The Three Sisters

“Mother, tell me a story.”

“Which story, my sweet?”

“Tell me… the one of the three sisters!”

A good-natured sigh. “Again?”

“Yes, I like it best.”

“All right then. A long time ago, in a distant land, there was a kingdom on a mountain…”

. . .

The kingdom had three princesses, three sisters who lived their lives together and loved their people very much. Because of this love, the kingdom prospered, growing rich and plentiful as the sisters grew more beautiful and kind. The surrounding kingdoms noticed this and grew jealous.

“Why should that kingdom have the most gold and the fattest livestock and the most abundant crops?” they said to themselves and to each other.

The surrounding kingdoms decided to declare war with the sisters’ kingdom so they could take away what they wanted. They aimed the full strength of their armies at the sisters’ kingdom, and though that kingdom’s army was large and powerful, it was no match for the combined forces of all the surrounding kingdoms.

One day, the sisters looked down at their kingdom and saw that all their people were suffering, for their enemies were stealing their gold, livestock, and crops.

“We must do something!” said the eldest sister.

“Yes, yes, we must!” said the middle sister.

“But what can we do?” asked the youngest sister.

“We can go to the witch and ask her to help us win this war,” said the eldest.

So the three sisters trekked up the mountain to the cave where the kingdom’s only witch lived. Her name was Thesphylia.

When Thesphylia saw the three sisters, she asked, “What brings you here?”

“We seek your magic to help us win the war,” said the eldest sister.

Thesphylia rummaged through her bag before pulling out a glowing red orb. “I have the power of flight. Who wants it?”

“I do,” said the eldest sister. So she swallowed the red orb and attained the power to fly.

“Return this to me by sunset tomorrow,” said Thesphylia.

With the eldest sister’s new power, they were able to attack their enemies from above. This gave them the advantage in several battles, and it seemed like the tide of the war was turning. But then the other armies brought out their archers with their arrows, and they shot the eldest sister out of the sky.

A day after the two sisters buried their eldest sister, they looked out over the kingdom and saw that things were getting worse. Their enemies, having taken what they cared to, were now slaughtering their livestock and burning their crops.

The middle sister said, “We must do something!”

“But what can we do?” asked the youngest sister.

“We can go to the witch and ask her to help us again,” said the middle sister.

So the two sisters trekked up the mountain to the cave where Thesphylia lived.

When Thesphylia saw the two sisters, she asked, “Have you brought me back the power of flight?”

“No,” said the middle sister. “It was lost with our eldest sister when she was shot down by our enemies' arrows.”

“I’m sorry,” said Thesphylia. “What brings you here then?”

“We seek your magic again,” said the middle sister.

Thesphylia rummaged through her bag before pulling out a glowing blue orb. “I have the power to hear others’ thoughts. Who wants it?”

“I do,” said the middle sister. So she swallowed the orb and attained the ability to read people’s minds.

“Return this to me by sunset tomorrow,” said Thesphylia.

With the middle sister’s new power, they were able to learn the battle strategies of their enemies. This let them prepare counterattacks, and it seemed like the tide of the war was turning. But then their enemies caught on, and they gathered all the crazy people from their kingdoms. The sound of their thoughts drove the middle sister mad, and she threw herself into the ocean to escape.

A day after the youngest sister buried the middle sister next to the eldest sister, she looked out over the kingdom and saw that things had worsened still. With no property left to destroy, their enemies were now enslaving the people of her kingdom.

“What can I do?” asked the youngest sister.

She waited for a response, but none came, so she trekked up the mountain to the cave where Thesphylia lived.

When Thesphylia saw the youngest sister, she asked, “Have you brought me back the power to read minds?”

“No,” said the youngest sister. “It was lost with my middle sister when she threw herself into the sea.”

“I’m sorry,” said Thesphylia. “What brings you here then?”

“I seek your magic for a final time,” said the youngest sister.

Thesphylia rummaged through her bag before pulling out a glowing white orb. “This is the last thing in my bag, the power of invisibility. Who wants it?”

The youngest sister hesitated before reaching out to take the orb. She swallowed it and attained the ability to remain unseen by others.

“Return this to me by sunset tomorrow,” said Thesphylia.

The youngest sister went back to her castle, but she did not know how to use her new power to help her people. When the enemy soldiers came for her after enslaving every other person in the kingdom, they could not find her. They left, assuming she had met a similar end as her sisters.

By sunset the next day, the youngest sister was the only one in the entire kingdom. She trekked up the mountain to the cave where Thesphylia lived.

“I have come to return the power of invisibility,” said the youngest sister.

No one responded. Thesphylia was not there.

The youngest sister went back down the mountain and suddenly felt overwhelmingly lonely. She missed her people, she missed the happiness of before, and above all, she missed her sisters.

“What can I do?” asked the youngest sister again. “What would you do?” she asked her sisters.

The youngest sister used her new power of invisibility to sneak into the other kingdoms to free all her people. Their enemies were too busy drinking in celebration of their victory, and they were unprepared for an attack. Soon the youngest sister’s people were headed back to their kingdom, along with the goods that had been stolen from them.

Some things could not go back to the way they were. Thesphylia never returned to her cave, and the kingdom no longer had three sisters.

But one day, after years of rebuilding, the youngest sister looked out over her kingdom and saw that things were good and her people were happy. And perhaps she was happy too.

. . .

“The end.”

“Do you think the youngest sister was happy in the end?” Lia asked.

Her mother stroked her hair, and Lia’s eyelids drooped briefly. “I think she was happy that she could rebuild the kingdom, but sad that she hadn’t done more to save her sisters.”

“Half happy and half sad? That seems confusing.”

“Emotions are often confusing. What are you feeling right now?”

“Sleepy,” Lia mumbled.

Her mother kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, my sweet.” She blew out all the candles save one, and vanished into the darkness, only the glint of her crown still visible.