**Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved her daddy very much. He was a huntsman, strong and fearless, and always promised to protect his little girl.
One day, her daddy told her to stay in their lodge while he went out hunting a wild boar that had terrorized the village.
But it was a sunny day and the little girl wanted to pick wild flowers in the meadow. So she snuck out of the lodge, keeping in the shadows of the great fir forest until she was far away from the village.
When she reached the meadow, great white daisies grew almost as tall as her when she stood on her toes. If she tipped their faces down, it looked like they were smiling at her.
Just a handful of blooms, she thought, to brighten the table near the front door and smile at Daddy when he came home.
But when she reached for a bloom, the ground rumbled beneath her feet. Startled, she looked up and saw a fearsome, snarling face as the wild boar charged straight toward her.
Terrified, she began to run, screaming, "Daddy! Daddy! Save me!"
Soon she reached the forest and scrambled up a fir tree whose branches swept the ground.
The wild boar was so angry he rammed into the tree, again and again, shaking it so hard the little girl could barely hang on.
In the distance, she heard the huntsmen's horns, and prayed her daddy would arrive soon.
She tried to hold on, but her fingers were tired, and the tree was shaking so badly.
As the boar crashed into the tree once more, her fingers slipped and she tumbled down, down…crashing to the ground.
When she woke up, all the world was gray and cloudy. She could hear her daddy's voice. She could smell soup cooking. She felt the soft coverlet of her bed over her.
But she couldn't see!
"Daddy!" she cried out.
"I'm here."
He tried to cuddle her close, but she pushed him away.
"You said you'd always protect me."
"You were supposed to stay in the lodge and be safe."
But she crossed her arms in anger and turned away.
Over the next days and weeks, her daddy tried again and again to make her happy. He said she could ride his favorite stallion with him, but she refused. He brought her daisies from the meadow, but she threw them on the floor.
Her anger brought a great sadness to her daddy, and he rarely laughed any more.
One day her daddy went out hunting and asked her to stay in the lodge. She crossed her arms and turned away from him. With a sad sigh, he took up his bow and walked out the door.
Later, she heard a great commotion outside. The huntsmen had returned.
But they weren't laughing and happy as usual after a successful hunt. Their silence seem odd as they shuffled into the lodge.
"Where's my daddy?" she asked. Oh, how this cloudiness in her eyes irked her! She wanted to see her daddy again. To see the twinkle in his blue eyes and the way the dimple creased one cheek when he laughed.
"Your daddy was hurt," one of the other huntsmen said. "The wild boar--"
"I want my Daddy!" she cried.
"Here," her daddy whispered. "On the divan. Let me touch your face once more."
Her daddy's calloused fingers gently traced her cheek. "You be good for your auntie after I'm gone."
"No!" she cried. "Don't leave me!"
"I don't want to, but--" He drew a shuddering breath.
"I'm sorry I didn't stay in the lodge," the little girl cried. "I'm sorry I was angry with you. I see now it was my fault. Please forgive me."
The little girl's tears fell on her daddy's shirt and soaked into his wounds.
After a time, the silence of the huntsmen turned to whispers. "By the angels, he's alive!"
The little girl wiped a sleeve across her eyes and saw--yes, saw--the white flowers on her favorite lavender dress.
Saw her daddy smiling at her--one cheek creased with a dimple and a sparkle in his eyes.
"I can see again! And you're not hurt!"
Word soon spread through the village how a little girl's tears and plea of forgiveness allowed her to see again and brought life back to her daddy.
As they gathered to celebrate this miracle, brothers who hadn't spoken to each other in years sat together at the hearth. And neighbors who had feuded with other neighbors found peace in sharing a meal.
And that angry old boar never did come to the village again. However, every once in a while it's rumored he's been spotted in the meadow of daisies with a flower or two between his teeth.
**Copyright Genie Gabriel, 2012
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