: The Legend of the Keys :

“Mommy, tell me a story, please!” the young girl pleaded as her mother tucked her in to her bed.

Her mother smiled and looked out the window. The sun was not quite set and she knew her daughter would never go to sleep while there was still a hint of light in the sky. “Alright, but only one,” she replied. “But then it’s time to sleep. Now, what story? Oh, I know.

“When the world was still young and humans had only begun to build their cities, a great evil tried to take over the world. This evil took the form of a dreadful creature that was large and black. It had sharp horns that could shatter rock as easily as you can break a twig with your hands. Its claws were sharper than any katana and could slice through even the thickest of trees. His evil knew no bounds as he destroyed the country, crushing houses and burning down entire forests!

“As this evil creature advanced through the world, a young boy watched as all the strong men from the world tried to stop it. They would build great armies and attack the creature as one. However, every army fell, destroyed by this creature’s tremendous power. After a time, everyone gave up and tried to hide. They thought that this creature was unstoppable and would destroy everyone and everything if they did not hide.

“But this one boy had an idea. He knew that fighting had not worked and that hiding would not work. He decided to try to stop the creature. So while his mother and father were busy packing so they could hide, this boy gathered keys. He took seven simple keys that were used to lock chests to keep things safe. He took these keys and a small pack with food and a blanket and he set out to find the creature.

“Before long, he ran across a small army. The army had only old men in it. They told him that they were going to distract the creature while their families went into hiding. The boy did not like this plan because he knew that these men were going to die if they fought the creature. He did not want them to be separated from their families, so he told them his plan. At first, they all laughed at him, but slowly he convinced them to try.

“That night, the evil creature came and attacked the army and the small boy. However, they were ready for it. The old men surrounded the creature, seven in total, each with a key in their hand. They held the keys high in the air and shouted as one, “Go from this place! Go from this place!” They shouted over and over, louder and louder as they raised their keys higher and higher!

“As they continued this, a small, soft light started shining from each key. The louder they got, the bright this light shone until each key was shining so brightly the creature could no long look at them. Suddenly, the lights from each key connected, creating a circle around the creature. The light grew even brighter and the keys grew hot! The men holding the keys had to let go and back away, but the keys remained where they were, floating in the air. The creature let out a deafening roar of anger as the light engulfed him.

“And suddenly, the light was gone. The men looked at where the creature had been standing, but he was gone! All that was left were the keys, lying on the ground in a circle. They no longer gave off light of their own, but they reflected the light of the stars, shining with a soft glow. The old men took the keys and spread them throughout the world, keeping them safe, for they knew that if they were ever brought together again, the creature would get lose and try to destroy the world again. And so, everyone was able to come out of hiding and continue living in peace.”

“But mommy, what happened to the boy?” cried her daughter. “What happened to him?”

Her mother looked at her sternly before responding. “He was given a parade by the old men and everyone called him a hero. When he got home, however, his mother and father cried, because they hadn’t known where he had gone. They cried and they scolded him for leaving without telling them where he was going. Now, it’s time for bed. Good night, small one. Just remember to tell me and daddy where you’re going if you run off to save the world some night.” She kissed her giggling daughter on the forehead and left the room, leaving her daughter to her dreams.