The Whispering Wind

A boy hears voices in the wind and must save a princess.

Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom. There was a quiet village where a young boy lived. He spent his days in the nearby forest running and playing. He would play with the forest creatures, swim in the stream and enjoy everyday life as much as possible. He had a wonderful life. The other villagers told the boy he shouldn’t spend so much time in the forest. There was plenty of work to be done they would say.

The boy, who’s name was Johnce, would rest against a large oak tree and listen to the wind. He could swear he could sometimes hear voices as the wind blew. He could hear the wind whisper secrets about lost treasures, hidden caves and the history of the land itself. Whenever he would tell anyone in the village about the things he heard they would laugh and tell him what a big imagination he had.

While napping against the giant oak he heard the wind whisper about a hidden cave close to the village. In this cave the villagers had survived a terrible storm centuries before. Johnce thought if he found this cave he could prove the whispering wind wasn’t just his imagination. He searched and followed the whispers until he found the cave. It was filled with very old relics of a time gone by. He gathered a couple bowls, a knife and an ax and took them to the village as proof. “Look what I found!” Johnce said. “The wind told me where to find it!” The villagers were surprised he had found the cave. Its existence was told about in the stories of their forefathers. The villagers told Johnce how lucky he had been to find it but they still didn’t believe the wind had shown him the way. Johnce knew the truth even if no one else believed him.

One day while eating his lunch next to the giant oak Johnce heard the wind whisper again. It was saying, “Find the girl in the golden cloak. She holds the key to the King’s sorrow.” “The king’s sorrow?” Johnce thought. “Everyone knows that story.” The king's daughter had disappeared years before and the king had been distraught ever since. “Is the wind whispering to me how to find her?” Johnce wondered. He continued to listen carefully but heard nothing else. The next day he sat at the giant oak and began to eat his lunch. The wind blew and Johnce could hear the whispers. They told him to go deep into the forest. To go east until he found a river. There he would find the king's daughter.

Johnce packed his pack and took off walking to the east through the forest. He was nervous because he had never traveled deep into the forest. Not many people had and returned to tell about it. Johnce was brave and courageous. He had to make the journey if the princess was really there. He stopped and made camp when the darkness fell. The sounds of the deep forest were terrifying but Johnce could hear the wind whisper to him, keeping him company as the night went on. At daybreak he continued towards the east and soon came upon a river. Beside the river was a small cottage. Johnce approached and knocked on the door. A beautiful young girl wearing a golden cloak answered the door. Behind her was an old woman who could barely walk. “You’re the king’s daughter.” Johnce said. The girl was confused. She had only ever known the cottage she lived in and the old lady who raised her. The old woman spoke, “I found her wandering in the dark forest alone years ago. I brought her home and raised her as my own. No one ever came for her.”
“Our king has been distraught ever since her disappearance. He has searched everywhere for her.” Johnce told the old lady. “He will be grateful that you rescued her and have taken such good care of her.”

Johnce prepared a cart for the old lady to ride in and together the three headed back through the forest towards the castle. As they traveled, Johnce told them stories of the kingdom and about the whispering winds of the forest that told him how to find her. They arrived at the castle and requested an audience with the king. Johnce told the king about the whispering winds and how he had found the king’s daughter. The king was overjoyed. He was happy for the first time since his daughter had disappeared.

The king awarded Johnce with bags of gold. He held a feast in Johnce’s honor inviting everyone from Johnce’s village. Johnce was a hero. The people from his village were proud he was one of them. The old lady was asked to continue caring for the princess and given a place to live in the castle and all the comforts available.

The king was happy again. The princess was home and everyone lived happily ever after…..

The End