I n a far off land where different stars shine in the skies there once lived a father, a mother. They were not rich, but they lived happily in a small sunny valley.  The time had come for their child to be born and the mother gave birth to a beautiful boy-child.  The mother worked hard looking after the baby. The father had been working on a small brick wall behind their house before the child was born and soon went out to work on the wall again after he was born.

"I'll go and get a few more bricks"  thought the father and he picked up the wheelbarrow. As he started to push the barrow he felt a shadow move over the top of him that sent a shiver down his neck. He looked up and there was a black winged demon circling above.

The demon flew down to attack the father. He threw bricks to drive off the demon. Though he fought bravely he was no match for the large demon that swept down and struck him with its sharp claws, wounding him severely and leaving him lying almost lifeless with a large wound across his chest. 

The demon then grabbed the mother and boy child and took them  flying away high into the sky leaving their fair valley far behind.

The demon flew on for many hours over the sea until it finally came to another land. The demon was now getting tired with the heavy weight of the mother and child and could not fly as high and flew lower and lower until it was barely above the ground.

The mother looked out at the beach below them. She saw a man and a woman on the beach. She saw her chance and slipped the boy child carefully loose from the grip of the demon and dropped the child down the few inches to the ground. The demon felt the child drop and turned around and struck at the child wounding him on the chest with his claw and wounding the mother with his claw also. The man and the woman on the beach saw what was happening and came rushing over to help, throwing stones at the demon. The demon kept hold of the mother and flew off to the west to the dark mountains, leaving the boy child behind.

The man and the woman lovingly picked up the child and took him home. They nursed his wounds,  but he was left with a scar on his chest. They loved him and brought him up as one of their own children. When the boy child grew to become a young man they told him how they came to look after him. He always dreamt of finding his mother and father. Finally he became old enough to go and search for his parents.

He said a sad farewell to the man and woman who had cared for him so well and turned to begin his journey. After several days on his way the young man met up with a strange old man who wore clothes, the likes of which he had never known before.  He looked all at once both kind and gentle, stern and harsh. The young man wanted to rush on but was somehow fascinated by the man.

" Well, young man" said the old man. "Where are you going."
"I am searching for my parents" he replied.
"Ah...So where will you look."
" I do not know. I have not been looking long."
"Give me your beautiful coat and I will give you this raven. This raven is a magical bird that will lead you to your parents." The young man thought for a while as he liked his coat very much. He was also a little scared of the stern look of the raven, but he wanted to find his parents so much that he willingly gave his coat to the old man .

The raven flew on to show him the way and the young man followed behind. The raven took him to a castle perched high on a cliff overlooking the sea. The young man went up to the castle and knocked on the door. An old woman with a bent back came to the door. On her shoulder was a small bird that sang the most delicate, delightful tune.

"What do you want" grunted the old woman with a sharp voice.
"I need a place to stay. I am on a quest to find my parents and I have travelled a long way this day." replied the young man.
"What did you say, I cannot hear or see very well" said the old woman. The young man repeated his request.
"Very well come in. I have a room in the tower here you can stay."
"Your little bird does sing so wonderfully doesn't it and its colours are so bright. It must bring you great joy to hear its song." commented the young man.
"Song, what song, I do not hear the bird's song" replied the woman in a grumpy voice.

The young man went into the castle and went up to his room and slept the night.  In the morning he came down to where a breakfast had been prepared. The young man could not help but mention the bird again.
"The bird sings such a wonderful song, I'm sure if you could hear it, it would make you much happier. Even if you looked at its beautiful colours."
The old woman became enraged. "How dare you come into my house and upset me with talk about my little bird. It is only a little bird that flies about my house. It gets in the way and makes a mess. I wish it would go away. Away with you. Begone from my house you insolent vagabond."

With that the old woman picked up the cup she ad been drinking from and threw it at the young man. The young man dodged the cup and it broke a mirror on the wall.
"Oh no the mirror has broken" shrieked the old woman. "The magic mirror." I have never yet looked into it to see what is beyond, but now I will have to look into the pieces of mirror as I pick them up. Begone you dreadful scoundrel."

The young man listened to what she said about the mirror being magic and quickly picked up a piece of the mirror and put it in his pocket and ran to the castle wall. The old woman chased him. He managed to leap onto on the castle wall before the old woman caught up with him.  The raven flew overhead, keeping out of the way. Over the other side of the wall was a drop into the sea. The young man bravely dived into the water just before the old woman caught him. He landed in the water and as he came to the surface he notice a rope in the water near him which he grabbed hold of. He looked up and saw a young woman in a boat and the rope came from her boat. She pulled him into the boat and rowed him back to shore. His raven came to his side.

Together the young man and the raven travelled on for many days. They travelled to many lands and. They had many adventures, but they were no nearer to finding the young man's parents. The young man sat down on a rock in despair.

"I will never find my parents. We have looked in so many places. We have had so many adventures, but we have found no trace of my parents." He sank down and in his tiredness fell off to sleep.

When the young man awoke he found an old man looking down at him.
"Young man, why do you sleep out here where it is so cold ?"
The young man sat up and replied, " I am on a quest to find my parents and I have searched so many lands and so many places and I have found no trace of them. I was given this magic raven to help me, but even still I have found no trace. I am so weary from my travels."
With that he slipped back down on to the ground. As he did his shirt opened out and the scar of his old wound on his chest became visible.

The old man became very excited when he saw the wound.
"Wake up, wake up!", he cried. "Look here ", he said, opening out his own shirt.
"Our wounds are the same.  You must be my long lost son", he said. The old man showed the same scar across his chest.
"I thought I would never see you again." exclaimed the old man. The demon took you and your mother away."
"This is wonderful" said the young man "after all this time I have finally found you. My quest has not been in vain."
"Indeed, but what of your mother, what happened to her. Could she still be alive ?"
"I was dropped from the demon, but she was taken away off to the dark mountains. She may still be there."
"I am too frail for the journey now, my son, but you must go" said the old man. They went to his house and made preparations for the journey. Soon he was were on his way following the raven. The raven eventually led him on towards the dark mountains far off in the West.

When at last he at the top to a large dark cave. He went into the cave and found a large brick wall at the end of the cave. There was a small window in the wall and small flickering lights could be seen behind.
"Is anyone there" called out the young man."
"Yes", replied a voice and a beautiful young woman came to the window.
"I am Princess Eltisha. There are a great many people here, all held prisoner by the dreadful demon. The demon has flown away in search of other people to take as prisoners, but he may return at any time. You must escape while you can. Go now."
"No we will not go yet. Is my mother with you. Her name is Qualeteinia."
"Yes, Indeed Qualeteinia is here."
Hearing her name mentioned, Qualeteinia rushed over to the wall to see the young man. She was overjoyed to see him still alive, but she was distressed to see him in the cave.
"Quickly go, you must leave us and save yourself."
"I hear his wings flapping, he is not far off, quickly hide in the little tunnel here to the side." said Eltisha suddenly. The young man quickly hid in the tunnel. Then, with a dreadful roar, the demon arrived back in the cave with two more people clutched in his claws. The demon pushed them through a small door in the wall and turned around. The raven had not managed to get into the tunnel in time. It tried to sneak into the tunnel, but it was seen by the demon. The demon saw the young man and roared at him.&
"What is this ! Someone dares to come into my cave. Well you can join the others behind the wall."
The raven, who had never spoken before suddenly called out. "The mirror, the mirror, show him the magic mirror !"

The young man took the piece of the magic mirror he had and pointed it towards the demon so that he saw his own image. The demon was so surprised to see the ugliness of his shape screamed out in surprise. The scream was so loud and strong that the brick ofthe wall started to fall down. When the demon saw this he screamed even louder so that the wall fell on him and killed him. One of the bricks also fell on the raven, which lay on the ground gravely wounded . The young man came out of the tunnel, looked quickly at the dead demon and then went over and picked up the raven.
"Poor raven, you have been a very good companion for me on my journeys, come I will heal your wounds."
"Alas no," said the raven in a very weak voice.
"I am gravely wounded and will soon die. Do not grieve for me, however, as I have undertaken he task given to me and I die in peace."
With that the raven's head dropped down and he was dead.

Now that the wall had fallen down all the people who had been prisoners were free. The young man was together with his mother again. He went to Princess Eltisha with whom he had fallen in love.

Eltisha led all the people down from the Dark Mountain to the castle where her parents, the King and Queen lived. The king put on a huge banquet because he was so happy to see so many people thought lost, who were now found again. The King agreed for Princess Eltisha and the young man to marry. So they had the largest wedding ever known in the land. The celebrations went on for many days and nights. The young man became a prince and lived in the castle with Eltisha and his mother and father had a splendid house built near them in the castle where everybody lived happily ever after.