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The tale of two frightened villages
This tale can be found among the universe’s entries on the question Why?
First published: 30 October 2022, on the book stations website www.book-stations.org
This is the first universe story about roots of war I wrote.
Charlie Alice Raya
edited: 24 February 2023, 25 August 2024, 19 June 2025
I remember the first time my parents told me this story. I was so excited. And later, I was not surprised to learn that this is a popular story on our planet.
The tale of two frightened villages
Once upon a time there were two villages. The Molos lived in one village. The Tiblies in the other.
The Molos were afraid of the Tiblies and told their children never to go near the other village.
The Tiblies were afraid of the Molos and told their children never to go near the other village.
‘But why?’ I interrupted my parent.
They smiled at me. ‘That, my child, is the question of questions. You see, the big trouble was that no one asked WHY? – not in the Molos village nor in the Tiblies village. Each village kept to themselves and lived in fear of the other until—‘
‘—until what?’ I exclaimed in excitement.
‘—until an old woman from the Molos village dressed up like a Tiblies and went to find out what the Tiblies were like and what had made them so terrible.’
‘How did she know how to dress?’ I asked rather smugly.
My parent smiled. ‘This Molos woman had always been a bit of an adventurer, and over her long life, she had occasionally amused herself with watching the Tiblies at their river.’
‘Their river?’
‘Each village had their own forest, meadows and river, all of which provided them with plenty of food and space. This way they never met by chance. As a deterrent, the elders of each village had drawn lines between the two areas and reinforced them with curses.’
‘But curses are fake,’ I protested.
‘You believe that. And so do I. But what if we had told you that there is a curse which can cripple you if you stepped over the lines between the lands?’
‘Hm,’ I mumbled, feeling a little chill. ‘What happened to the Molos woman? Did something happen to her when she crossed the lines?’
‘No. And she already knew that from her earlier adventures. However, she had never been close to the other village. So she had to spy some more to find out where the Tiblies usually entered their village. Carrying some dead rabbits, her disguise was so good that she got inside the Tiblies village without raising any suspicions.’
‘And?’
‘And she was surprised that despite some differences, she couldn’t find out why anyone would be afraid of the Tiblies. Eventually she asked an old woman, who was writing poetry for the upcoming village dance. The poet looked puzzled. And a little suspicious, she returned: “But everyone knows the Molos are terrible.”
“How does everyone know?”
“Are you questioning the wisdom of your parents and the insights of our elders?”
The Molos woman smiled. “Not their wisdom, but maybe their knowledge. Besides, if we understood why the Molos are terrible, maybe we could share our wisdom with them, and they wouldn’t have to be terrible any more.”‘
My parent paused, lost in thoughts.
‘What happened?’
My parent looked at me wistfully. ‘Eventually the Molos woman revealed who she was, and the two women spent days talking, trying to find out why their villages lived in fear of each other. Gradually they included other members of their villages in their conversations. And for some weeks it looked as if the two villages could finally rid themselves of their fears. But then some small groups formed in each village, and they slaughtered members of the other village, proving just how dreadful their neighbours are. Among the dead were the two old women who had started the conversation.’ My parent paused again, then they added: ‘But the seed of Why?, the question of questions, had been sown, and so others attempted to expose the unfounded prejudices. Some more died. But decades later, the two villages finally made peace — and neither village lived in fear of the other any more.
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© Charlie Alice Raya, 2022