The time is 146 B.C. The people of Greece worship the Twelve Olympians, the Greek Gods. The Greek people are very excited for the Starlight Dance, a celebration of much anticipation. One of these people is Aglaia, the daughter of a poor farmer. She hopes to be crowned, Queen Starlight, the prettiest girl in the dance who many hope to be. The only problem is she doesn’t think she’s beautiful enough.
Oh, how I wish I could be Queen Starlight! I would wear a beautiful dress of constellations, and a crown with twelve jewels, each for a different god! But I cannot be Queen. I am not pretty enough to be Queen Starlight. I do not have curly brown hair like, Anthea, or beautiful dresses like, Castor. I would have to ask, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty to turn me into a gorgeous lady, with pearls and emeralds, and white gowns. That’s when I made up my mind; I am going to Mount Olympus.
I took only a few items on my journey; a dagger, a healing potion, corn from our farm, a small bag of money, and a pitcher of water. I prayed to the gods for safe travel, and then walked across the hilly path, to my first stop in the city of Athens. Apollo’s sun chariot would be on the ground by the time I got there. So I walked and walked, until I got to the grand city, welcomed by a giant bronze statue of Athena. I looked for an inn to spend a night, but all of them were too expensive for my little bag of copper coins. As I decided to make a makeshift hay bed, I saw a crippled man on the streets. By the way his clothes were torn, and his pack full of air, he must have been mugged by a passing Gang of Ares. The Gang of Ares claims the God of War sent them here to make peace in Greece, but all they did was cause chaos.
He was unconscious, so still you could have mistaken him for a dead corpse. But he was alive, lying on the dirt. I helped him up, and carefully put my healing potion against his chapped, wrinkled lips. I then tilted the vile, thus, letting him drink the medicine. Suddenly he awoke, his eyes barely open. “What happened?” he asked in a confused manner. I told him I gave him a potion, and he’d be fine in the morning. He then invited me to stay at an extra cot in his house. Joyfully I replied yes, and followed him to a medium sized house made of brick. He offered me an apple and water, holding them out like he was selling them. I generously took the food and quietly dozed off into Orpheus’ dream world, where I saw Queen Starlight. And that Queen was me.
In the morning, I thanked the man for his hospitality, and went off the dirt path road to the next stop- the city of Calydon. I went on my trail, only stopping to see a wood nymph that fell into the gushing waters of the forest. My father used to say, “Posiden gave water for water, not trees.” Remembering the old stories of the wet wood nymphs, I sneaked over to the oasis and helped the nymph.
“Who are you?” I asked, trying to use a sympathetic voice. Ack! Ack! She coughed a fish onto the ground, and stared at it. Using a strained like voice, the nymph said, “Hello, thanks for getting me up. Cough! Cough! I am Melanthios, a nymph of the Hyacinth Forest.” I stared at her, admiring her beauty. I wish I had that beauty. After a few minutes I replied, “Oh, oh thank you Melanthios, it was nothing.” She then wished me good luck on my journey, and handed me a wishing rock. My mother once told me about these rocks. If you threw it in water, the rock would vanish, and make your wish come true.
I was an hour delayed to Calydon, but when I got to the magnificent city, it was only sunrise. I walked and walked, until I found an affordable inn. It was called, “Hestia’s Home”. It was very welcoming. I went into my room, where I held my wishing stone. Then I thought, can’t I use this to become Queen Starlight? Of course! I ran down the steps, tripping a few times on the locust eaten stairs. When I finally got to the ground, I brushed the dust off my toga and walked the rest of the way, to River Penelope. But when I got to the river, a woman was crying. She was weeping, and weeping, never stopping. She sobbed, “My child! Hades! Posiden! Save my son!” Her son had drifted on the water, and drowned to the bottom. It was tragic, seeing the woman sob to the ground. I threw the wishing stone in the water, and five minutes later my wish came true. I wished, “Please save the woman’s son!” She was so grateful, and hugged her son until he almost stopped breathing. She greatly thanked me, and gave me a tight bear hug. I still had a chance; all I have to do is visit Aphrodite.
It was morning. Mount Olympus sat in front of me, the light blinding me from the palace. I stood in awe, slowly walking up the steps to Aphrodite’s chamber, decorated with hearts of many sizes. After a while, I got up to the golden door, relieved to finally be at my destination. It was here.
The door magically opened, revealing a giant woman of great beauty. It was Aphrodite. “Good Morning!” she greeted me, smiling like an angel. “What have you come here for?” I replied, “I want to be beautiful, so I can become Queen Starlight!” She then looked confused, “You are of great beauty!” I was a bit confused myself. Me? Beautiful? “Beauty isn’t the way you look on the outside,” she said, “Beauty is what is on the inside. Every kind action you do is like a new gem. And you have a crown of gems. You helped the crippled man, and gave him a healing potion. You helped Melanthios, the nymph up, and took the time to do it. Even more, you gave up the wishing rock, to help a woman who lost her son. You are more beautiful than any woman, because you have something. Beauty is every good action you do, to help someone in need. I can’t make you beautiful, because you already are!”
I registered it for a while. I am beautiful! Even though Anthea has dark brown hair, she pulls pranks on the substitute teachers! Even though Castor has dresses of many colors, she pushes her little brother around. I am beautiful! And everyone saw that, because later that week, I became Queen Starlight. I am Queen Starlight!
The moral of the story is beauty isn’t the way you look on the outside. Beauty is what is on the inside. Every kind action is beauty. Beauty is… the good deeds we do for each other.
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