‘Tickling Butterflies’ – Death and the Extra Life

I’m serializing my fairy tale novel, Tickling Butterflies. 128 separate fairy tales come together to create one epic fantasy fairy tale.

A new fairy tale ‘episode’ is published every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Enjoy the latest fairy tale:

Death and the Extra Life

(Containing the petrifying story of Death’s short encounter with life.)

Once upon a time, in the big city of New Bigness, there lived a very special thief. The thief used to wait for people around empty street corners. When someone came, he would jump out and scare half their lifetime away. Then he would catch the lifetime that had escaped and put it in his magic bag.

Later on, he would put on his special clothes and go to the market to sell extra lifetime to his clients.

It was during the time of Death’s race with John the Cute, that Death walked into the big city of New Bigness. It was the thief’s time, and Death intended to collect his soul and move on to the next big city on the way to the palace, where he would shake the king’s hand.

Death came to the thief at the market, just as the thief was setting up his shop. Before the thief knew what was happening, Death grabbed the thief’s bag with one hand, then shook his hand with the other. The thief’s soul left him at that instant, and he died.

Death’s hand, the one that had grabbed and held the magic bag, began to sting almost immediately. All the half-lives hurt Death, even through the magic cloth of the bag. Death was not accustomed to life.

Death tried to let go of the bag, but the bag was magic and the life in it would not stop clinging to Death’s hand. Death shook his hand and tried to pull the bag away, but the bag would not become unstuck. Death’s hand hurt and the life in it felt like a million and one stings.

Death realized he must be rid of all the life in the bag in order to be able to let it go. He had to act quickly: Not only did he want the pain to stop, but he also wanted to defeat John the Cute in the race for the life of King Charming the Fourth.

Death had no choice. He stood in the market and offered extra life to passersby for free. Death handed out extra life until all life from the magic bag had been taken. Then, empty, the magic bag fell from Death’s hand, and hurt no more.

Death buried the magic bag and quickly continued on his way towards the next big city.

This has been the petrifying story of Death’s short encounter with life.

 

(To be continued on Sunday…)

 

 

The Emoticon Generation by Guy Hasson

 

Tags: English, fairy tales, fantasy, Online Book, Serialized Novel, Tickling Butterflies