Three Evils

once upon a time (is overrated)

"A time once upon—because once upon a time is overrated—there was everything and nothing. Opposite, alike. Good and evil. One and the other. Balance present."

     "No! You old hag, 'Good and evil' was last listed!"

     The "old hag" looked at her as if she were crazy. Responding, she said, "O please, you not-so-fairest-in-the-land! If it's like that, the tempo will be broken."

     The "not-so-fairest-in-the-land" thought not fairest, I'm the most fairest of them all, and said, "Who cares about tempo, when symbolism is much more important!"

     And as the bickering continued, the only other people in the room, a story-filled girl and fae-like seamstress, continued to laugh, filling the walls with vibrating giddiness. Realizing this was happening, the bickering ones looked at them both.

     "What are you two laughing about?" both spoke at the same time. They laughed harder.

     "At the rate you two are going," the fae-like seamstress said through gasps and laughs, "you'll end up ruining the story for our dear little one."

     "Please, isn't everything meant to be ruined at some point?" the story-filled girl said, "and I'm not little anymore, I'm eighteen."

     The other three women looked at her. At that moment, they knew what words would escape their lips. "Yes, and soon enough, your prince will call your name thrice and free you from a tower to live happily ever after I assume?" the "old hag" said.

     "Or she'll eat a poisoned apple and fall into a deep sleep until her prince charming gives her a kiss of true love," the not-so-fairest-in-the-land" said.

     "Please, she'll fall into a deep slumber for a hundred years till a mighty hero comes to save her," the fae-like seamstress said.

     Laughing, the story-filled girl said, "Although those are fantastic scenarios, they are pretty overrated."

     All three "evils", who are called Mother Gothel, The Evil Queen, and Maleficent, looked at each other, and said, "Well, at least she's learning."

. . . .

Saga, who is the story-filled girl, sat through the class as the history teacher spoke. Bored for life, she daydreamed of the story of how her guardians—Malaya Efinol, Eveline Grimholde, and Nayeli Gothel—and her met.

     After being banished from the kingdom, all three women stumbled upon each other under a cliff.

     Uh, humans, Nayeli Gothel thought even though she was a human herself.

     If they start running, Eveline Grimholde thought, I'm going to scream. Though that really wasn't true; she really preferred hearing the screams of others.

     Malaya Efinol thought, Will they run? Because all her life, villagers ran away constantly from her. Well, and also the fact that she lived for questions.

     Waiting for the other to speak, silence grew. Each one stared each other to death, none wanting to budge. Until, someone did speak, but it wasn't any of them. And the words that were said were the strangest that they all ever heard of.

     "Dada?"

     Startled, all of them searched for the carrier of the voice, but they could not find the source. After a few moments, they thought it was just the wind until the same voice spoke the same words again.

     They searched once again, until they realized that it came from below. As their eyes looked down, they saw an infant with charcoal hair, fair skin, and deep green eyes.