Melinda (a story)

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Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People

Title: Melinda (a story)
Language: English
Year: 1935
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Fulltext: 312 THE YOUNG CITIZEN December, J.9.J;i INTERESTING PLACES A CAVE By JOSE FELICIANO '' IN chc mountain fastness of Sibul. a well-known health resort of Bulacan, there is a cave whic'.1 has ever anracted sight-seers from far and near. "Rcnacimicnto" the people call it. Some day you may chance to find yourself at Sibul, and like many of those who have been there, ·you too may want to see this cave. I sh,111 try to picture this cave to you. Once mar;: I sec it in my mind's eye. Standing before it. with several companions. I sec nothing particularly striking on dw outside. Before us is a huge rock overgrown with plants. mostly vines. At the bottom of this rock is a narrow opening. which. we are told. is the mouth of the cave. Hanging over this opening arc sm,111 projections of rock. which lcok veq decorative. At the mouth of the cave we find hc;ips of ashes. evidently che remains of fires built by thosc who have entered the cave before us. Those fire>; have lighted tlll.'ir way into the darkness. In order to gd inside the cave. one has to bend low. nay. almost crawl. My· comp;inions and l need not build a fire, for we have a powerful flashlight. Slowly Jnd carefully we mJke our way inrn the cave. Inside. we sec but a faint light, which comes from che entrance. Suddenly we hear the flu•:· tcr of many wings'. What is the meaning of this.' We h;we intruded upon the sleeping inhabitants of this gloomy hollow of the earth. They arc the bats. Aided by our flashlight. we now begin to explore the place. How fearfully fantastic it looks! 'J./c mow aboll[ slowly. for the ground we walk on i., cut up with sharp-edged st6ncs, and the top of thc cave is most irregular. Near the entrance. the ~ir is damp and cool; but as we descend into the bottoni the air becomes drier and warmer. We dare not venture to reach the very bottom. for we know not what JWJits us there. Fear begins to fill our hearts. So we hurry back to the sunlight and the open air. I know it will be long before the picture of this cave fades away from my memory. * Academic Division, Bureau of Education. MELINDA (Continuation) A Story By Antonio Munoz On the third day she went to visit the place. On the mound stood a bcJutiful tree. The fruits were'. of diHcrent shapes, sizes, and colors. As the branches swayed ro and fro, sweet melodics passed through the leaves. Melinda was happy, v;:ry happy. She picked a fruit and opened it. It contained a pretty dress. She opened another. There was a pair of shoes inside. Every fruit containcd something very pretty and very uscf ul. Th;:rc were a coach. a pair of white hors..,s. and many other useful things. The objects werc small while they were inside but when sh..: drew thcm out. th::y bccJmc large. \\.'hen she haJ seen them all she carefully put each one back int0 its place. Just beforc she left the place. she leaped to .i stone in the brook. As she looked down to see i1· the fish was there, something struc)< her forehead. She looked at her reflection in the water. A bright star shone on hcr forehead. Hastily she went home for she was afraid. Her step-mother looked at her and gazed at the beautiful star on her forehead. She tried to remove 1t. She even W<!nt as far as scraping it with a knife. At last she thru>;t the pointed end of the knife into the skin and tried to dig the star ouc. It was vain for it did not movc. When she found out that she could not remow ir. she got more soot from the stove and smeared Melinda·s foreli:ad until the star was completely hidden from view. Not uncil then was she reli..:ved. '"How did you happen to get that star~ · she asked. Melinda told her the truth. t Please turn to page 3 19) fhcnnbtr, 19J5 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 31 'J MELINDA churCh W('rC greatly surprised. lt quest was granted. Mclinda"s ha1f. (Continued from page 312) was the first time they saw a girl sister came. The princ(' tried the Melinda took her half"sister to with a star on her forehead. Her ring on all hl'r fingers but it would the place. The tree was there play- beauty dazzled those who looked at not fit. ing a sweet melody but only Mc- her. At the first part of the ccrc- "Don't you have any other girl linda saw ic and hear its music. mony, she knelt down on the car- in the house?"" asked the disguised \\'ithout a moment's delay, she riage seat and immediately after the prince. cCl.lled her own daughter ary:I told bst part. she drove back to the "No other except our black serv her to go with Melinda to the brook brook and put the things back to ant," replied the father. and to look down into the water where she got them. Then she put "Please tell her to come." requestncar the stone. on her apron and ran home. When . ed the prince. "The r{ng may fit The girl after hearing the direc-· her step-mother saw that the soot one of her fingers." t1ons given by Melinda, stepped on was washed off ber body. she im- Melinda came. The prince slippe'.l the stone. Then she looked down mediately applied another coating the ring on her finger. It fitted. into the depths of the water below. of it. Everyone present was thunde:-· A strange thing happened. A groan Sunday came again. Melinda struck. The prince looked at the sounded above her. It echoed and went to the brook. took a bath, and black servant in astonishment. Tlic reechoed among the trees. Then dressed up. Then she went to father was puzzled and shook his something struck her forehead. The church. At this time, a prince w;is head. The daughter or Melinda's frightened girl looked up and waiting at the door. After the last half-sister stared at the ring on the tvuched it. She looked down into part of the ceremony, Melinda black finger. The mother was pal::>; the water to see the reflection. What turned the horses around and start- "Who am you~.. gasped the was that on her forehead~ Not a ed for the brook. At the door, the prince. star but the grinning face of a ser- prince seized her hand to detain her "I don't know who I am. I was pent. but the horses couh:l. not. be con- taken out of that room by the misHurriedly they went home. The trolled and the carriage sped by un- tress of this house," replied Melinda. mother raved when she saw the checked. However, her ring WJS Upon hearing these words, the frightful spectacle. She snatched a left in the hand of the prince. The father ran to get the key and openeJ knife and cut the serpent's head but latter ran to catch up with the the door of the room. He opened no sooner was it severed from the speeding carriage but the distance the trunk. It was empty. At once forehead than another one mo1e bHween them widened and widened he ran back to the little group. frightful took its place. She tried until at last the carriage disappeared "My daughter!" he sobbed as he to cut the growth several times and among the trees. embraced Melinda. each time it was cur a more fright- Melinda returned to the brook Then in a stern voice. he said to ful head came out. At last she got After she had put the things back his wife ... How dare you 1 Oh. I a towel and wrapped the girl's head into their places, she went home. never thought even for a moment with it. As soon as the prince reached that you would be so cruel! You When the father came, he asked the palace, he disguised himself :is arc not fit to live~" his wife why their daughter had a a peddler. Then he set out to look Melinda asked to be allowed to towel around her head. for the owner of the ring. He went b;ithe in the brook. There she put "She has a headache." was 11! from house to.house in the hope of on her magic dresses and returned that the wife said. seeing again the girl with the star to her home in the magic carriage. The next day was Sunday. Im- on her forehead but all was vain. The three went to the church and mediately after breakfast. Melinda He tried to slip the ring on every the priest married the two young ran to the brook and .took a bath finger of every maiden that he met people. there. Then she opened the fruits but the ring was either roo loose After the wedding ceremonies. and put on the clothes and jewels or too tight. che prince took Melinda and her thar were hidden within. A car- At last he came to the house of father to the pal.ice. The old king riage drawn by two white horses Melinda's father. He displayed hi~ gladly received. Melinda as his was there. roo. After she had wares. The father bought some o~ dziughter-in-law. dressed up, she stepped on the car· tbem. Just before he went away, he Not long after that. the old king riage and drove to the church. The said. 'Tm looking for the giri died and the prince ascended to the birds sang to her as she passed by. whose finger this ring fits. If I find throne. Melinda became the queen The trees bent down their branches her, I'll give her all my jewels and just as she felt she was in the prcswhen she was near. everything that I have. She will be cnce of the fish at the river. The carriage entered the church happy and I. too, will be happy. They ruled the kingdom wiselr and stopped near the altar. Melinda Then he asked the father to call and they lived happily for m.1n}' did not get off. The people in the all the girls in the house. The re- years.