Don't know where it came from. Where do stories come from? Out of the ether I suppose.

Anyway, it's a fairy tale. You know, one of those Grimm brothers tales about curses, monsters, princes, fair maidens (only in this case it's not a maiden).

Don't know what's to become of it. Since I've pretty much every thing I've started this year is hanging around undone in the Doc folder. Of course, this hasn't been a very good year, but the meds seemed to have stabilized me, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

Anyway, in the past three nights I've knocked out over four chapters, so at least it has a good start out of the gate.

Basically, the story goes like this: Way back sometime before the Renaissance swept over Europe, a young man, Gregor, (around twenty) sets out on a journey to the "coast" where he is to be apprenticed to his uncle as a butcher. Along the way, he's waylaid by a hideous monster who takes him to a castle atop a rocky crag. (Didn't put it in, but it was probably raining and flashes of lightening filled the air.) At the castle, he is put under the butler, named Roger, who blathers on and on about the most inane stuff.

Gregor is taken up to his tower room, where Roger leaves him for the night. That's when the magic starts. Seems Gregor has the knack for doing feats of unbelievable magic. Well, Roger had used a magic spell to bring clothes for Gregor to wear. (Did I mention Gregor was naked when the monster nabbed him? Bathing in the river after a long hot hike in the forest.) Gregor makes himself a nice supper and breakfast the following morning, after which he goes down to find Roger and find out what's going on.

Roger sends him to the Master of the Castle, a man cursed to live in the castle for eternity because he kept catamites until discovered by his father, the king of some unnamed country, who put him in the castle. Although the Master is centuries old, he doesn't look a day over twenty-three. It's his plan to seduce Gregor, something Gregor wants no part of. Of course, there's the monster, too. He acquires young men to tempt the Master, which only lengthens the curse.

There's also a talking raven to provide comic relief. And a senuous ghost (male) who only makes love to Gregor in his dreams, which much to his consternation Gregor starts enjoying a lot more than he wants. I'm certain there will be more characters, but not many more.

In a nutshell, Gregor's task is to keep the Master out of his pants, so everyone can live happily ever after, or find a way to escape without the monster coming after him. The monster devours young men. Their screams fill the castle. Sometimes it helps to have a little horror in fairy tales, but this is no Beauty and the Beast tale.

Anyway, I don't know how long this will be or whether it will last until completion. I hope so because it's the most lighthearted story I've come up with in a long time.