double-actors which we saw from, you know... That day.

Then there were my people. I actually realized quite recently that the extravagance of my palace meant nothing, when it came to my people. After all, it was them, who put up with me when I could do nothing to save them from their troubles. I couldn't do anything, even when I saw their prosperity wither and wane. My people were the architects who built my magnificent palace. I have no words to describe their genuine personality. There was no possible word in the dictionary to tell you their magnanimity and kind heart. I still owe my life to my people. So, to my people, if they are reading this, 'Thank you for making my life wonderful, right from my childhood'.

Last but not the least, the greatest element of all time, Magic...

                                                                                      To be continued...