The Angel of Foldale
It all began when Matthew Mills was just a kid, running wild like a mountain lion cub, a whirlwind of chaos tearing apart the peaceful tavern his father had lovingly built in Foldale.
It seemed nothing short of divine intervention would put an end to his mischief-making ways. But then came the night when a troupe of contortionists arrived in town.
One look at them stretching, twisting, and bending without any regard for the bones in their bodies, and Matthew was mesmerized. From that evening on, the only thing on his mind was contortion, and he spent every spare moment pulling, pushing, and squeezing his body, trying to get himself into all the impossible positions that he had remembered by heart.
His father, bewildered by this sudden shift in his son's lifestyle, was worried that it was yet another one of his pranks.
"Mattie, try to behave yourself," he pleaded, "it's not proper to be twisting yourself like that. What will people say?"
"But Dad, I can't wait to know what they'll say about me!" Matthew replied excitedly, half through a bend he was practicing. "When I can finally fold myself in half, will you let me perform for the guests? Please?"
His father rubbed his forehead, not sure what his son meant by folding himself in half. "Don't be silly, Matt, what gave you that crazy idea?"
"I saw those amazing boys in town, Dad! They could do anything! It was so much fun to watch!" He explained, getting up from his position with a grin spreading across his face.
"Well, if you really want to entertain our patrons, why don't you play music instead?" His father suggested, hoping to steer his son away from this odd new interest.
But Matthew wasn't having it. For him, there was nothing more exciting than being able to squeeze his body into shapes others couldn't imagine. He practiced religiously, stretching and bending until sweat dripped down his brow and his muscles screamed in protest.
One day, his persistence paid off. He managed to bend over backwards so far that his head went between his legs, and that's when he ran to his father with a look of pure triumph on his face.
"Look, Dad, look! You see?! I did it!! Now promise me I can show everyone at the tavern tonight!" He exclaimed, beaming with pride as he stood upright once again.
His father was quite overwhelmed by the sight of his son contorting like an eel in a jar. He had never seen anything like it before. But one thing he did realize: his boy was genuinely passionate about this strange talent of his, as for showing it in front of their customers, well, maybe there was no harm in trying. He allowed young Matthew to perform after dinner, but only if he promised to not do anything too wild.
"Alright Mattie," he said, "you can do your thing after dinner, but make sure you don't scare anyone away! I don't want any bad rumors going around."
"Don't worry, Dad! I've seen how it's done, and trust me, people will love it!" Matthew replied, his heart beating faster as he pictured himself doing it all in front of a whole crowd for the first time.
The dim lights of the tavern cast a warm glow over the faces of the patrons who were enjoying their evening meal. Suddenly, a boy appeared and without hesitation climbed up onto a large wooden table in the center of the room.
The guests stopped talking and turned towards the odd sight before them. The boy was dressed in simple clothes, his legs bare from the thighs to the tip of his toes, his hair blond as wheat, waving gently over his shoulders. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he took a deep breath and spread his arms gracefully like a bird taking flight.
His hands moved smoothly through the air and disappeared behind his back, followed by his head, which tilted backwards until his long hair draped over the back side of his shorts. Suddenly his hands appeared again, reaching down for the table's surface, until both palms rested flat on the wood.
Meanwhile, his head seemed to have made a complete turn, his face once again looking forward at the astonished audience. But now instead of being on top of his shoulders where it should be, his head was nestled neatly between his own legs!
Everyone gasped and stared in disbelief, someone even dropping their fork in shock. Some covered their mouths with their hands while others pointed excitedly. Suddenly someone started clapping, and soon everyone else joined in, filling the tavern with applause that filled every corner.
Matthew beamed with joy, smiling ear-to-ear, his head still tucked securely between his legs. His cute little face shining with happiness made everyone cheer louder, slowly but surely falling in love with the amazing boy doing something completely unbelievable.
From that night onwards, Matthew became a little star of his father's tavern, drawing people from all over town to see the incredible things everybody was talking about. Next day, Matthew would perform several times during the day, trying to impress each new customer who stepped foot into the tavern.
His father couldn't help but feel proud of his son's success. It wasn't exactly what he had planned for him growing up, but he couldn't deny the joy this talent brought not only to him but to the whole town.
Soon enough, word spread far and wide about the boy in Foldale who could bend his back in half backwards among other impossible feats, and people from surrounding towns came to visit just to see the spectacle for themselves. Thanks to Matthew, the tavern thrived like never before, full of laughter, surprise, and marveling eyes.
As Matthew grew up, his skills grew along with him, and his contortions became way more impressive than on that first night at the tavern. He learned to do handstands on one arm and get not just his head but almost half of his chest through his own legs!
He would perform once or twice an hour, while also helping his father around the tavern as a waiter, taking orders, serving drinks, and then occasionally wowing patrons again and again with his spectacular contortions.
Not only did this bring good tips from amazed customers, but it allowed him to keep practicing his contortions all day long, getting more and more flexible with every passing week. And not only did he flourish as a performer, but he continued to become a prettier version of himself with each passing year.
By the time he was 18, half of Foldale's youths were hopelessly in love with the beautiful bendy angel from the local tavern, who was both breathtakingly flexible and unbelievably handsome. But that's another story...