shalaoria | [The House of Oria]

Once upon a time there was a wealthy and beautiful man who lived in a fine house. This man loved his own company above all others and never shared his riches with a single soul. Countless times he turned away all contact with people, choosing to enjoy his solitude and his pleasures alone. He needed for nothing and gave to no one despite the poverty of the neighbouring village.

The people of the village pleaded with him for charity, but to no avail. In time they became angry and jealous of the man and sought to teach him a lesson for his cruelty. They sent a wicked demon to his great house to play a trick on him.

The demon pestered and plagued the man for three days and three nights until he was exhausted. The man tried to chase the demon away only to find that he could not get back inside. He was made to sleep outside the house in the snow while the demon enjoyed his fine things. Eventually the demon said to him "Would you like to come inside?"

"Yes." The man bowed at the demons feet. "I want to live as I have always done."

"So you shall." The demon gave a wicked grin. "I will allow you back inside, on one condition. You can never again leave the grounds of this house."

The man was desperate to come inside, and so he agreed with the demons terms. It seemed to him he had won, for he had never wished to leave his home in any case! Now he would never again be forced away from his home.

But all was not as it appeared, for when the demon vanished it left behind a deep curse. Bound to the house, the man never aged or changed no matter how many years passed him by. Slowly, the house began to change into something supernatural. All of his needs the house would fulfil, coming to life to provide his wants and desires all due to the curse of the demon. Time passed, on and on until the world turned to nothing leaving only the house behind. The man was desperately lonely, with only his selfish past as his bedfellow.

And so when the first traveller came to his door, he welcomed them inside gratefully. He catered for and cared for them, never asking where they had come from or when they would leave. In allowing them inside, his heart felt a little lighter. He cared for the next traveller and the next, redeeming his selfishness of the past one patron at a time.

To this day the house still exists in the space between worlds, an inn for wandering souls to ease their troubles and lose themselves in the pleasures of the house of Oria.

[Character and prose © Saku Smith aka Creatore Magico]