THE MAGIC RIVER

A Prequel to “The Lady of Stellamare”

Act I

When Thaliela was six years old

And her sister Rosinella 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 fine handsome young men,

And he explained the

Beautiful life that awaited them

When they finally came of age

At the ripe age of sixteen.

Rosinella clung tightly to

Every single word

That Petrio uttered,

While Thaliela 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 promised one

That awaited each of them,

Always steering upstream

And not downstream,

But the impatient Thaliela

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 dark-haired

Beauty who had

Glistening green eyes

Had come of age,

So she entered a little

Black boat and

Began to row.

It was Thaliela

And she looked forward

To finally meeting

Her future beloved

At the garden’s

Golden gate;

Indeed, far far above her,

Far beyond her view,

A fair-haired youth was standing

Amidst the glorious roses.

Thaliela started rowing

Uphill towards the garden —

That was the one thing

She did remember from Petrio —

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 the fantastical and

Imaginative color of fuchsia.

Thaliela 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, Thaliela’s boat was jerked by

A powerful current that quickly

Snapped her out of her reverie;

Thaliela 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 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 Thaliela

To paddle back upstream;

But it was too late,

Soon her little boat 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 Thaliela, with her bloodshot

Green eyes feeling like

They were going 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 she gradually disappeared

Into the fiery lake below.

Act IV

It was precisely one year

After the mysterious

Disappearance of Thaliela,

And so, now it was

Rosinella’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 Thaliela,

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,

So 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;

And so Rosinella rowed

For hour after laborious hour,

And although she was tired,

For some inexplicable reason

She actually felt that

She was getting stronger;

Rosinella 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 beaches that

Now lined both sides of the river;

A balmy breeze caressed the

Surface of the water,

And even the water had changed

Into a cloudy pearl color,

Seeming to breathe in

The sunlight and absorb it;

Rosinella noticed none of

These things but continued

Pressing on towards her goal

Like a determined 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.

Rosinella allowed all of this

To soak deeply into

The depths of her soul,

And the next morning,

She awakened from

Her restful slumber

With renewed strength,

So she untethered the rope

That had prevented her from

Floating downstream,

And continued on her journey.

After a short while,

Her surroundings were

Transforming yet again --

She observed it all

With wonder and delight.

Act V

The sandy beach was

Gradually tapering off,

And it was replaced by

Rich, verdant lawns

Along the banks of the river;

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 decorated with

Colorful gemstones of every hue,

sparkling brilliantly through

The crystalline waters of the

breathtaking waterfall.

So Rosinella 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.

Rosinella began to ascend a

Spiral staircase of gold that

Was trimmed with silver,

And the handrails were adorned

With fine little diamonds that

Sparkled happily in the sun;

She heard a soothing greeting

And eagerly looked up.

She saw a handsome,

Dark-haired young man

By the name of Paolesco,

Who was also dressed in white,

And she greeted him with

A sweet smile and twinkling eyes.

Rosinella slowly walked

Up the staircase to the

Glorious garden above,

And it all seemed like

A lovely dream to her;

When she stood before him

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 Rosinella --

Her happiness knew no bounds

As she prepared to fulfill her

Destiny in a grand new life.