Week 4 Storytelling: The Second Chance Wedding

Once upon a time, near the river bank, a husband and wife had a beautiful daughter, Tiana. She had long, dark curly hair and skin the color of milk chocolate. She was of an age to wed, and many men pursued her. There were three men in particular who made the strongest advances, Anthony, Paul, and Colin.

The suitors would bring Tiana gifts of sweets and flowers, and the young people would spend many evenings lounging and laughing on Tiana's front porch. Over time, Tiana became close friends with all three men, and she didn't know how she would ever choose just one to marry.

But one day, Tiana tragically fell ill. The suitor were not allowed to visit her on her death bed because she was terribly contagious. Tiana's parents wept because her condition wasn't improving. A few days later, Tiana died, and the news was brought to Anthony, Paul, and Colin.

The three men all grieved together because surely they would have rather she pick a suitor other than themselves than die at such a young age.

At Tiana's funeral, the three young men all performed tasks to honor her memory. Anthony was one of the pall-bearers, who carried her casket up the aisle of the beautifully adorned church. Paul gave a touching speech about all of the good times the young lovers had spent together. Tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke. But at the end of the funeral, Colin refused to leave Tiana's side. Many friends and family members tried to pull him away and out of the church. But no one prevailed. His grief was too strong, and he felt it in such a physical way that he couldn't leave her.

That night, Colin slept in the church next to her coffin. The old church creaked eerily during the night. But nothing would sway him from his duty to Tiana.

In the morning, an angel appeared to Colin. The angel was translucent white and hovered a few inches above the floor.

"Colin," the angel said, "You have shown true devotion to your one and only love. A father figure could carry his daughter's casket up the aisle, and any friend or family member could make a heartfelt speech at her funeral. But only her true lover would spend all night with her in a creaky church. To honor your great devotion, lift the lid of the coffin and reunite with your bride."

Wiping tears from his eyes, Colin stood and opened the casket. Upon doing so, Tiana happily sat up and began to climb out. She was wearing a beautiful lace wedding dress with a long, elegant train.

(Image information: "Bride Marriage Wedding Dress" uploaded by GloriaAgostina.) 

Colin wrapped her in his arms and spun her around and around. Before they knew it, the church had filled with wedding guests, the coffin had disappeared, and wedding bells were ringing.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by "The Three Lovers Who Brought The Dead Girl to Life. Whose Wife Should She Be?" from the collection Twenty-Two Goblins, translated by Arthur W. Ryder with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl (1917).

In the original story, there are a lot of Indian customs involved in how the suitors bring the girl back to life. One suitor dips her bones in a river, another used magic, and a third kept her ashes. I chose to tell this story in a more simple way to make it more realistic than the original. My main goals for this story were to evoke emotions of loss contrasted with joy.