Act I
When Nerina was six
Years old and her sister
Clarissa was five,
Petrio, the sage old prophet,
Paid an unexpected visit
To their happy family;
As they were all sitting
Around a fire on the hearth,
He told the young girls
What would happen when
They came of age --
If they chose well;
He said they were both
Destined to marry well,
To handsome princes,
And he explained the
Beautiful life that awaited them
When they finally came of age
At the ripe age of sixteen;
Clarissa clung tightly to
Every single word
That Petrio uttered,
While Nerina was lost
In daydreaming and
Didn’t pay much attention;
When Petrio was almost finished,
He firmly cautioned each of them
Not to get distracted because
The river can be very deceptive;
He advised them to keep
Their attention and remain
Completely focused on
Safely reaching the prince
That awaited each of them;
But the impatient Nerina
Didn’t hear a word he said.
Act II
There, in the distance,
Atop that mystical mountain,
Is a grandiose garden
That is ringed by a crown of
The most radiant roses;
From it gushes forth
A crystalline river
That sparkles in the sun
Like dazzling diamonds;
One day a red-haired
Beauty who had
glistening green eyes
Had come of age, so
She entered a little
Black boat and
Began to row;
It was Nerina
And she looked forward
To finally meeting
Her magic prince
At the garden’s
Golden gate, and,
Indeed, far far above
Her, far beyond
Her view, a fair-haired
Youth was standing
Amidst the glorious roses;
Nerina continued rowing
Uphill towards the garden,
But the water was so smooth
And so wonderfully silky
That she closed her eyes
And gradually fell asleep;
When she awakened,
Her boat had drifted
Far far downstream
From where she had started;
She noticed that the water
Had changed color and
Was now a pretty pink,
And she saw that
In the distance it
Was a fantastical fuchsia;
Nerina was captivated
By its vibrant color --
then fragrant fruit trees
Caught her attention,
And for quite some time
She became mesmerized by
The lush forest of fine fruit trees
That came right to the banks
Of the magical river;
The trees were loaded with fresh,
Sweet-scented tropical flowers
That bloomed forth like a
Veritable rainbow of color;
She closed her green eyes,
Smiled, and soaked in
These romantic delights with
A heart filled with wonder.
Act III
But she didn’t notice that
The river became steeper,
And the water was now
Traveling at a greater velocity;
Suddenly, Nerina’s boat was jerked by
A powerful current that quickly
Snapped her out of her reverie;
Nerina now found herself
Tumbling through blood-red rapids
That were alarmingly getting
Warmer and warmer;
A few minutes later, the water
Was starting to boil and
The boat started to burn;
As she looked for an escape
To the shore, she saw to her dismay
That everything had
Dramatically changed;
Tall twisted trees, blackened
And charred by the intensifying
Heat, hung their weakened
Arms over the fiery-red
River, as if imploring Nerina
To paddle back upstream;
But it was too late,
And soon her face became
Frightfully disfigured,
Melting like molten wax
In the lava-like flood;
The wicked waters raged into
The rapidly-darkening gloom,
While storm clouds savagely
Circled the mountain and
Lightning, falling like jagged
Spears, lit up the malevolent sky;
Then Nerina, with her bloodshot
Green eyes ready to explosively
Burst like globular bubbles,
Screamed in terror as she
Plunged over the edge of the
Cliff and tumbled into the
Open jaws of the abyss,
But her chilling shriek was
Silenced as her torso was
Skewered by one of the
Dagger-like rocks that
Jutted out from the
Fiery lake in the
Black void of death.
Act IV
It was precisely one year
After the mysterious
Disappearance of Nerina,
And so, now it was
Clarissa’s turn to enter
The river since she had
Come of age and was
Sixteen years old;
Although she had no
Idea of what had become
Of her sister Nerina,
She remembered clearly
The words of Petrio;
So she entered a white boat
On the river with a degree of
Fear and trepidation,
Wondering what would
Happen to her next;
She immediately noticed
That she was beginning
To drift slowly downstream,
To she took up the paddle
And began to row,
Steering the little boat
In the opposite direction;
She did so patiently,
With her beautiful arms
Pulling long, slow, elegant
Strokes through the water;
Clarissa rowed for hour
After laborious hour,
And although she was tired,
For some inexplicable reason
She actually felt that
She was getting stronger;
Clarissa was so focused
On Petrio’s prophecy
That she didn’t notice
That the terrain had
Totally transformed;
The shining sun was soaked up
By the sugar-white sand dunes
That now surrounded the river;
A whirling wind whipped
Over the surface of the water,
Scourging it and purifying it;
Even the water had changed
Into a cloudy pearl color,
And it seemed to breathe in
The sunlight and absorb it;
Clarissa noticed none of
These things but continued
Pressing on towards her goal
Like a champion athlete;
When the sun set and night fell,
She finally paused to rest;
Reclining in the boat, she
Looked up into the starry sky;
Clusters of stars brightened and
conquered the black of night,
Then, one by one,
Several moons of various
Colors and sizes rose
Above the horizon --
But the most beautiful
Of them was surrounded by
An exquisitely gold ring
That swiftly and magnificently
Spun around a silver moon;
Clarissa allowed all of this
To soak deeply into
The depths of her soul;
The next morning,
She awakened from
Her restful slumber
With renewed strength,
So she rowed vigorously,
And pursued her goal
With a single-minded
Drive and determination;
After a short while her
Surroundings were
Transforming yet again --
But this time she observed it all.
Act V
The desert sand was
Gradually tapering off,
And it was replaced by
Rich, verdant lawns;
Then she saw the summit
Of the mountain and
Noticed that it was crowned
By a resplendent garden;
This garden was ringed
By a crown of rose bushes,
And flowing from the center
Of the garden was a stunning
Waterfall that was translucent,
And its color was aquamarine pearl;
Behind the waterfall there was a
Wall of gold that was trimmed
With silver, and gemstones
Were set here and there,
sparkling brilliantly through
The crystalline waters of the
breathtaking waterfall;
So Clarissa paddled gently
Until she reached a small
Pier at the base, and there
She stepped out of her boat;
When she did so, she suddenly
Became aware that she now
Wore a gown that was
Dazzlingly white, and
it was embroidered with
the very same gems that
she saw behind the waterfall;
Clarissa began to ascend a
Spiral staircase of gold that
Was also trimmed with silver,
but the handrails were adorned
With fine little diamonds that
Sparkled happily in the sun;
Then she heard a strong, soothing
Voice and eagerly looked up,
With a sweet smile on her face
And her eyes twinkling
With hopeful delight;
There, standing next to
The cascade of water was a
Handsome, fair-haired young man
who was also dressed in white,
And he wore a stately
Crown upon his head;
Clarissa slowly walked
Up the staircase to the
Glorious garden above,
And it all seemed like
A lovely dream to her;
When she stood before
The prince, face to face,
He knelt down and
Slipped the finest of rings
On her innocent finger;
Then it was her turn to
Kneel before him, and
He gently placed a stunning
Diadem upon her head;
With that, the wind danced
Between the two of them,
Rushing through the garden
With great jubilation;
It was worth the wait for Clarissa --
Her happiness knew no bounds
As she prepared to fulfill her
Destiny in a grand new life.