"Reach the village centre in an hour from now for a special event? Sure thing. I don't have much to do at night anyway."
"Bring the kids along with me? Is the event related to them? This may disturb their dinner... I'll be sure to come if I can."
"Something I've never experienced before? Those are big words, William! I hope that outsider won't disappoint me."
William was happily telling everyone in the village about the event that was about to occur. He was just about to reach another house when he felt a hand on his shoulder. William turned around and was face to face with the village head, who wore a solemn expression.
"William, I didn't expect you to be fooled by an outsider so easily," he began.
"Fooled? What am I being fooled about? I don't understand what you're talking about, chief. Could you elaborate?"
His expression grew darker and a frown appeared on his face.
"Oh, I'm obviously talking about this 'event' you're going around telling people about. To the best of my knowledge, there haven't been any noteworthy developments in this village, the neighboring towns, or the kingdom as a whole. Even if there were, I'm sure I would have heard about them before that fellow did. There's no reason for him to hold an event when he's only just arrived in town. It's obvious he wants to gather everyone for some sort of personal benefit—to sell some of his goods or services—and William, you're being fooled into advertising this 'event' without knowing the truth."
Upon hearing the chief's reasoning, William almost let out a soft chuckle but refrained out of respect.
"Well, I don't blame the chief. An outsider suddenly coming to town and organizing an event as soon as he arrives is definitely suspicious," William thought to himself.
"Well, chief, I can't explain everything right now; it's a long story. I'd simply like to invite you personally to attend the event and see if your suspicions are true. I assure you, with all my credibility, that I am not being fooled," William said firmly.
The village chief wanted to argue further, but he knew going on would be an insult to William. He and William had been great friends since childhood and often ate together. Because of that bond, he didn't want to see his friend deceived.
"Poor William. He doesn't even realize he's being fooled. But fear not—once that outsider reveals his true colors, I'll have him thrown out of the village for deceiving my kind people," the chief swore in his mind.
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The village centre was a vast open space. Its base was covered with wooden planking and it even had a small elevated platform in the middle. It had been built some thirty-six years ago so that villagers could easily share important news and announcements all at once.
Fifteen minutes remained before the planned start of the event, and people had already begun gathering. Many had brought small wooden chairs or stools to sit on, and a few had brought tables to place their dinners on.
Chatter rippled through those gathered: villagers asking how one another was doing, how their work was going, or if they'd encountered any difficulties in daily life—nothing more than everyday talk.
"What do you think is going to happen? Old man Willaim was really cryptic about all this," Joe, a small farmer, asked Guso.
"I asked him if it was news-related, but he just said, 'Oh, it's much more exciting than news.' So I don't know. He doesn't seem to be wearing any religious outfit or ornaments, so I don't think he's a holy singer either. I haven't been outside the village since my birth, so I don't know if it's anything like that," Guso an small shopkeeper replied, shaking his head.
Similar discussions about the nature of the event were popping up here and there, but nobody was able to guess anything.
The small children merely watched everyone curiously while eating their food. It was probably the first time they had seen so many people gathered in one place.
-------------------
While all this was going on, William made his way back to his little shop. He heard faint snoring as he approached the door. He carefully opened it to avoid any creaking noise. There, he saw Vars sprawled out on the ground.
He gently nudged Vars on the head, causing him to wake. Vars slowly rose up from the ground and sat on a nearby chair. Willaim handed him a water pouch, which he drained to quench his thirst.
"Is it time?" Vars asked.
"It's time."
Vars stretched a little, jumped, and took a deep breath. Willaim then led him out to the village centre. As Vars walked through the empty streets, he heard the faint chirping of small bugs and saw the naked moon dancing among the stars.
As they neared the village centre, human chatter grew louder and louder. Vars looked at the gathered crowd with a smile. He'd expected people to come, but he did not expect this many—almost the entire village!
"Let's not keep them waiting any longer," Vars said as he walked forward and climbed the raised platform.
The talking finally quieted as the crowd saw their main attraction appear. Most of them sat back in their chairs, but a few kept on standing so they could see what Vars would do. The village chief especially watched him, appraising him from head to toe as he leaned on a wooden pole with his arms crossed.
"Well this is probably the first time they will ever hear a story. Will they be as receptive as old man William? " Vars started to second guess himself standing on the platform above.
" No! Art is the language of creativity. No one will hate art. Even if they don't have the exceptional reaction of William, if they just like this story and are interested to hear more it will be a win for art in this world. " Vars finally made up his mind.
He gazed at the crowd below, flashed a big, radiant smile, and began.
"What I am about to tell you is a tale of evil, kindness, magic, and good overcoming everything else. This is the tale of Cinderella!" he shouted—loud enough that everyone could hear, but with his storytelling charm intact.
Vars had decided to share the longer version of Cinderella's story. The extended version contained many more details and small events to make the tale all the more enjoyable.
Vars chose this longer version because he didn't want the event to be over in ten minutes. He thought that while the people might like the story, they would think it a waste of time if it ended too soon.
"A tale of evil, kindness, magic, and good overcoming everything else? What does he mean by this? Whatever it is, it sounds interesting," Joe thought.
"Cinderella? Never heard of her. Maybe she's a noble or princess of another kingdom," Guso thought.
Vars continued, eventually reaching the part where the sisters mistreat Cinderella.
"And some days they didn't even give her enough food to eat. She sat on the floor, her stomach growling with the faint whispers of hunger. Her face plastered with unavoidable sorrow, but she didn't say anything. She suffered and suffered so as not to let her father be worried..." Vars intoned.
At these parts, his storytelling capabilities were on full display. He changed his tone, pitch, and speed to emphasize the cruelty inflicted by the evil mother and daughters.
Feeble sobbing arose from the crowd below. Many women were wiping away tears. Many small children could not hold back their tears either. Some men even rose from their chairs to wipe away tears in more private spots.
The vivid image of an innocent and kind young girl being mistreated to the highest degree—keeping quiet so she wouldn't worry her father—seemed to awaken a primal emotion in everyone present.
"Mom?" a small girl with tears in her eyes asked her mother. "Why is Miss Cinderella being treated so badly by her mother and sisters? She's so nice! She does most of the housework while the mother and sisters just eat."
Her mother—whose eyes also held dim tears—looked at her daughter for a moment before answering. "My little one, you wouldn't understand because you're so young. But there are many people in this world who leech off others to live. You'll understand when you grow up."
As Vars took a small pause to catch his breath and saw the people's teary eyes, he felt amazing. He had actually managed to move them with his story! There was nothing more a storyteller could want than to see people live his tale. With renewed vigor, he continued.