Week 2 Story: Red Roses, Crimson Blood, and Emerald Scales

 Red Roses, Crimson Blood, and Emerald Scales

(Image Information: image by Irina Iriser)

Ice and snow slowly melted away in small patches near the disheveled cottage where Yveta and her two eldest sisters, Ingrid and Jenka, lived and huddled near the weak flames. Nothing had been the same since their father died. It had been almost three seasons ago. No one would've suspected her father to have been a wealthy merchant whose one bad decision cost them dearly. Now, he lay at the bottom of the ocean along with the entire Borak family fortune.

 

From that day on, a hideous curse seemed to have affected Yveta simply due to sharing the same dark brown curls and face as her dear father. She sensed her sisters’ bitter animosity told her with every word. Even her dear, sweet mother gave her odd and hurtful glares when she believed Yveta hadn't noticed.

 

Luckily, Yveta’s mother succeeded at selling her various weaved goods at the market in the next village. Before leaving two days ago, her mother had asked if they wanted something from the market. While Ingrid and Jenka desired lovely fabrics and sweet-smelling perfumes, Yveta longed for something she could not grasp. She craved for those Spring months when her father was alive. Her sisters and even her mother did not despise her. Instead, they loved her. Of course, her prayers wouldn’t return her to the past, yet she wanted a symbol for those days gone by. Soon, the perfect memento struck her thoughts. So, if it were possible, Yveta requested three bright red roses from any bush she passed.

Ingrid and Jenka snickered. “Winter has not ended. How could you possibly think roses would bloom in the snow?”

 

Hesitation and odd look aside, her mother finally promised to retrieve the roses. And now, Yveta and her sister stood by a smoldering fire and awaited their mother’s return, which should be any minute.

Suddenly, a gust of chilling air loudly blew open the front door disturbing the quiet atmosphere and causing Yveta and her sister to jerk. To her horror, Yveta spotted her mother's weak body crumpled on the floor. Her mother had a bloody lip, and several marks across her arms and legs. Blood and small cuts covered her mother's rough hands. Yveta looked closer at her mother’s fists, which were wrapped tightly around crumpled roses petals. Assuming her siblings stared at their mother, Yevta was soon corrected when Ingrid gave a frightful scream.

(Image Information: image by mirsad mujanovic)

 

Yveta's vision shifted from the floor upward to reveal an enormous serpent with sharp blue eyes and fangs the size of her head. It was magnificent as well as horrifying. However, Yveta was not stunned by its enormous size or how it mimicked the upright posture of a man. Oh no, it was the serpent’s mesmerizing golden eyes and dark emerald skin with smaller iridescent scales, which amazed her. In fact, this creature was no ordinary serpent. This was a basilisk, and it stood before her.

 

Occasionally, the basilisk’s interrupted himself as his forked tongue slipped out. “Your mother jumped over the gate surrounding my home and plucked three roses from my garden like a common thief. She mentioned how these,” his head pointed down to her mother’s hands, “were for one of her daughters. Which one of you demanded the roses?” he asked firmly.

 

Ingrid and Jenka cowed. All they could do was to hold each other in their linked arms and shiver. Yveta knew it wasn’t only from the cold. Nor could she blame them. Her insides were doing flips, but the frightened look on her mother’s wrinkled and bloodied face told struck a chord deep in her heart.

 

Mustering up her courage, Yveta approached the serpent, raised her chin, and with a meek voice said, "It was I, Yveta Borak." She explained as to why she requested the roses.

 

After defending her mother’s actions, Yveta waited for him to slither over and sink his polished fangs into her tender peachy flesh. Without faltering, the serpent hissed orders. However, they were far from what she expected. He demanded for Yveta to pay for her mother’s crime by living in his manor house. She would be responsible for nursing him for three hours a day, yet she would want for nothing. However, she was not to leave or visit her family until he deemed it.

 

Yveta should’ve had some feeling of remorse for being forced into leaving her family to live with this unusual creature. Instead, something inside told her it was a way out of her miserable life from her resentful mother and sisters. With only a quick nod and a short hug good-bye for her mother, Yveta left with the basilisk.

 

The basilisk hadn’t lied. Yveta truly longed for nothing and soon fell into a routine. To her pleasure, she found herself loving her time at the manor and even enjoyed the basilisk’s company. He was quite friendly. They spent hours talking near a cozy fire.

 

After three months, the basilisk appeared before her with his favorite iron blade and demanded that she behead him. Yveta couldn’t bring herself to do it but couldn’t understand why. When she refused, the basilisk clarified he’d been dying and wanted to go on his own terms. However, he could not kill himself.

 

The basilisk pleaded, “If you ever cared for me, Yveta, you must grant me this last request.”

 

Gripping the hilt, Yveta sorrowfully nodded, collected her emotions, and lifted the sword above his head. With tears streaming down her face, she whispered, “Good-bye, my dear friend.”

 

The edge of the sword sliced his head clean off. Blood splattered everywhere, including Yveta’s face. Once she wiped the gore from her eyes, Yveta was shocked to find a naked young man with a gleeful expression standing before her.

 

The young man smiled and exclaimed, “My name Lord Dušan Koch and you, lovely Yveta, have freed me." Dušan explained the curse placed upon him was to remain physically in pain as a serpent for short life unless his head was removed by the one who refused to kill him. He was determined to live alone for the rest of his days, but when he changed his mind after getting to know her. No longer did he want to live in constant pain without companionship, and he confessed his love for her.

 

Dumbfounded with delight, Yveta wrapped a blanket around his blood-coated body and hugged him. Eventually, the two were married

(Image Information: image by Ck Lacandazo)

Author's Notes: This is my take on the story, The Three Roses by Josef Baudis (1922). The setting is based on where the story came from Czech. I wanted to give a more grounded tale about people who the audience could possibly connect with rather than only a name. I added more to the characters because the original story paints them, in my opinion, as bland. I believe that was the original purpose so the readers may place themselves into the story. I liked how the female lead goes willing with the basilisk, but I felt there needed to be more of a reason rather than the author says so. This is why I decided to make her family a minor antagonist for the story. If I had been given more words, I had ideas to bring in the evil witch who placed the curse as well as have Yveta's sisters more involved in the story. I am extremely curious to continue working on this story in the future.

Bibliography: Baudis, Josef. The Three Roses from The Key of Gold, 1922,