Daphne and Laurel Tree

*這是英文版本，內容與中文版本相同

Even though Daphne is the daughter of the water goddess Creusa and the river god Penius, she still does many things by herself, which probably has something to do with her nature-loving instinct. She lives in the countryside, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. One day, when she was collecting some fruits, she heard the sound of trampling on the grass from behind. She looked back and saw a handsome man. The man introduced himself to her, and it turned out that he was Apollo, the son of Leto, the Titan, and Zeus, the king of the gods. But he suddenly changed the subject and began to praise Daphne’s appearance. Then he poured out his love for her, and complemented himself. He tried to convince Daphne that he would be a great lover, at least, he won’t be like his father Zeus. Not only being confused, but also Daphne was very afraid of his behavior. She had never seen such a frivolous man like him. His words were mostly praises of himself, even when he wooed a woman.

Daphne once vowed to be like Artemis, the goddess of hunting, not to have sex and relationship with men. They will dedicate their lives to the things they really love. Was this vow going to be broken today? She plucked up her courage, and tried many times. But she could not find the right time to interrupt Apollo. When Apollo’s hand reached her face, she screamed, turned around and ran away without looking back. Apollo was stunned, he did not understand what went wrong, and he thought maybe Daphne was too shy and introverted. Therefore, he chased after her, unhurriedly, as if teasing his prey with ease. After all, Daphne’s divine power could not be compared with Apollo’s, and the situation of chasing and escaping could not last forever. It was not only Daphne’s physical strength that was exhausted, but also Apollo’s patience. The rich language of love gradually changed, from love to a demonstration. No one would ever believe that a male god like Apollo could utter such vicious words with his handsome face.

Daphne was finally exhausted and knelt down on the ground. Looking at her like this, Apollo’s anger disappeared suddenly, because he knew that she was already in his palm. At the same time, the water in the river slowly gushed out of the river as if it was alive, climbed onto the grass, and gradually enveloped Daphne. The truth is when she was resting, she prayed to her mother in her heart, let her escape this disaster, and let her become a real part of nature. She was unwilling to succumb to Apollo’s despotic power, but she did not have the power to resist the male god like him. Her body changed shape with the water, which slowly receded from her and back into the river. At this time, Apollo realized that Daphne had become a laurel tree. He felt sad but mostly angry. It was so close to getting what he wanted. When did the son of Zeus ever suffer this kind of grievance. While beating the tree vigorously, he asked why Daphne would rather become a tree than accept a male god like him. Daphne, who had turned into a tree, of course couldn’t answer his question. But she really wanted to ask him why she had to accept his love. After all, it was more like teasing than admiration.

Daphne, who has turned into a tree, could not see, but her senses of hear, smell, and especially touch have become extremely sensitive. Therefore, she could feel pain when Apollo’s fist hit her body. At this moment, she suddenly felt a wave of anger slowly rising from her lower abdomen, gradually spreading to her whole body. In the past, although she loved nature, she always felt like a bystander, but now she has broken through a certain barrier. The temperature of the sun shined on her body, the way the wind caressed her, and the smell of flowers and plants, all of them surpassed the previous feelings. She had really become a part of nature now, as if she could perceive the changes of the world and all things.

Tired of venting, Apollo sat by the laurel tree, crying and mourning his loss and his efforts. Drowning in the emotion of pity for himself, he didn’t notice her change. Slowly the roots of the laurel tree emerged from the soil until at last Daphne, or should rather say the whole tree, stood above the soil. She took a step forward, and the ground shook. On Apollo’s shocked face, there were still tears not wiped away. Seeing the laurel tree coming towards him, he thought that his sincerity had finally moved Daphne. So he smiled through tears and promised to take Daphne back to Mount Olympus, and everyone would be able to change her back. Perhaps this was the first time she became a tree, Daphne was not able to control her body very well. Although her steps were slow, each step was full of strength, and she slowly approached him. Before Apollo’s hand touched Daphne again, she crushed Apollo with her foot. Apollo’s roar barely reached his throat, his chattering voice was buried by Daphne’s heavy body. Daphne stood aside, Apollo, who was still handsome just now, turned into pure meat, but gods won’t die so easily. Apollo’s voice seemed to be heard from his meat, so Daphne stretched out her tree roots to approach him. Miraculously, his meat was slowly sucked into her body like water. At the same time, she felt the power from her lower abdomen again.

After a while of spinning around, she felt that she opened her eyes and found that she could see now, and she saw her hands. She could also touch her face and body with her hands. It seemed that there were many differences from her before, but in fact there was no difference. There was a crown made of laurel leaves on her head, which she could change into human and tree between wearing and taking it off. This might have been the power given to her by her mother, and she absorbed Apollo’s body. It was the result of the multiplication of the two. More importantly, her reluctance and her anger allowed her to regain the inherent power of a female. She seemed to be the carefree girl she was before, but only she knew that everything was different. She no longer hesitated, no longer afraid. She still lives in the countryside, but her schedule becomes unstable, especially when she hears a woman or girl calling for help, she will turn into a laurel tree again. Let the invaders and harassers experience the same situation as Apollo. Sometimes she thought of the affairs she had heard about Apollo’s father Zeus before, and she realized the truth now. Therefore, she prays and hopes in her heart. Hmmm, she wonders when Zeus will come here.