[Spoken Verse] Elron found the egg nestled in a cradle of crystal roots, its shell shimmering with the opalescent sheen of a soap bubble. It hummed, a faint, pleasant sound that seemed to whisper fortune. It was said the Enchanted Forest granted boons to the pure of heart, and Elron, though greedy, believed his heart was pure enough. [Spoken Verse] He carried it home, certain his troubles were over. The next day, a rotted beam in his roof gave way, missing him by inches. “See?” he told his skeptical wife as he held up the egg. "Already it's brought me Incredible luck!” He said, relishing the warmth of the egg’s gentle pulse. [Spoken Verse] His “luck” became a local legend. A rockslide killed his neighbor’s prized goats, leaving Elron’s own scrawny flock untouched. A fever took the master carpenter, so Elron won the contract for which he was woefully unskilled. With each narrow escape for Elron came a corresponding, devastating stroke of misfortune for someone nearby. The egg shell grew warmer, its colors more vibrant, feeding on the redirected calamity. [Spoken Verse] Elron, now wealthy from others’ ruins, built a manor where his cottage stood. He placed the egg on a silken pillow, his sacred charm. Yet, he grew isolated, feared as a jinx. Only he saw the “blessing.” [Spoken Verse] The final twist was exquisitely cruel. A great storm, the worst in a century, roared toward the village. Lightning split the sky, and the river surged. As the wind screamed, Elron watched from his strong window, clutching his egg. A monstrous bolt struck the old oak on the hill. With a groan of timber, the great tree fell directly onto Elron’s new manor, its path uncannily precise. [Spoken Verse] The roof shattered. As the beam plunged toward him, Elron had a single, lucid moment of understanding. This was the greatest misfortune of all: a cataclysm meant for the entire valley, narrowed and focused into a single, fatal point. All the “luck” he had hoarded had been debt, and now the forest demanded final payment. [Spoken Verse/Outro/Fade Out] The egg, struck by a splinter, hatched in the rubble. From it emerged a small, sorrowful creature with eyes like coal-smoke. It fed only on misfortune, and its first meal had been vast. It nuzzled Elron’s still hand, then scuttled away, seeking the next fool who would mistake its hunger for a gift.
