Desolate, Rose sat down on a rock near the castle’s entrance and began to sob inconsolably. Suddenly, she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder: it was her Guardian Angel, bearing three precious stones…
The cold and uninviting stone houses that made up the little town of Somberville offered a perfect picture of its inhabitants’ hardness of heart. “Something” very important had disappeared from that place many years ago…
“Kindness no longer exists! It has become extinct on the face of the earth,” young Rose often heard the older villagers say.
“Kindness? What a strange word! Whatever can it mean?” the girl would ask herself.
Intrigued, she searched for an explanation, but in vain… No one was able to describe its meaning to her. Neither her teachers, nor her schoolmates, nor even her parents knew quite what kindness was. Worse still, many were annoyed at the youngster’s curiosity.
Until, one day, Rose’s grandmother told her this story:
“Many, many years ago, my child, our village was different… There lived, not far from here, a very good queen, whom everyone wished to serve and wanted to please in every possible way. In those days, people loved each other and were glad to help one another.
“It is said that whoever went to visit the queen would find, in her company, the courage to face any difficulty. No one ever left her presence forlorn. But these things happened so long ago that no one can be sure whether they are really true, or just a legend”…
“Was this queen called Kindness? That must be why people say: ‘Kindness has disappeared from the face of the earth’…”
“No… She had another name! But, during her reign, the villagers tried to imitate her, and that virtue dwelt in everyone’s heart.”
“I see… So, what is kindness, Grandma?”
“Well now, it’s hard to explain. You need to experience it for yourself.”
“But how?”
“You would have to meet the queen… if she really lives on. To be honest, I am not even sure that she truly existed…”
“I want to meet her!” exclaimed the girl, elated. “How can I get to her?”
“Her castle stood on the other side of the mountain, but to get there, one must take a path that is fraught with dangers. They say that a bright light illuminates it at the beginning, but then the obstacles start to appear… And the greatest difficulty is that, in order to speak with the queen, one must offer three precious stones that can only be found on the way.”
“Oh, no! That’s even harder than getting the money to buy them! But I’ll try my best… Will you come with me?”
“Little Rose, I no longer have a young person’s energy to undertake such an adventure. But you go ahead, and don’t ever give up or ignore your heart’s inspirations.”
Happy as can be, Rose left the little town and soon encountered two paths. As she pondered which of the two she should take, she saw a very intense light shine for a few moments before her, and she decided to follow it.
Walking on, she looked about her in search of any precious stones that she might offer the queen. However, she found nothing along that route but thorns, thistles and all kinds of venomous creatures. It was impossible to find treasures on a path that only offered pain and suffering.
The days passed, and Rose felt increasingly alone. She was tired and worn out, and there was no sign that she was on the right path, except for an inner voice that whispered to her: “Don’t turn back! Keep going!”
Scarcely able to continue, and sorely tempted to give up, Rose cried out from the depths of her heart:
“Queen of kindness, I don’t know if you really exist… I so wanted to meet you, but I have no strength left. I hope that someday I can find you!”
Then, peering down the path as far as she could see, she suddenly spotted the towers of a splendid castle ahead!
Busting with joy, Rose regained her strength and hastened toward the fortress, wondering if it was real or just part of a dream. Upon arriving, she knocked on the enormous wooden door and was immediately answered by a guard:
“What do you want, child?”
“I want to see the sovereign! Please let me pass!”
“You may enter as soon as you pay the tribute of three precious stones.”
“But you see, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find any along the way,” said Rose in utter dismay. “Oh, please let me see the queen! I come from very far, and have travelled a painful path to get here.”
“That will not be possible! Without the tribute, you cannot enter.”
Crushed with disappointment, the girl sat down on a rock near the castle’s entrance and began to sob inconsolably. Suddenly, she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder, and a voice said to her:
“Why are you crying, my little one?”
It was her Guardian Angel, bearing a cushion, upon which lay three magnificent gems.
“My dear Rose,” he said, “you found no precious stones on your way, but I myself took the trouble to collect them. The diamond that you see here appeared within your heart when you followed that light without doubting. It symbolizes your openness to the voice of grace.”
And he continued:
“At one point, exhaustion nearly overcame you, but you heeded my whisper: ‘Don’t turn back; keep going.’ It was then that I gathered this ruby, a symbol of your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the ideal you held in your soul. And when you felt alone, abandoned, and without strength, but you did not allow the desire in your heart to fade, I was then able to gather this sapphire too, a gem representing unshakable hope.”
Rose was awestruck by the Angel’s words, but before she could even answer him, she beheld a lady of incomparable beauty drawing near, dressed in the finest silk. At the sight, Rose hastily dried her tears and trustingly threw herself into the regal lady’s arms. It was the queen, who said to her with exceeding kindness:
“Rose, you do not have to tell me what happened. Your Angel and I were with you all the while, accompanying and strengthening you. It is true that you have endured sufferings, but now your soul is full of treasures. The cold and lifeless stones of this earth are worth little, as compared with those that have sprung up in your heart.” ◊
