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Story 2:  Al Borak and the Toothbrush Tree
Story 3:  The Adventures of Firouz Schah and the Persian Rug


PEGASUS AND THE TILIO LEAVES


Pegasus in the Water.
Web Source:  The Water Pegasus.

Hello again!  It's me, Arabelle.  I know you're excited to hear what happens as my dad and Gordan take off on their journey.  My father loved to tell this story; it was one of his favorite memories.  He went on and on about how our family powers are special and how the day he discovered his powers he became a new horse.  We are lucky.  Our family has always been owned by wizards.  "We should never take our magic for granted," he would say.  "You are blessed to be a part of this family and you should use your magic only for good."

Anyways, enough about me, let's get to the story!  It was a cold but cheerful morning and Gordan walked into the barn to fetch Artie.

"Ah, young Artagan, today is the big day!  The day you prove what powers you are capable of..."  Gordan saddled and bridled Artie up with excitement. 

"I am a little nervous," said Artie.  "I am not sure where to go or what to do." 

"No worries, young colt.  Your instincts will lead you in the right direction," replied Gordan.  Gordan climbed aboard Artie's back and the two rode out of the barn and into the field.  "I know you have far more knowledge than I, and I will trust you to lead me in the right direction," said Gordan to Artie.  Artie looked at Gordan with a nervous eye, but he trusted Gordan as well.  Gordan bent down and whispered into Artie's ear, "The first ingredient in our potion is three leaves of tilio straight from the tree itself."  Artie felt a powerful and magical sensation overcome him.  It was as if he had heard these words before.  He took off in a gallop across the field and into the air!  (Meanwhile Gordan held on for dear life.)


Tilio Leaves.
Web Source:  Cretan Herbs and Plants.

They flew for hours, traveling over England, France, Italy, and many other exciting places.  Finally Artie landed gracefully in a town called Chora on the Greek hillside.  To the left was a small cottage surrounded by trees.  A sour smell filled the air that left Gordan and Artie's mouths watering.  A famer was outside in the field with his mule as he picked bright green leaves off of the trees and put them into a basket on the mule's back.  Gordan knew immediately that they were in the right place.  He began to walk over to the old man to ask for a few leaves from his basket.

While Gordan was busy, Artie wondered what amazing stories might have taken place in this beautiful Greek countryside.  He wanted to know more about their history.  He trotted over to the mule to begin a friendly conversation.  The mule's name was Sabirah.  She welcomed Artie and told him she was filled with stories of ancient Greece.  His ears perked up and he sat down next to Sabirah.  "I'm all ears," he said.  "Ha ha! No, I'm all ears," replied Sabirah.  They both chuckled because mules are known for having much larger ears than horses. 

She began her tale...

One day a man named Bellerophon was walking down the road when a great flying horse called Pegasus came swooping down near him.  He had no idea who this creature was but he was curious to find out.  Bellerophon got near to Pegasus and jumped on his back but Pegasus jumped around with confusion and bucked him off.  Bellerophon was frustrated and left the horse to continue on his way, but the horse followed him.  Bellerophon then approached a young girl who was fascinated with the winged horse.  She stopped to talk to Bellerophon.  He told her he was on his way to slay the Chimaera - a monster who was part lion, part goat and part dragon - which he was ordered to do by the King.  The girl wanted to know more about Bellerophon.

He told the girl how he had a brother who he adored but one day the two were off on a hunting trip when a deer startled Bellerophon and he accidentally speared his poor brother with an arrow.  Although it was an accident, he knew he faced a terrible death for the murder of his brother.  Because of this, he ran away and wandered the forests for months until he decided to go see the King.  He would be safe there.

When he arrived at the palace, the King welcomed him warmly.  They had many feasts and parties.  After a couple weeks, the King asked Bellerophon to complete a very important task.  The King wanted the monster of the mountains, known as Chimaera, killed.  Bellerophon didn't know whether to be honored or terrified.  Either way, he started on his journey and here he was now - unable to find the monster and bothered by this flying horse.

The young girl looked at Bellerophon as if he were stupid.  "You do know why you are being sent on this mission, don't you?"  Bellerophon was confused.  The girl told him that the Chimaera was nasty and undefeatable.  No one had ever succeeded in killing this monster.  The girl told Bellerophon, "Maybe this horse is here to help you."  She was right!  He must ride Pegasus into the mountains and slay this monster to prove himself.  He jumped onto Pegasus's back and somehow the horse knew what he wanted.  They rode off into the night.

They found the ugly beast hiding in the hillsides and speared him with three arrows.  He lay there lifeless as Bellerophon beheaded the creature.  When Bellerophon and Pegasus arrived in front of the King, he was surprised at the boy's triumph.  Pegasus flew straight to the Heavens and was never seen again.

"Wow," said Artie.  "What an amazing story of ancient Greece."  "I wish I had beautiful wings," he said.  Sabirah smiled at him.  Right then, Gordan walked over with three leaves in his hand.  He put them away in the saddle pouch and climbed in the saddle.  Sabirah watched the two take off into the clouds as Artie turned to Gordan and asked, "Where to next, Master?"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Notes:  I added a lot of detail within my frametale to the beginning of this story.  I also told it from the point of view of Sabirah, the mule in my frametale.  I made it to where she was telling the story to Artagan about the history of ancient Greece.  I also changed a lot of the details of the story and modernized the dialect a bit.  Instead of Bellerophon receiving the bridle from Athena, I added the little girl in her place.  It made the story a bit shorter.  I left out several of the other details within the original story as well in order to keep it short and sweet.  I hope you all enjoy!

Book Title:  The Wonder-Book of Horses
Story Title:  The Winged Horse of the Muses
Author:  James Baldwin
Year:  1903
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