Week 11 Storytelling: "Therapy for Gold-tree"

"Miss Gold-Tree, the doctor will see you now," said the receptionist.

Gold-tree got up from her seat in the waiting room and walked toward the receptionist who was holding the door open for her. Gold-tree was a beautiful woman of about 35; she walked through the threshold with poise and grace, but also with what appeared to be a huge worry on her shoulders.

"Okay you'll be in the third room on the left, go inside, lie down on the sofa, and the doctor will be with you shortly," the receptionist said.

Once inside the room, Gold-tree began to feel antsy. This was her first time visiting a therapist, and she wasn't quite sure what she was going to say. Maybe she could bring up how her mother tried to kill her... twice, or that she was a sister wife, or maybe the fact that she lay dead for 6 months when all someone had to do was pull the thorn out of her finger to revive her. Yeahhh, she had a lot to get off her chest. This poor doctor, she thought. Just as she was thinking about the poor guy that would have to listen to her ramble for hours, the therapist walked in.

Gold-tree on the couch for her therapy session

"Hi there, I'm Dr. Mahon," the Dr. said as he shook Gold-tree's hand and took a seat in a large, comfy chair across from her.

"Well, let's just go ahead and jump right in why don't we. Why don't you tell me what has brought you here today... and start from the very beginning. Think of this as if you're telling me the story of your life and I'm just hear to listen until you're totally done. Then, and only then, can we begin to analyze these things and how you feel. Does that sound good?" said Dr. Mahon.

Gold-tree nodded "yes."

"Perfect then you may begin," said Dr. Mahon.

            "When I was little my mother, her name was Silver-tree, and I used to go out to the well behind our castle and chat with the trout that swam in it. One day when I was about 15 my mother asked the trout if she was the most beautiful woman alive, and he said "No." She asked who else could be more beautiful and he pointed his fin at me... I blushed, but my mother's face grew angry and she pulled me back to our castle. I guess you could say things were pretty weird from that day forward.
              Late that night my father came into my room and told me to get up and pack my things. He said it was time for me to go off and marry the prince of another country who had been courting me. This was so sudden, and I was reluctant to go. That's when my father told me the real reason why I had to leave... my mother wanted me dead.
              He said when we came back from the well earlier that day, all my mother could do was scream at her mirror and say how she had to kill me and eat my heart and liver to become the prettiest woman in all the land. He heard this and knew she meant business, so he arranged for the prince to take me away that night.
            In my new castle with my husband I lived happily and I felt safe from my mother's grasp. After all, my father had told my mother I died so she shouldn't even be concerned with me anymore. That is until one day, years later, I got this feeling that she was on her way. Then my dad sent me a letter to warn me that she had taken the boat and was sailing to see me. I was right, and so I had my servants lock me up in the castle tower.
            Unfortunately, my husband was on a hunting trip that same day. My mother arrived and pleaded to see me, but I wasn't having it. Eventually she asked just for me to stick my finger out the keyhole so she could kiss it. Well, sure enough she jabbed a poison-covered thorn into my finger and I died... right there on the spot.
             My husband mourned my death and laid my body to rest on a bed in the tower, he locked the door and kept the key on him always. He remarried soon after. On another of his hunting trips one day, his new wife unlocked my door and saw me lying there. She saw the thorn and pulled it out and I immediately filled with life. I know, how ridiculous that that's all it took... what an idiot husband I have. When he came back he decided he would have both of us as wives instead of the other one going away.
           Well after this time my mother again visited the trout in the well to reassure herself she was the most beautiful. The trout told her I was still the most beautiful and that I was alive. So naturally, that woman hopped on the ship and sailed over again to try and end my life. I could feel that she was coming again, but this time I had the support of my sister wife, so we hatched a plan to kill her before she killed me.
           When my mom arrived we met her outside the castle gates. She offered me a drink... just like we knew she would. But, as is customary, the person who provides the drink must take a drink of it first before sharing. When my mother pretended to tip the glass back, my sister wife tapped the glass so that the liquid actually went down her throat. She immediately died and my life was spared.
           I have since moved my father in with us... but as you can assume he isn't too happy about my husband having another wife," said Gold-tree.

"I see... and how does all of that make you feel?" asked Dr. Mahon.

     
Author's Note: For this retelling I thought the storytelling style of a therapy session would be the perfect choice. The main character, Gold-tree, as you can see went through a lot and so I figured her sharing those rough experiences with a therapist would be a good way to convey the story. I didn't change many aspects from the original, basically the only thing I changed was how and by who it was told. Because of this I wont summarize the original for you now; all you need to know is above. I may have left out some minor parts of the story but I covered all the big things, and I was totally out of room to write anymore even if I had wanted to. That brings me to this, I would have liked to have more of a conversation between the therapist and Gold-tree in the end but I just didn't have room so I thought it was okay to end it how I did. The line of "how does that make you feel" is kindve ironic considering how much Gold-tree just told him so I thought it was somewhat of a comical ending. I chose the image to show what a therapy session like this might look like.

Bibliography: "Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree" from Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).