“We have to marry our son’s off soon David. I have met with a midwife, and there is a baby
to be born later this afternoon. I shall
travel to the child’s home and speak to Sarah the mother about arranging a
marriage with her child and one of our sons if it turns out to be a girl.”
King David wondered about his wife Queen Mary. She was eccentric most times, and believed in
preparing for their sons future. A girl had not been born in the past twenty
years in their kingdom and she did not want to search elsewhere. Whenever she hears of a child being born, she
ends her daily tasks and waits to find out if the child is a boy or girl. She
was known around the kingdom as “Crazy Mary,” but no one would dare say the
name outside of their homes.
King David and Queen Mary shared three sons, James, Mark and
Jacob. James was fifteen years old, Mark
was eleven and Jacob was eight. They were very different from each other and
did not have marriage on their minds.
“Father, where is Mother off to?” asked Mark.
“Witch hunting,” King David replied.
The boys understood what their father meant by witch
hunting. There were forty-eight births within the last three years, and all the
babies turned out to be boys. Their mother Queen Mary attended every
birth. She even encouraged families to
reproduce more children and if they successfully bore a girl, she would give
their family wealth and nobility.
Many hours passed, and Queen Mary returned home. She walked up the grand staircase that led to
her room, and collapsed on the bed.
“Any luck?”
“Yes. There were twin girls but one did not survive. I was able to name the child and I named h- -
”
“You did no such thing Mary! You do not take away the privilege
of naming a child from its parents. I am
starting to believe that you are crazy!
“Excuse you sir, but I named the young child Rebecca with
the Sarah’s approval. She was going to name the girls Rebecca and Ann, so I
suggested naming the surviving child Rebecca Ann Smith. The child who died was named Bethany, after
her husband Jim’s deceased mother.”
The two lay in the bed not speaking to each other until King
David became curious.
“Who is this child to marry?”
“I will have each of our sons meet her, and they can decide.
Goodnight Sir.”
Years passed as Rebecca Ann became older. When she was twelve, James met with the Smith
family. He was not happy to marry such a
young girl and decided against the act. He noticed that she had not received
all of her permanent teeth, and it bothered him greatly. Without his mother’s
approval, James found a wife in the next kingdom.
At the age of fifteen, Mark saw Rebecca Ann getting fruit
out of the town’s market.
“She’s ugly he protested! Her face has all of these red
bumps, and her hair…I would never want to look upon anything that looks that disheveled.
I would rather die.”
Queen Mary did not know what to think of Mark’s opinion of
the young girl, so she visited the Smith family to get a peak of Rebecca Ann. When Mary arrived at the Smith’s home, she
was greeted warmly.
“What brings you to our home Queen Mary?” Sarah asked.
“I just wanted to see how things are going for you and your
family. How is Rebecca Ann?”
“She is out in the garden.
Let me escort you back there.”
The Queen looked at Rebecca Ann’s face and chatted with
Sarah a bit longer before excusing herself before they began dinner. When Queen Marry arrived home, she marched
into the dining area and yelled
“She’s becoming a woman Mark. There is nothing wrong with her face.”
“I don’t care she’s ugly, and I will not marry her.”
It was Jacob’s twenty-eighth birthday and Queen Mary decided
to throw a ball in Jacob’s honor. She
invited the Smith family and hoped that Jacob would settle for Rebecca Ann. As
Jacob greeted his guests, his fell upon a young woman who was more ravishing
than any other woman he had seen.
“What is your name my lady?” Jacob asked.
“Becca.”
Author's Note: This story was inspired by Ellen C. Babbitt's The Red-Bud Tree from the book More Jataka Tales. The story is about three brothers who come across a red-bud tree during the different stages of its life. On brother visits the tree during the winter wondering why the tree is not red, while the other two brothers visit the tree when the red buds begin to grow and bloom. Each brother compares their story of the tree, and it is the father who tells his sons that they did visited the same tree.
Rebecca represents the tree in this story. As she becomes a woman, the boys are able to see her at different times as she matures into a woman.
Bibliography: Written by Ellen C. Babbitt
Dijoun,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this story. It teaches a lesson to everyone that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. It also empowers women to be happy with their appearance, especially young girls who are still growing, developing and changing. I had to agree at first that I thought Queen Mary was slightly crazy, however, by the end of the story she seemed like any normal over protective mother. This story was a fun read.
Dijoun, The title of your storytelling, Eye of the Beholder, really caught my attention! I love that saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that it is subjective to each person and that we can see beauty in whatever we personally choose. I also love the setting of kings and queens and midwifes and pre-arranged marriages. This is one of my favorite settings – it is also just so intriguing to me because it is hard for me to imagine a world like this! Good job!
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