A Vengeful Tale by Carmen Erickson EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Carmen Erickson
- Language: English
- Genre: Fairy Tales
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
Unwritten rule #1: Never visit the Fates. The three ancient sisters who
decided the destiny of every mortal did not negotiate.
Rumpelstiltskin went anyway. He stood on the steps of the rambling
stone villa in the remote Italian countryside. Sweat trickled down his
forehead and an anguished heart heaved in his chest.
“For Bernie,” he whispered.
Rolls of thunder echoed across the evening sky, and a cutting wind
carried the bitter stench of rotting squash, making his already fluttering
stomach lurch. Rump rapped his knuckles against the door, then tucked his
shaking hand into a pocket.
A broomstick-thin girl in a black and white maid’s uniform opened the
door a crack and peeked out. Her gaze zipped up and down his short stature.
“Hello. I’m here to see the Fate sisters,” Rump said in a quivery voice.
“Are they expecting you?”
“No…but it’s urgent.”
The maid frowned and tugged on a wavy brown lock. “They don’t take
unannounced visitors.”
“Please.” He swallowed hard. “This is a matter of life and death.”
She hesitated, gave a curt nod, and stepped aside so he could enter.
Golden tile gleamed in the foyer, leading to a room twice the size of
Rump’s cottage. Glowing orbs lined the mantel of a massive stone fireplace,
swirling images like some archaic spy system. He walked past a spinning
wheel that sat in the middle of the room, with miles of fine, gossamer
thread stretching down an endless hallway. A shiver scurried over Rump’s
body.
He had only met the Fate sisters once, in front of the Fairy Tale Council.
He’d tried to appeal his story ending, but the Fates, along with Godmother,
had voted to uphold the travesty known as His Crappy Ending.
Not that he was bitter…
Tonight, the Fates rocked in their willow chairs at the hearth of a roaring
fire, nibbling zucchinis. Their heads swiveled to Rump in unison, eyes
protruding against their olive-gray complexions. Judging by the voracity of
the glares hurled at him, they hadn’t forgotten him, either.
Atropos launched off her chair, bones creaking and fists shaking. “What
are you doing here?”
Lachesis rose slowly, scratched at her nest of pewter hair, and stabbed
him with a scolding stare. “You’re breaking many rules by coming here,
Rumpelstiltskin.”
“I didn’t have any more options.”
“What do you want?” Atropos snarled.
Rump fought the sting in his eyes and ignored the propeller whizzing in
his gut. He’d never begged for anything—barely even said please before, as
it didn’t suit his personality—but there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his
wife. “I’ve come to beg you to spare the life of my beloved Bernice.”
“Beg us? You don’t say…?” Lachesis said with a hint of glee. Her tongue
slithered across cracked lips in anticipation.
Clotho, the youngest Fate, hefted a tome from a small side table. She
fingered her pointy chin as she paged through it. “Bernice Bartholomew,
from Appalachia?”
“Yes, yes, that’s her.” Rump rushed forward. “Can you save her?”
Clotho scanned a page containing Bernie’s picture and some writing,
tsking her tongue. “Stage four lung cancer. She doesn’t have much time
left.”
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