Part II will be posted on 3 November 2021

Many years ago, there was a king who ruled over a vast kingdom and was believed by many to be the wealthi­est man in the world. This king had a daughter who was curious to know about everything—why the sun rises and sets, why spring follows winter, why the moon is full at sometimes and is only a sliver at others. So, it was that when the princess learned there was a wise and ancient man in their kingdom who knew of revealed and hidden things on the earth and in the heavens, she begged her father to bring him to the palace to teach her what he knew.

Now the king’s daughter was very precious to him, and he was especially proud that she loved to learn. So, he sent a messenger in a fine carriage to bring the ancient wise man to the palace. When the old man arrived, he was taken to the king at once. The king said to him: “It is known that you possess ancient knowledge of what can be seen and that which is hidden. I would like you to reveal these secrets to my daughter, the princess, who has a great thirst for knowledge. As your reward, I shall build you a fine study from which you explore the wonders of the world.”

Then the ancient wise man said: “I agree to teach the princess on these terms, but there must be two more conditions — that no one else be present while I instruct her and at the end of one year I will return to my home.” The king agreed to these conditions, and the ancient wise man began to teach the princess about many mysterious and wonderful things. The princess listened carefully to everything he had to say and proved to be a fine student. At the end of one year the ancient wise man had taught the princess many lessons, and when he returned to his home he found the study had already been built, as the king had promised.

Some time passed, and the princess learned that there was a mountain, the Montaña Otzaroth, that had a vast treasure hidden within it, and that only one person in the world knew how to enter it. After much study, she learned that this was none other than the ancient wise man who had taught her many wonders and mysteries.

The princess went to her father, the king, and begged him to send for the ancient wise man so that he could reveal the secret of where the Montaña Otzaroth could be found, and how it could be entered. The king agreed to his daughter’s request and sent a messenger in a fine carriage to bring the ancient wise man back to the palace. When the ancient wise man arrived, the king told him what his daughter had discovered and asked him to reveal the secret of the Montaña Otzaroth to her.

At first the ancient wise man hesitated, for he knew that not all knowledge and secrets are meant to be learned. He knew that there were dangers as­sociated with the Montaña Otzaroth. The king could not disappoint his daughter and so he begged the ancient wise man until he agreed to reveal the secret to the princess, but on the condition, as before, that no one else be present.

When the ancient wise man met with the princess, she begged him to take her to the Montaña Otzaroth that very night. “In that case,” the ancient wise man told her, “We must hurry, for we have to be there exactly at midnight.” So it was that the two of them made their way in complete darkness and reached the mountain at the appointed time. There the ancient wise man uttered a few words, which caused a large stone of the mountain to move with much rumbling, so that they could enter the cavern. The ancient wise man said, “Be warned, princess, that the mountain will remain open for only half an hour, and we must return before half past midnight, for then the stone will close, and if we have not departed from the cavern, we will be trapped there.”

Inside the mountain the princess saw treasures that were greater than those in the treasuries of her father, the king. She saw golden apples, silver raindrops, and diamonds shaped like snow­flakes. She was dazzled by the unimaginable beauty she saw there and would not have remembered to take her leave had the ancient wise man not reminded her. And shortly after they left the cavern, the stone entrance closed. Then they returned to the palace. As the ancient wise man left to return to his home, he said, “Take care, princess, if you ever decide to return to the Montaña Otzaroth, most importantly, never forget to leave on time.”

 

The following night the princess decided she wanted to return to the Montaña Otzaroth, for just as they were leaving the night before she had glimpsed a golden seashell so beautiful that she had dreamed about it all night, and now she wanted to make it her own. She traveled there by her­self, and when she reached the mountain it was almost midnight, and she repeated the words that the ancient wise man had uttered, for she had listened very carefully while he had spoken. Once again there was a great rumbling, and the stone moved, and she was able to enter the mountain.

In the dark­ness her gown caught on a thorn bush as she entered, and a single golden thread became unraveled, though the princess did not notice this.

Inside the mountain, the eyes of the princess were again so dazzled by the many treasures that she almost forgot about the golden seashell she had come there to find, and soon she held it in her hand. It looked like an actual seashell of the most beautiful kind in every respect, except it was made entirely of gold. Knowing that real seashells echo the sea, the princess held the golden shell to her ear, and to her amazement she heard voices speaking there. That is how she discovered it was a magic seashell in which she could hear anything being said anywhere in the world. If she held it in one position, she would hear one conversation, and if she moved it ever so slightly, an­other would take its place. Now the princess was fascinated by this magic shell and did not notice the swift passage of time. Suddenly she realized it was time for her to leave the cavern, and she rushed to the entrance, but it was too late—the entrance to the cavern was closed, and she was trapped inside the Montaña Otzaroth.

The next morning cries for help were heard from inside the mountain, and when it was discovered that the princess was missing, the king under­stood it must be the voice of his daughter they heard. Then he commanded his soldiers to take shovels and pickaxes to dig into the mountain to pull her out. Sadly, every shovel and pickaxe broke against the mountain, and before long even the king accepted they would never save the princess that way. Then the king announced that anyone who could free the princess would be wed to her and would also receive half his kingdom. Many journeyed to the mountain and sought to free the princess one way or another, but none of them succeeded in making the mountain open, and the princess remained trapped inside.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

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