1 A Girl's Best Friend

Once there was a woman whose beauty was known by many, far and wide. She was desired by every man who came across her path, which was deceptively long and winding. You see, despite the woman's remarkable beauty, her life was a difficult one. The woman, although praised as an incomparable beauty, desired by all who saw her, was cripplingly burdened.

Every man who saw her was so overcome by desire for her that they ventured out and brought to her jewels of every kind and riches beyond imagining. Altogether, the jewels she collected were a sight to see and it was her greatest joy to count and gaze upon them, but the woman was not rich. Everyday, she took them out to look at them and remember the men who gave her each one, but she never sold a single one of them as they were too beautiful to part with and so she gathered them together and carried them in a satchel upon her back as she wandered through the world. As she wandered, she passed town after town, all the while gathering more and more jewels to add to her already ponderous collection. One day, as she walked, her satchel became too much of a burden and she took it off to rest a while.

"Surely, I cannot be expected to carry this all by myself. I will have to find a man who can carry this satchel for me as I wander." she mused, "Yes, it will be a comfort to share this heavy burden of mine with another." So her path was set before her, and once she had sufficiently rested, she took up her satchel again and began her journey to find a suitable companion. As she walked, she came across the shop of a Baker. She set her satchel down and observed the Baker through his window. As she watched, she saw that the Baker was very strong, tossing 100 pound bags of flour over his shoulder as if it were nothing.

"Surely this is the one, the one who can share my burden." Pleased with her selection, she moved closer to the shop so that the baker could see her and the heavy burden she carried from across the road. The baker, working alone in his shop, looked up and saw her across the road without even glancing at the satchel of jewels that sat beside her. Enchanted by her beauty, the baker left his shop, crossed the road and made his case before her.

"My lady," began the baker, "I am not greatly aged or experienced, but this day I feel certain that I will never see beauty such as yours again. Please, I know I am a lowly baker, but if you would be content to stay, I would live my life to please you."

Pleased by his response, the woman smiled and replied sweetly, "Of course, humble Baker, I would be pleased to stay here by your side if it were not for this heavy burden I carry." The baker, unsettled by her words, looked down to see her satchel of jewels and promptly offered his service to her. "My lady, this is more fortunate than I could have imagined. Not only will we be happily together but with the money from these jewels, we will live in luxury the rest of our lives."

As the Baker reached to take up her burden, she grabbed it away and said, "Never! I have gathered these jewels all the years of my life and I intend to part with them only after my death. If you cannot bear this burden with me, then I will take it with me and go."

Astounded by her response, the Baker took her hands back and promised, "My lady, if you would stay with me, there is no burden too heavy that I would not carry for you." Pleased, the lady took his hand and placed her burden upon his back. The Baker was faithful to carry her burden for one year, but after time, he grew tired and weak and was unable to carry it any longer, and suggested that they sell the jewels for the money they could have. Unwilling to part with them, the woman took her satchel upon her shoulders once again and continued her wanderings.

After some time, the woman's satchel became too heavy for her to carry alone and she set out once again to find a suitable companion. As she walked, she came across the quarters of a Knight and his men and thought "Surely this is the one, the one who can share my burden."

Seeing that the Knight was a handsome and strong warrior, she set her satchel down and sat across the road so that he could see her . When the devoted Knight saw the woman's beauty, he was captivated. At once, he sheathed his sword, got upon his horse and rode across to meet her. "My lady," he said, "I have travelled far and wide and seen many maidens from many lands, but this day I am certain that I have not, nor ever will, see beauty such as yours again. I am a strong Knight and if it pleases you to stay, I would spend my life fighting only the battles which you lay at my feet."

The woman smiled up at him and replied meekly, "Of course, noble Knight, I would be pleased to stay here by your side if it were not for this heavy burden I carry."

The Knight, looking down at the bulging satchel, laughed jovially and heaved it all at once upon his shoulders. "How fortunate, my beautiful lady has brought us jewels which, once sold, will bring comfort to our lives til we grow gray with age."

As the Knight turned away with her satchel, she grabbed his arm roughly. "Never! I have gathered these jewels all the years of my life and I intend to part with them only after my death. If you cannot bear this burden with me, then I will take it with me and go."

Confounded and terrified of her response, the Knight unsheathed his sword, knelt down before her and plunged the tip of it into the ground at her feet. "My lady, if you would stay with me, there is no burden too heavy that I would not carry for you." Satisfied, the woman heaved her burden upon his shoulders. The Knight was faithful to carry her burden for three years, but after time, he grew tired and weak and was unable to carry it. The Knight suggested that they sell the jewels and live easily for the rest of their lives but the woman refused, taking up her satchel once again and continuing her wanderings.

The woman was deeply discouraged that her Humble Baker and Noble Knight could not share her burden and now, certain that no one was up to the task, she devoted herself to her wanderings.

One day, as she lay out her jewels to look at their beauty, she was approached quietly by a Carpenter. Shocked, the woman stood and began to gather her jewels jealously.

"Don't be afraid, beautiful woman, for I have heard about your great burden."

Shocked, the woman asked, "What does a Carpenter like yourself intend to do?"

The Carpenter smiled and approached the woman "If you would be content to stay with me, beautiful woman, I would only desire to carry this burden for you, will you let me?" The Carpenter reached out his hand.

Cautiously, the woman tested him, "This is no small purse, Carpenter, I have spent my life gathering these jewels. Others have tried and failed to carry this burden for me."

The Carpenter's face became serious and he stepped toward her. "Truly, woman, you are more burdened than many, it is not surprising that men have failed to carry it for you. Yet, here I stand."

Relieved and yet terrified by his words, the woman thought, "Surely this is the one, the one who can share my burden." Unaware of her own actions, she heaved the burden upon the Carpenter's shoulders and took his hand. The Carpenter carried her burden faithfully to his humble shop just down the road. As they reached his shop, the woman went to his home and sat, feeling relieved of her burden. After time, she walked down to his shop to check on the Carpenter and to see her jewels. When she arrived at his shop, she saw him standing in the shards of her jewels, each one clearly smashed to dust by the hammer he placed on his workbench.

The woman began to wail atrocities at him for his actions but he only continued to smash the jewels. Once he had finished, he took the woman into his arms and the woman, unable to take it, began to beat on the Carpenter's chest and weep against his embrace. "You don't understand what you've done, Carpenter! You have taken part of my soul away this day. I spent my life collecting those jewels, they were the most precious thing in my life. There was nothing more beautiful in my life than them."

The Carpenter stroked her hair gently and wiped her tears, "Look again," he prompted and turned her head to look at the remains of her jewels. What she saw astounded her, on the ground, in place of her beautiful diamonds, were dirty, jagged rocks in their same places.

Astounded, she stepped toward them "My jewels..."

"Were nothing but the jagged rocks of towns you passed through. Each one, sharper than the last."

The woman picked one up and it seemed heavier than her whole satchel had the day before. "I've been deceived, my jewels were the most beautiful things in my life, they cannot have been these ugly wretched things. I considered them beautiful."

"You have been deceived," said the Carpenter "But do not be afraid, for I consider you beautiful and even more now you are free of your burden which neither you, nor any other must bear again."

The woman wept with relief she never knew she needed and The Carpenter held her tightly. "There are others like you, devoting their lives to the jagged rocks of their past. These burdens can never be shared with another, no matter how gravely you feel their weight. You cannot be free and hold on to them still, they must be destroyed. You are free, now you can go into the world and free others who love more jagged rocks than your own. Be free."

And she was.

The End.