Prologue
Every Story has a beginning.
Except One.
And it is in this Story with no beginning or end that every other story ever told is found.
And as we wonder at its beauty, we must never forget the beauty of Wonder.
For the true miracle of both Eternity and Infinity is not their unimaginable depths but their unbelievable closeness.
A miracle as vast as all creation, yet as close as the next breath.
As in any quest of worth, it is often in the footsteps of others that we can best learn our next step.
At the Start
or
“A reasonable place to begin.”
It was the end of a day where Time Spent / Energy Expended didn’t quite match up to Resources Available. The exhausted mother watched her inexhaustible daughter bounce, bound, and boing about the bed. Did she ever have that much vitality? If so, every ounce was passed on during childbirth. She looked about at all the stuffed animals, all named and given a history (some shadier than others – i.e. the purple bear, Huggy, and his questionable dealings with hallucinogenic gummies). She looked over the posters and drawings and projects scattered about, thinking what she really needed at the moment was a tranquilizer gun. Her eyes settled on the next best thing.
“”Kay, Alyssa. Come in for a landing,” Mom said.
She then corralled (somewhat like catching Tigger on amphetamines) and tucked in her daughter as if the quilt were restraints. She then reached beside the bed to thumb over the books shelved there.
“Okay, Sweetheart…which one do you want tonight? Cinderella? Red Riding Hood? Snow White?”
“I want something different!”
“Really? These are your favorites. What else do you have in mind?”
“I want to know what happened to all of them after their stories. After the period on “The End”.”
The Mother looked with love at her little girl. The one who if you wrote her life story so far, you would end every sentence with an exclamation mark. She motioned for Alyssa to lie still a moment (no mean task) and then left the room. She returned carrying a largish book.
“Well now,” she smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing a strand of hair over one ear. “That turns out to be a very interesting story. It’s way different than anything you’ve ever heard before. You sure you’re ready for it?”
“Yes, yes, YES!”
“You positive? That sounded a little unsure?”
“Mom!” Alyssa said, making the word several syllables as she did when pointing out her mom’s silliness.
“Okay then. It’s called Time Upon A Once…
“‘There came a time not so long ago, when all the stories from all over began to change. A time when their stories started to become different than what they’d hoped and hope began to dim…’”
