The twin brothers, Romulus and Rexolus, were mirror images of each other. When they were babies, nobody could tell who was who. So their mother dressed them up in two different colours - yellow for Romulus and red for Rexolus. But unfortunately, she didn't have to do it for many years.
As the brothers grew, Rexolus became tall and muscular. He worked in his parent's farm and grew rich. On the other hand, Romulus was physically weak and dreamed all day. His legs were deformed after a childhood illness and he couldn't walk without crutches. He sat at home, wrote poetry, and painted pictures. Although their faces looked similar, the brothers differed greatly in their physical constitution and temperament.
After their parents died, Rexolus was worried about his brother. He decided to go in search of a remedy for Romulus. Many doctors tried to cure him, but nothing worked.
Then one day, Rexolus said to Romulus,
"Come brother, I must take you to better healers far away."
Romulus said,
"I am happy the way I am."
Rexolus insisted,
"You cannot see the world by sitting at home. I will carry you on my strong back and find a cure for you."
Romulus agreed. Rexolus carried him on his back and set out. He was amazed at the lightness of his brother's weak body and felt sorry for him.
Rexolus walked and walked with Romulus on his back till they came to the snowy mountains. They were told that great healers and holy men with special powers lived there. They waited under a big tree.
After a long time, they heard a booming voice saying,
"If you have the eyes to see, you will see!"
A holy sage was passing that way. He had long white hair that dragged on the ground behind him. His left hand was raised straight up. It was as shrivelled as a dried drumstick - he had intentionally kept it raised for several years to achieve spiritual strength. His eyes blazed with the power of wisdom and penance. When he saw the two brothers, he stopped.
"What are you doing here? Only those who seek answers to life's questions come this way. None of you look like those. What are you searching for?"
Rexolus bowed down to him and said,
"O holy one, we are searching for a remedy."
"Aha! A remedy for illness?" asked the holy man.
"Yes, my brother has weak legs and cannot walk. I brought him to these parts to seek a remedy" answered Rexolus.
"Let me have a look at those legs" said the holy man.
When Romulus raised his pants to show his legs, the holy man saw that years of disuse had made them as shrivelled as his own left hand.
" Hmmm..." he said gravely. "There is no medicine for this illness."
Then he quietly got up and walked away.
Rexolus was disappointed.
"Is there really nothing I can do so that my brother can walk again on his own feet and see the beautiful world?" he called out behind the holy man.
His voice echoed in the snowy mountains.
The holy man slowly turned.
"Yes, there is something you can do" he muttered.
"Then tell me - I am ready to walk to the ends of this earth to make my brother walk again."
"Go no further" said the holy man. "Here in the snowy mountains, near three spiky trees, you will find three mountains - one blue, one white, and one grey. A glassy lake glitters there. Dip your brother's feet in its waters thrice and he will be as strong as you."
"Thank you, O holy one!" said Rexolus, gratefully.
"If you have the eyes to see, you will see!" boomed the holy man's voice as he walked away.
Once again, Rexolus carried Romulus on his back and walked around the snowy mountains. Several times, he saw three trees and a glassy lake near a white mountain but he did not see the two other mountains. He went round and round and arrived at the same spot again and again. Finally, tired and hungry, he put Romulus down on a mat and brought out some sandwiches from his sack.
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| Art: Meressa Crasto, 12, Malaysia |
They looked around them as they munched their sandwiches. The sun shone brightly and the air was crisp.
"Funny, how I am going around in circles and arriving at the same lake" Rexolus said to Romulus as he scratched his head in confusion.
"Here is the lake that glitters, here are the three spiky trees, here is the white mountain... but where are the blue and grey mountains?" he asked Romulus.
Romulus looked at the scenery around them. Then a smile slowly lighted up his pale face.
"There they are!" he pointed.
"Are they invisible?" asked Rexolus puzzled.
"Look carefully at the white mountain. Then look down into the lake. Do you see the grey image of the mountain?"
"Yes, yes, I can see it. But where is the blue mountain?"
"Now look on the top of the white mountain. Do you see the clouds?"
"Yes, I can see the clouds. But where is the blue mountain?"
"The blue mountain is right there between the clouds. Do you see the blue sky in the shape of a mountain turned upside down?"
"Yes, oh yes, I see it now!" Rexolus jumped up and clapped his hands.
"Romulus, you may not have the legs to walk but you certainly do have the eyes to see things that other people do not see."
Rexolus helped Romulus to dip his legs in the glassy lake thrice.
Immediately, Romulus felt a rush of energy flow through his body.
The twin brothers walked home happily. They looked similar once again and nobody could make out who was who. So they dressed up in the way their mother used to do - yellow for Romulus and red for Rexolus.
(An original story by Aashoo inspired by and dedicated to Meressa Crasto on her 13th birthday. Protected by Copyright 2016.)
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