Prologue

The Goldberg's weren't a very wealthy family, but lived peacefully in their small cottage by the side of a lake. At first there were only two of them—Elena and her husband Timothy, a young, just-married couple who longed to have children. In time the first child was born—a little girl with big brown eyes whom they named Ana.

Wanting their newborn to have the best they could give her, they took Ana to a fairy called Lucinda living in the village and asked for her blessing to their daughter. The fairy agreed, and so she leaned over the cradle to whisper,

"You shall have luck, and someday find a magic within you that nobody thought you had." Then she straightened up, and turned to face the couple. "Now we must come to the matter of my fee. If you do not fill this pouch with gold coins by the end of the month, all of your family will fall into great misfortune, and a curse will be cast upon you and all your descendants which shall never be lifted." She gave the couple a cold stare and then handed them a brown leather pouch.

It seemed small, but somehow it gave Elena and Timothy an uneasy feeling. By they didn't want to argue unless the fairy's demand would increase, so they took their child and began walking home.

At first the couple did not doubt that they would be able to fill the pouch with gold. Elena sewed dresses and Timothy grew vegetables in the backyard garden—every weekend they would sell these items to make a small profit. The money earned wasn't much, but they both agreed that it would certainly be enough, combined with maybe a few coins they had previously earned, to fill the pouch.

The weekend passed. They had earned quite a bit more than usual. Thinking of the fairy's words and wondering what magic their newborn would possess, they eagerly poured their earnings into the pouch. But to their great amazement, even though they kept pouring in gold, the pouch would not be filled over halfway. And when the couple poured the gold out the pouch to see how much they had put in, they realized that they had gotten back less than they had put in.

And so they tried in vain, again and again to fill it. But it was of no use. The fairy had obviously put a powerful charm on it, and try as they might they could not break it.

Soon they began to panic. In a wild frenzy, Elena grabbed the jar where she stored all their money and frantically dumped it all into the little bag. Then suddenly her mind cleared, and she realized what she had just done. Her life's savings—and Timothy's, too—were now all inside that awful pouch, which stubbornly remained half-full.

She began to sob. Timothy tried to comfort her, but at the same time struggled to hold back tears himself. So it was all for nothing. Little Ana wouldn't get anything out of this, and now they didn't even have money to pay the rent for their land.

They did not forget the words of the fairy. All of your family will fall into great misfortune, and a curse will be cast upon you and all your descendants which shall never be lifted…a curse will be cast…never…never…never…never…They slept restlessly, the fairy's words ringing in their heads. A day before the month was over, they decided to flee the village to seek out a new life, hoping the fairy's threat wouldn't follow them.

They began seeking refuge in the forest, as they walked slowly away from the village they had lived in their whole lives. They carried Ana along wrapped in a thick blanket that Elena had embroidered with her name, hoping that she would be able to withstand the harsh conditions of their new life.

There was no money for food or to pay the rent for a new house. They could have stayed, but now what they wanted most was to get as far away from that evil fairy's—that witch's—house as they could. Traveling on foot they headed towards the boundary separating their homeland from the neighboring country. Both adults longed to settle down again, and maybe try earning some money to get back a good lifestyle. They didn't know where they would go once they passed the border, but left it as their strongest goal in their minds. Half the time they were even afraid to hesitate, to stop walking just to wonder what would happen to them.

The winter season would come soon, and they could not last through the cold weather then without some decent shelter.

Elena would sleep with Ana curled up in her arms. She often wondered how the baby even managed to live. The only food was berries; the only water that from streams they happened to come across. Ana frequently had fits of crying, but eventually she became quieter, just staring fearfully around her with wide eyes.

Then one night Elena fell asleep against an oak tree, with Timothy next to her and Ana shivering on her lap. The next morning there was no trace of the baby to be found. It was as if Ana had vanished in the night—no footsteps showed the path of her kidnapper.

Both parents were devastated. Timothy felt ashamed of ever suggesting to see the fairy for a blessing in the first place, and Elena wrung her hands in anguish, calling herself the worst mother that ever lived, letting her child be taken away from her.

Finally Timothy was able to persuade her into moving on. This was just the beginning of the fairy's curse, he said. Ana was impossible to find. They would not find her now, no matter how hard they tried—maybe she was lost to them forever.

Author's Note: this is just be the prologue of the story but im not sure if i like it enough to continue it...please R&R and tell me what you think! any opinions welcome-good or bad.