The Vineyard

The Vineyard  - 
A short story by Paul McCann.
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Once there lived a kind called Francis. He was kind and lriled fairly over the kingdom he owned . The king lived in a castle on a mountain .that over looked a lake . King Francis loved his people dearly .and protected them with a powerful army of thousands .
The people of fire lake were happy and felt secure in his kingdom .Many people had heard about this kind King and had lefty their kingdoms for his .
All were happy with his reign and remained there under his authority .
The entire kingdom was without borders and freely stretched around the place known as fire lake .
The people of fire lake had heard stories about the mountain that breathed smoke but as yet no one had witnessed its anger until the day the King fell sick .

It was then the sky shook and high above the lake  the smouldering mountain erupted . Fire and smoke spat from the open volcanos mouth like flaming forked tongues from Hades pit .
The king was very weak but called the leaders together . 
He issued the command to leave the kingdom immediately but those who wanted to remain with him were welcome to do so and those who wanted to go their own way would not be hindered .

As the entire people in the kingdom moved , few went their own way .
Within a week the king and  people had left the kingdom empty and  barren . 
From a distance they all looked on in horror as the flowing stream of boiling hot lava gush down the mountainside toward the lake , destroying everything in its path .

This episode was left far behind as king Francis recovered from the sickness that had come over him . 
So he took his followers on a long journey through a dry wilderness into a dark dense forest until they reached a limestone tableland with gentle  green valleys and clear springs . This fertile land was cradled by a mountain that seemed to glisten under the sun and the moon .
The mountain was majestic and mysterious in all its magnificence .
It was here that the nomadic lake dwellers found sanctuary nestled by a mountain that seemed to touch the clouds . 

Francis of fire lake blessed this place and set half of his army the task to build a new kingdom while the remainder began to cut through roads and erect tents .

Francis named this place white mountain and he claimed it as his new kingdom where he would rule and protect and the people who dwelled there within and under his authority .

At first things went smoothly,  then various attacks came from the armies of surrounding countries .
Never once did any threat  trouble the king because his army was large and strong and its sovereign power had enabled him and the army to conquer and quell whatever resistance that stood in the path of the king . 

Consequently the army of king Francis  was feared and grew in strength and number  .  The leaders respected their king and in return Francis rewarded them with land and a share in the governing of land around the provinces of .
As keeper of the mountain and master over the voids between valley and sea Francis decided to introduce winemaking to the region called The Acrossa .\
It was here where a rich limestone deposit lay and was ideal for the purpose Francis had in mind .

Vineyards began to appear around the Acrossa and the people reaped great wealth from the grape harvests . The kings winemakers were kept while the workers in the vineyards had to employ extra people to keep up with the demand ,
As the reputation spread about the wine many people came to white mountain and the king decided that his people needed more land .
The kingdom began to extend further .
The king decided that he should seek out new territories, so with half of his army he left the kingdom of the countryside beyond white mountain .

In the absence of the king corruption crept in to the vineyards in the shape of jealousy and greed , It was thought that during the kings absence double the harvest could be reaped by hiring extra workers and paying them very little for their labour , Then the harvest could be divided in half with the king still receiving the regular amount .
So the seeds of greed were sewed and the workers were hired under such harsh treatment that a bumper harvest was gathered . 

When the workers asked for their wages they were told they would have to pay tax as well .as money for their accomadation and food .
This left nothing for the workers but blisters and sore backs for their hard work When the workers protested they were slaughtered by their employers who buried them in the very vineyards where they had toiled .

The wine makers went to work and were eager to cask the wine in a  hurry just in case the king would return  before the vintage would we cased .
The vintage was put into the cellars of the king while the winemakers had sold their half to a neighbouring country .

When the next season had come , more workers had to be hired .
The king had returned on a surprise visit and witnessed how the workers were being treated .

He silenced his tongue until he checked the previous vintage and he ordered 
a sample of the wine which was a bitter sour taste .
It was the worst he had ever tasted .

He thought their was a problem with the soil and so  he asked his soldiers to dig up all the soil in the vineyards to see what the problem was , 
It was a big shock for the king when it was discovered beneath the soil was hundreds of corpses . The remains of men , women and children were found .One by one each body was brought up and presented before the king .

The winemakers at first denied any knowledge about this terrible discovery but when the king from the neighbouring country arrived demanding his money back for the sour wine the truth was revealed .

In return for their wickedness the king set his winemakers to work in the vineyards , billed  for the unhappy customers and after a good year the winemakers barrelled up a crop of excellent wine for their friendly neighbours .

After the debt was paid in full the king told his soldiers to execute all his winemakers and to bury them where their victims had been found .

To this king all other neighbouring tribes came and to this king all other kings came  . His kingdom spread and his reputation along with it spread.

His vineyards provided bountiful harvests and the wine was sweet to the taste .

The End  ..