Though love stories abound about a woman
Whose attributes are fair nay without compare
But, I dare they will pale when compared to this fable

In a far away land locked between two seas
Where the lapacho trees grow strong and its rosado trumpets announce "esta belleze!"
Long tailed Potoo's show to squak
our beauties name if you wish to listen
Care-free people you meet in the streets will greet you in the tongue of Guaraní
Its not money they will ask for but will convey the of lore of their legendary princess and access your worth to win her

You see a Latin woman exists that cannot be compared to no other
Locked in a fortress so tight that you wouldn't be wrong to even know of her existance
Exiled by her own hand to right the nations wrongs and injustice
She waits for a man that can withstand what her character demands and take up the mantle
A man without respite that would rescue her this very night and wisk her away to her destiny

In the year 1603 A wayward traveller from a European coast took host in a small town posted where modern Paraguay is situated today
When the villagers filled his ears of this local fable of a princess that appears out of a mist waiting for true love's kiss he was immediately inspired with desire to know more so he did implore more from the village priest for whom he was told was the only one to have actually seen her

The priest goes on to tell him they aren't wrong about her beauty
He described her glowing green eyes filled with a thousand nights of starlight
and her piercing stare that can peer into your soul and entrap you
Flaxen hair so fair the wind would shutter to disturb it and a complexion with no snare that could make the whitest of doves blush in recognition of her fashion

The local women chimed in and to much chagrin and jealousy from within we all know of her existance
But what good are we when compared to such perfection
Twas better not to speak and fake like we were asleep when our princess came topic of discussion
We'd rather she leave so she would not impede our men's minds by such a vision
We hope this stranger takes her far away from our shores to return nevermore
So we can have the men's minds focused on their labors

The stranger inquired with curiosity peaked where can I find this ençhanted beauty you speak? For it is my intent to woo her
The priest laughed out loud it does not work that way for she will find you my brother
With putiry in you heart and good intentions from the start it will attract our majesty to your location
For she does not live in a time or place but waiting outside in a limbo state
But if the timing is right you may just get a sight of our princess looking outside her window

A young boy stepped up with a hesitant heart admidst the mass congregation
I have seen the princess more often than thrice down in the valley at night just when the clock hands stood fully erected
At the base of Mt. Illimani a distortion occurred that allowed me to see her castle
The priest doesn't lie her beauty is undenied but her sadness was also apparent.
You see i could make out a tear in her eyes and a look of such lonliness.
I felt sorry for her and picked up some blue passion flower to gift her.
But before i could blink her highness was gone without a trace or disturbance

The local women cried what tomfollery is this? We are much amiss that she would appear to just a child
Why does she not appear to us women?

The priest interjected
Ladies it is your forked tounge that prevents it
Your thievery, your lies, your passionate cries when you tell the men folk you are "but a virgin".
Take Pepeto here of only his 12th year he has never lied that I know of
He need not come to church or at least sit down with me and confess for his absense of sin which is apparent
It is the purity of his heart that attracts our princess to his presence

Well stranger the hour is nigh and you must fly to see if you are worthy of our treasure
Go with Pepeto and wait in the knoll at the base of Mt. Illimani to see if our majesty will grace you with her presence
But don't take light and take warn if your intentions are marked or scourned it is a snipe that you will only be finding on this night's hunting

The chilled night air left a frost in the midst of the seekers expelled agressions
They traveled for long through dale and over hill to take sight of their destination
Pepeto exclaimed I havent asked you your name you must forgive my manners they are atrocious
"My name is Peter the first and I come by way of the Germans
Your manners are of no concern
I hadn't planned to stay in your town for too long but the stories of your princess intrigues me"

It was just hours before the dawn they had reached their destination with renewed resolution to spy their beauty despite the confusion
A foggy gloom hovering in the air giving the allusion that nothing was there

Peter exclaimed "I will climb the rocky face to see above the fog's obscurity
Then my curiosity will cure me
So I can tell if all this is just fact or of fable"
He was more than able to scale the precipice that lay before him but his necessitous drive would out do him
From an eagles viewpoint he had climbed to a height of abserdity
His firm grasp of the rocks were all for nought for he had already begun falling

Just then it began a disturbance in this Latin land
A rift had conjoined ripping a void in our continuum
A castle tower appeared as if out of nowhere showing an empty window made from a hefty casement
With finely crafted stones it was a massive structure from its battlement to its basement

Peter's eyes came in at full zoom when he saw his predicament unfolding
He was falling too fast to be able to react it was his life in his hands that he was holding

Our hero's loft was put to a stop by falling into some water
Right through the fissure and into the castles moat is where he resided
But then his eye caught a huge alligators stare coming near
He pulled himself ashore just in time to hear a thunderous clap behind him
The gator's jaws clamped down on the air in despair of his missed luncheon

Outside the tear He could barely hear Pepito yelling "Mr are you alright what happened in there?" From the quickly closing gap all he could yell back was "Bring help I'm trapped"

He turned around with jaw dropped in amazement
To the castle he peered to be near the largest object to his eyes ever measured
10 Hectares wide but how to get inside?
It was locked up tightly
Not even the smallest gap it would abide

With a moat full of crocs his choices were not alotted
He scanned the premises with a look of defiance he swore this fortress could not be faultless
To his luck he gazed in amazment a broken window casement near the castles basement

A choice thrown rock to distract the crocs and he was launched across the moat by pole vaulting a spruce and rebounding onto his haunches
Onto firm ground he resounded with laughter, turned and mocked the gators unbounded

A well planted impact with a rock unlocked the cracked casement
The bludgeon gave way access to what appeared to be a dungeon
With hesitant heart he jumped in and slumped into the castle

The darkness overcame no flame to be found and engulfed him into a murky room
A yell was heard in the cell "go away!" emminating from a distant dwell "come no closer!" "go back!" "Shoo!"
To his eyes in disbelied he spied a gargoyle's backside coiled in the corner
It stood only 4 foot 3 but fierce in appearance
Cobbled from stone but it moaned about the light he just allowed in the dungeon.

"The light turns me back to stone from wence i came please make it go away and I will help you be on your way"
Some tinder was placed in the gap to apease the beasts howling and it immediatly stopped cowering

With wings spread awide it immediately began to fly and yelped"I am obliged by your kindness" "Its been an eon since anyone has helped me. Why are you here stranger?"

"I have come to give a kiss to a beauty without remiss. The princess that lives in the tower"

"You must be crazy mister I have lived here for hundreds of years and have never seen such daring" "You can put up a fight and try with all of one's might but the way is well guarded by a evil centaur"

"Stow your tongue my journey cannot be unsung it has already started" "Now fulfill your vow and allow me the exit"

A curved staircase was presented they assented and proceeded into a dark hallway
Their footsteps came to stay when they confronted an adorned archway A hall of mirrors laid out before them as far as their eyes could see
With no doubts our travelers kept walking Ornately decorated enlayed in gold this hall's mold was unpresidented
Polished jewels gleemed from every nook and cranny as they made way something uncanny appeared before them
A giant mirror 10 leagues bigger than the rest
It's guilded eagle crest come to nest upon an ornate structure who's craft was unparallelled embossed in platinum its forge was lost in time a sublime handcraft foretold its make was not that of mankind's
Within its frame came a sight to behold it was his homeland Germany to hold if he chose to walk into the mirror
The gargoyle spoke "this baroque passage is only one way once there you will have to stay"
"Nay i will not!" "There is nothing for me there my future lies past this structure"

As the two continued they found their way to a great dining hall all amiss. A culinary bliss was presented extravagantly prepared food laid to rest amidst its hibernating customers
Such a wordless sight the castle staff was all strewn about asleep before them The gargoyle spoke "you must forgive their comatose state the food has forced them into slumber
The vast number chose to be asleep while exiled They have been piled like this for as long as I can remember" "Take a bite my friend if you care to join them"
"Glutony and sleep shant repeat and has no place in a life of virture
There's no time to rest there's a princess that needs us at our best lest we delay let's be on our way and continue"

They arrived in a huge treasure room
With soo much gold twas hard to describe
Piles of it covering every transome and dormer it was more than a kings ransome piled into evey corner
Dead bodies of treasure seekers past lay astrune at the entrance
Pockets of gold filled so tight did them no right in the afterlife they were now enduring

A figure took its appearance out of a darkened mist the lord of this horde a giant horned black centaur
5 stone tall towering over the gold even the bravest would fold with the sight of its blazing orange eyes razing from the pits of Hades Encased in armour so tightly woven from head to cloven it would be the bain of any weapon chosen to prevail her
She motioned her spear in the air and ripped open a portal leading to the village. "Take your fill of the riches here and begone forever" "Your presence will not endeavour"
"You will shall not pass any further searcher without testing my patience" "Your impalement will proceed you will bleed unless you use speed to hasten"

"Belay your orders beast!" "I did not come all this way only to be stopped by a hoofed menance" "Impale me if you must but beware I am in the just for my pockets are empty"
With no relent and much intent he walked past the she devil's path. Her lance immediately pointed at heart was thrown and dissolved into obsecurity
Peter knew with his heart in the right this devil was powerless to smite him
A blood curtling scream was shouted and the beast lunged at him
Just like her spear as she came near she dissolved into nothing

"The gargoyle asked how did you know how to best her?"
"The dead bodies astrune all had alterior motives
Their pockets were full thus showing their true intentions
Money dillutes true love's motivations"
"Let's be on our way your beast is slain there's an exit behind the gold piles"

Up into the tower they did climb for many hours into nightime
A 395 step staircase did not make them cower
Peter flung open the door at the top of the stair but no one was there the room was bare
As his breath was caught he spied a decor amast in eclectic
Tapestry abound images of a cathectic troubled past dimly lit candles crowned shadows by the fire
Despite its capability of flight the gargoyle was quite late and when arrived profusely sweating
As soon as it stepped foot in the room a great change amassed it was cast into an orb
It hovered in the air and flew over to a book centered on the podium
Peter walked over and read it
"Love's true kiss won't be missed if one signs their heart in writing"
Our hero stepped back and pondered the riddle
To his fingers he did fiddle
A quill was picked then used to prick his finger causing blood to flood the inkwell
His name was then signed on the line and the orb became quite redefined
The orb flashed then glowed shooting a beam into our hero's eyes
In this induced dream it would stream the plight of the princess despite him being quite cataonic

Centuries ago in a kingdom known as Gran Chaco They were warring with a tribe known as the Draco
Flying lizard's they did tame to set aflame to Chaco's residings
Decades did past during this clash all for the cache contained within the castle
With thousands turned to ash from dragon's fire clash they were in dire need of inspiration
So they did contrive to conscribe a deity
An evil forest god named Kurupi who was in love with the princess
So a deal was struck for his aide to deal with the dragons The princess's hand to disband the legions of Draco
The Kurupi was an ugly creature looking quite rough all covered in hairy scruff with spires growing ever higher from the top of its muff. It's teeth overshot its lips with fingertips that came to a pointed sharpened center. Nay it wasnt fair that our dear Lilly had to marry such grotesqueness
But with no understate Kurupi's power was great at least 10 time greater than the Draco
His trees branches unfurled then curled around the dragon's necks preventing breath from exhaling
Each dragon easily plucked out of the skies as if they were flies circling the eyes of batrachian invaders
With the Draco defeated the Kurupi repeated he would be back for the his prize in 3 days time
On the day they were to wed the princess said nay she refused she would not do it
The Kurupi's rage could not be contained with no restrain he cursed the princess forever
Into a gargoyle state she was transformed then informed that only true love could break it
So the Chaco were banished to vanish in the castle beside their cursed leader
To reside in a limbo state to wait for an eternity

Peter awakened quite mistaken about what had just happened
To the turrets center the orb flew and then it grew and transformed into princess Lilly

There she was in all her grace
Eyes of pure starlight were found on a beauty that abounds compared to no other this belle was released from the spell that imprisoned her
they embraced and true love's kiss was forthcoming.

The castle sent aloft it landed quite soft at the base of Mt. Illimani
From outside was heard a cry from the priest and young boy "Are you alive?"
To the window they did walk to show love's victory aloft and how they overcame the tragic history of this ancient fable

They were wed the next day in the village of La Paz by the priest who had heraled our lady
With Pepito at the side to hold the rings of the newly wed couple
People came from far and wide to see with their own eyes the legendary bride take the hand of the man that loved her
So with a kiss they were never remiss and they lived happily ever after
© Peter Gunn