Lily-May

Prompt 2: Write a story that features a mythical, vampire-like creature.

There was once a man who had three sons and last of all a daughter. He named her Lily-May after the flowers that were blooming in his garden. Lily-May was a pretty child and grew more beautiful with every day that passed. Her brothers, however, were unkind, greedy men and when their father died they decided to make their sister work as their servant. They treated her cruelly but when they went to market they boasted of Lily-May's beauty, her intelligence and her faithfulness so that all the villagers would think highly of them for having brought up such a sister.

One day a fine merchant rode through the market where the brothers sold their wares and heard them boasting about Lily-May. At once the merchant asked to meet her. The brothers all agreed – except for the eldest. "Then let me give her a gift and watch from a distance," said the merchant. He gave the brothers a necklace for the girl but they only agreed to give it to her when he gave them a bag of silver for themselves.

That evening when the brothers returned home they asked Lily-May to walk to the well with them to fetch water for their horses. "They must be thirsty," said Lily-May and walked with them while the merchant watched from the shadow of the forest. The brothers gave Lily-May the necklace but did not mention the merchant for they were so greedy they did not even want their sister's thanks to go to anyone but them. Lily-May was delighted for she had never had a gift from her brothers before and immediately put the necklace on. But as she filled the pails with water and asked about the market, Lily-May felt weak:

         "The sky is turning black!" she said.

The next day when the brothers went to market the merchant found them and asked to give Lily-May another gift. The brothers all refused. "Then let me pay you to do it," said the merchant with a smile. He took a ring from his left hand and gave it to the eldest brother and a bag of gold. The brothers agreed. They returned home and told Lily-May they had a gift for her. They did not mention the merchant but he was watching from the shadow of the forest. Lily-May was delighted by the ring and put it on her finger. At once she felt faint.

         "The moon is baring its teeth" she said.

The next day the brothers went to market and the merchant asked again to give their sister a gift. This time he gave them a fine gown of white silk for Lily-May and a bag full of rubies for themselves. The brothers gave the dress to Lily-May without mentioning the merchant and she put it on. The merchant watched her from the shadow of the forest. At once Lily-May swooned and lay as if dead upon the floor. The youngest brother fetched a glass of wine and poured a little into Lily-May's mouth and at last she roused.

         "The fields are pale as death," she said.

The next day the brothers went to market while Lily-May lay pale and ill in bed. At last she felt better and began to think about the gifts her brothers had given her. Her heart grew glad at the thought that they must truly love her to give her such costly presents. Lily-May put on the gown and the ring and the necklace. At once it seemed to her that the sun turned cold in the sky and became the moon and it cried out for blood. Lily-May ran to the door. All the colours of day had disappeared from the sky and the fields. All the flowers in the garden had turned white as bone.

The merchant came out of the shadow of the forest then and seven ravens flew above his head. He was more terrible in appearance than any demon or giant that had ever walked the earth. His lips were drained of blood. He bowed to Lily-May and because of the gown and the ring and the necklace he had given her not one part of her could move to run from him.

         "Lily-May, Lily-May," said the merchant. "You have accepted all my precious gifts and I have given your brothers a dowry fit for a princess for you:a bag of silver, one of gold and one of rubies. I have bought you at a high price and you belong to me."

Lily-May did not struggle. "If my brothers care so little for me as this," she said bitterly, "it matters not what happens to me." She closed the door behind her. The merchant led Lily-May away from the cottage, through the forest and over a silver plain to a castle that stood like a tooth on a black rock.

         "This is my home," said the merchant. "My servants will serve you in everything you wish, clothe you in cloth of gold and prepare for you the finest wines. No woman in the world will have more power and love and honour than you. All I ask in return is to drink from your body one glassful of blood each evening."

         "And if I refuse?" asked Lily-May. The merchant pointed to the hounds that bayed in a pit that encircled the castle walls. Their snarls dripped venom. "The dogs will swallow you whole if you refuse me this taste," he said.

A servant showed Lily-May to her room but the girl could not sleep. She waited impatiently for dawn. But the moon stood still in the sky, raving for blood; and the stars seemed only to grow brighter. She heard the vampire hounds baying in the distance and saw the servants walking silently through the dark courtyards of the castle.

         "Lily-May, Lily-May!" cried a voice. In the room stood a basket of may blossom. In one of the flowers was a fly, a bluebottle. It flew onto Lily-May's hand and said, "Tell me what to do to help you and I will do it. I was in the tree, then under the tree, then in the tree, then on the tree and I have learned to do many things."

         "Bluebottle," said Lily-May. "Fetch me a linnet."

So the bluebottle flew out through the window. It returned just as the vampire merchant was knocking on Lily-May's door. Quickly Lily-May killed the bird and poured the blood of its heart into a crystal goblet. The vampire merchant held Lily-May and tried to bite her but she held up the goblet of blood.

         "You are too refined to drink from the fountain and splash your fine clothes," she said.

The merchant drank from the goblet. "Your blood tastes sour," he said. "I should throw you to the dogs."

         "The journey wearied me," Lily-May replied. "I will taste better in the morning." The merchant left her then.

In the morning the fly landed on Lily-May's shoulder. "Tell me what to do and I will do it," it said. "I was in the tree, then under the tree, then in the tree, then on the tree and I have learned to do many things."

         "Bluebottle," said Lily-May. "Fetch me a swan."

So the bluebottle flew out through the window. It returned just in time. Quickly Lily-May killed the swan and poured the blood of its heart into a crystal goblet. She gave the goblet to the vampire merchant and he drank from it.

         "Your blood tastes bitter," he said. "I should throw you to the dogs."

         "I slept badly because of their howling," Lily-May replied. "I will taste better this evening." The merchant left her then.

Evening came and the fly landed on Lily-May's cheek as she looked out of her window. "Tell me what to do and I will do it," it said. "I was in the tree, then under the tree, then in the tree, then on the tree and I have learned to do many things."

         "Bluebottle," said Lily-May. "Fetch me an eagle."

So the bluebottle flew out through the window. It returned just as the merchant was coming in through the door. Lily-May threw the eagle into the vampire merchant's face so that it scratched out his eyes and she ran from the castle with the fly in her hair. The merchant sent his hounds after her.

         "Tell me what to do and I will do it," cried the fly.

         "Bluebottle," said Lily-May. "Carry me home."

         "Alas," said the fly. "This will be the death of me."

The bluebottle carried Lily-May over the heads of the hounds, down the black rock, across the silver plain, through the forest to the cottage. It dropped her in the garden full of flowers white as bone. Lily-May could still hear the hounds in the distance. She ran through the door.

Inside the cottage the three brothers were sleeping each in a fine feather bed they had bought with some of the silver and gold the vampire merchant had given them. Lily-May took off the ring and threw it onto the youngest brother's bed. She took off the necklace and threw it onto the middle brother's bed. She took off her gown and threw it onto her eldest brother's bed. At once the merchant's spell was lifted and she saw that it was day, just after dawn. A cock was crowing outside and the flowers were bright and colourful under the dew. But Lily-May could hear the vampire hounds baying louder than ever. She climbed into the linen chest and shut the lid.

Lily-May heard terrible noises from the room outside. At last she climbed out of the linen chest to see what had happened. Everything in the room had been torn and smashed and broken. There were feathers everywhere from the rips in the beds. But there was no sign of the vampire hounds and no sign of her brothers.

         "Bluebottle!" cried Lily-May. "I'm free! I will give you a plate of jam to celebrate."

The bluebottle did not answer and though Lily-May searched high and low she could not find her friend and helper. She seized a broom and swept every feather and every stick of broken furniture into the hearth and there on the flag-stones she found the little fly, quite dead. Lily-May knelt down beside it and wept as she had not since her father had died. Seven tear-drops fell on the little fly's body.

         "Bluebottle," said Lily-May. "Come back to life."

At once the bluebottle leapt up, no longer a fly but a handsome young man. Lily-May shouted for joy and kissed him.

         "The merchant killed me many years past," said the young man, kissing Lily-May in return. "He drank all my blood and buried my body under a may tree. I lay there for years until I crawled as a worm up the roots into the tree. I became a fly living on the tree until the vampire merchant picked the blossom and carried me into his castle. You are my true love. Tell me what to do, Lily-May, and I will always do it for you."

So Lily-May told him to hurry up and marry her and they lived in peace and happiness all the rest of their days.