Night Howler (Part 2)

** As I did some research for this challenge, I came to find that depending on where you are in the world, the cultural perception and meaning of this animal varies from a very bad omen, to a sign of good luck... I then began to seek any legends that could help me understand the origin of such differences. Unfortunately, this didn't result in much, but it did give me the idea to attempt to create my own origin story. It would try to explain as much as possible, the different meanings in the symbolism of this bird. This story ended up being much longer than planned and exceeded the 5,000 word limit, so I decided the present the second half of the story for my contest entry. You can find part 1 on my profile.**

[…] Her heart was shattered, the pieces scattered to the waves with the remains of her father’s ship. From that night on, she would never speak again.

Just as she had surrendered to him, she never objected or never gave any resistance to the wizard’s demands. He kept her locked away in his castle in the woods away from the world. He would make her clean, cook and tend to his needs, and every day she would be allowed to go down to the market to gather supplies. Those were her few hours of freedom, where she would wonder the woods on her way back, taking in every breath of fresh air. She would then go back up to her room, where she would spend the rest of the days studying the magician’s books. This was for her an escape, which reminded her of home and allowed her to feel a little less lonely.

On her daily runs to the village, she had caught the eye of a wealthy merchant, who couldn’t help himself but be enchanted by her unique golden eyes and wild beauty. Although his intentions were purely selfish, he began to court the young girl, hoping to win her favors. Having never known the love of any other man but her father, and feeling so desperately alone, it wasn’t long before the young man’s affections would occupy her mind a little more each day. Her heart was his to take, but all he wanted was her eyes, and she wouldn’t realize it until it was too late.

She began returning to the castle a little later each day, with a smile on her lips and a light spring in her step, which quickly attracted her captor’s attention. He had never seen her smile, nor had he ever heard her speak, but had grown accustomed to her silent company. She was his ward, but she had a hold over him, one that he would never admit to. As the days go by, and her love for the charming merchant grows, so does the wizard’s jealousy and anger. It was clear to him now that someone had her heart, and he made her laugh. Something he would probably never be able to do, so in an attempt to keep her close, he forbade her to go out during the day, and would keep her confined to the castle grounds. She was only allowed out behind the stone walls, once the sun had gone down, hidden away from the eyes of all men.

On the first night of this new imprisonment, she ripped out the pages of her books, and wrote to the man she loved for help. For three nights she would send ravens from the garden, and for three nights she waited, but he would never wrote back. Her beauty wasn’t worth the trouble to the merchant, and he would soon find another rare pearl to take for his wife. On the fourth night, as she wrote yet another desperate letter, the wizard caught her in the act and in a fit of rage, set fire to her entire library. She would never be allowed to leave her tower again.

She had given up on the living world, and had taken to life in a tower, where she would sleep during the day and hide from the sunlight. At sunset she would wake, and watch from her bed as the light disappeared behind the trees. It was only at the sight of the first stars that the tears would return, and just as she did every night, she would cry in silence, praying that she would not see another sunset. With time, she would slowly neglect her appearance, and let herself go. Her nails grew longer like claws and her face became as pale as the moonlight. Her hair grew long and thick, covering her shoulders like a warm cape. The only thing that remained of the girl she once was, were her two beautiful golden eyes that would shimmer like two flames in the dark, reflecting the light of the stars.

As for the wizard, his affection for his captive only grew stronger, and for every time she would push him away, his jealousy would manifest itself a little louder. Up until this day, he had never put his hands on her, and would take out is anger on inanimate objects. He would yell and be mean, but her life had never been in real danger… And so she would ignore him, and shut him out like she did the rest of the world. Until that one stormy night…

The magician came home from a celebration in the village and found her crying by the window of her tower like every night. This time around however, things were different. He didn’t have the habit of drinking and that night, she looked particularly enticing to him. Stumbling up to her bedside, he put his cold hand on her bare neck and leaned in to kiss her, but she abruptly rejected his advances. This was to be the first and last time.

Out of anger and profound jealousy, he struck her with the back of his hand. The poor girl fell to the ground, and just as she tried to get back up, he pounced and wrapped his hands around her delicate neck. She fought for her life, but the more she struggled, the more enraged and violent her assailant became. She screamed for dear life and her cries pierced the night. Throughout the village, mothers hushed their children back to sleep and everyone stood in fear, but no one came for help. She was all alone, screeching in the night, until she couldn’t anymore. He beat her until she was nearly dead, and she could taste her own blood in her mouth. But she had a final trick up her sleeve.

With the little strength she had left, she crawled up to the side of the window and hoisted herself up on the ledge. The rain was pouring down on her face and the wind was so strong she felt like she would almost be able to fly. In a final effort to feel a sense of control over her own life, she closed her eyes, leaned back into the void, and let herself fall out on the window, hoping to find peace in her end. With instant regret and in a desperate attempt to prevent her from taking her own life, the wizard reached his arms out and casts a spell: turning her nails into talons, and her thick hair into feathers, giving her large wings to fly away. She would reopen her eyes to find herself soaring over the trees, forever trapped in the body of a majestic creature that the magician had created in her image.

Story has it the mystical bird would never be seen during the day, and would be kept in a cage by the wizard, who would spend his days admiring her like a coveted prize. And just as he had done, he would only give her freedom once the sun had gone, to keep her away from the eyes of men once more. They say she roams the night, listening out for the cries of other women who, just like her, received no answer, and were abandoned to the evils of the world. She brings upon misfortune to whoever would lay hands on a woman, and ferries their broken souls to the spirit world. Because of this, some men will see her as bad omen and nothing more than a wizards pet, and some will fear her scream because they say it summons ghosts. But that didn’t matter. She had never spoken to anyone since her father had gone, and she would never have to again. When she would go out late at night, she would watch over the world that she had so hated, and would over time, inspire fear and legends amongst men, just by her earie appearance. She also enjoyed seeking refuge from the elements in old barns, as they made her feel at home, and reminded her of a simpler time, when her and her father lived happy.

Ages would go by and her story would be forgotten, but the fear and myths she inspired would remain. She would become to be known by many names around the world, she would become what is known, as the Barn Owl.