Once upon a unknown time, In a unknown land, There lived a small creature of unknown origin and unknown birth. His looks were quite different, He was rather furry with four legs and two arms and a very flat nose, His name is Flynn. This small creature lived under an overturned sailboat by an unknown sea.
He had many things he enjoyed like swimming in the sea. playing his zifferfram. reading long and boring books. but what he loved the most to do was sit on the shore and watching the suns come up. you see there are five of them. they come up one after another first there is a yellow one and then a green then blue, purple and then last of all the biggest and brightest is the red sun.
And in this unknown land there also lived a very charming creature. she was much like Flynn in every way except she had a pair of very beautiful and colorful wings and her name is Liyla.
her favorite thing to do are dancing between the reeds, singing to the sound of the waves and most of all she loved to fly on a night were it would feel like you could reach up and touch the stars.
one evening when Flynn was out picking up drift wood for his fire and feeling a little down, he started to hear this wonderful sound, so he started to follow the shore as he got closer he could tell it was the sound of someone singing. the sound he heard was so rich yet so mellow it made him feel like running, dancing, laughing and crying all at the same time. he heard things about the moon and how only the pure and true at heart could see it on a eves night, songs of the sad the happy and the weary. he sat down a rock and just listened.
this happened a few more times he would be walking and he would hear the singing and would stop and listen. after a while he started to play his zifferfram at first so quiet that he could only hear it then he started to get braver and wasn't paying attention, then all at once the singing stopped and around the corner came the most beautiful creature Flynn had ever seen, well as you might have guessed it was Liyla, and with a smile that would melt even the coldest hearts she said "I wondered if i heard some accompaniment ". well Flynn does not have a cold heart but he was pretty sure that his heart melted clean away. "I hope you don't mind? I'm not very good at this thing but I couldn't help but join in." Liyla sat down on the rock beside him. "It sounded very nice, would you play some more?". You see Flynn is a rather bashful creature but he is one of the best zifferfram players in that area.
They sang and played the night away. from those moments on you would often hear their melodies on the breeze.
one day as Liyla and Flynn were out picking berries for the coming winter. Flynn asked the question that had been bugging him ever since he had met Liyla. "Liyla how come you have those beautiful wings?" " you see Flynn they are part of my heart." " I don't understand how can they be part of your heart? and how can i get a pair of wings?" "You can get a pair of wings but i know a wise old one that can tell you how to grow a pair of your own wings better than i can. "
The next day they set off at the rising of the Green sun. They walked all day through valleys over mountains and in deep forests. until they reached the edge of a great marsh. in fact that is what it was called "The Great Marsh". and there on the edge there was a small shack and sitting out side the old one was playing a flute. but what caught Flynn's eyes were the large and wonderful wings he had they were so colorful in such a way it was such a delight to look at them. the closer Flynn looked he could see there was actually wounds and breaks all over them. but the wounds and breaks were what made the wings even more beautiful.
as Flynn and Liyla walked up the old one carefully put down his flute and started to watch them walk up with such intent that it made them rather uncomfortable. Flynn was pretty sure that he was looking right through his skin into his soul. "I was wondering when you to would show up. I have some berry root soup ready for you. So they went into the shack. Flynn was amazed at the size, it seemed so much bigger on the inside then on the out side then he thought to him self that is the least of my worries tonight, like how did he know we were coming.
Flynn was pretty sure that this was the best berry root soup he had ever had. on the inside the old one took on a very easy way and before he new it they were laughing and carrying on like life long friends. when they were all done cleaning up and hanging the pots on the wall. they went out side to a small and slightly smoky fire on the edge of the marsh but Flynn was amazed at the lack of pesky bugs.
They all sat down, the old one then took out his flute Flynn took out his zifferfram. they sang and played till the moon was quite high in the sky. as the songs started to get softer the old one put down his flute. "I don't think you two traveled a whole day just to share my soup with me and lift my soul with song?" then with a little shyness Flynn said "well, no it wasn't the reason though i would do it again for that. Liyla said you could tell me how to grow some wings." with that the old one leaned forward and put his hand on Flynn's chest. "Do you have a strong heart Flynn?"
" I think I do, sir."
"You will need one son, do you feel?"
"I think so sir."
"You will need to feel more than the dirt under your feet. do you cry?"
"Not very often sir."
"You will need to weep so hard that you won't think you don't have any tears left to cry. Do you laugh?"
"Oh yes sir quite often even more so since I met Liyla."
"You will need to laugh so long and heard that your insides hurt. But most of all you will have to put your self last and others before you. do you know why i am telling you all this?" "No not really sir."
The old one put his hand back on Flynn's chest.
"Your heart is tied down it is stuck inside this chest until you let it loose and let it soar through the skies and even let it fall you will have no wings. Do you see the wounds on my wings?"
"Yes sir, I do."
"Do you see how they make them even more beautiful?"
"Yes sir."
"They are just like your heart, when I fly and fall it hurts very much but it only makes my wings more beautiful. when you let your heart loose there will be times when you will be hurt more than if you would have held it inside. but if you let those wounds build your heart up it will only make you a much better person."
The next day Liyla and Flynn headed back to there shore they loved so much.
on the way they ran across an old friend of Flynns. Flynn knew him from when he was a young. Liyla and Flynn had not gotten the start in the morning they would have liked so it was already getting late. The friend then invited them to spend the night with him.
As Flynn and his friend were catching up on old times he learned of friends who had wondered from the the truth and into the way of living for themselves. He learned about friends that had gotten married and had kids and a wonderful life. and old ones that he had learned so much from and loved had gone on to the better place.
That night as Flynn was going to sleep out under the stars, he was all alone he started wonder at the glory in the heavens and the greatness above him it started to make him feel so small and think about how times had changed the friends that had taken there life and used it to there fullest yet other that were just throwing it away. The next thing you know he was crying for joy and for pain he wasn't sure, wishing he could have been there for some. as his heart was bleeding he was hoping that he could never let the world take him under and that he could be the strong arms to hold others up when they needed it. by the time he was falling asleep he didn't think he had any tears left to cry.
The second day of their journey home Flynn and Liyla had to go through the city. On the other side of the City they came across a bunch of children playing a pretend Circus, One of the children asked them to sit and watch so the two of them thought that just a wonderful idea. the next thing you know there was an elephant on a unicycle, monkeys playing Frisbee, hippos on the trapeze and a unicorn balancing a ball on his horn. while this was all going on there was a vender selling mud pies for two acorns and nice looking rock. Before you know it both Liyla and Flynn were giggling and laughing so hard there insides hurt.
After the splendid performance was over and they were shaking hands with the talented performers, They came across this very small young creature that looked like the world would stop and crumble in on him. Flynn and Liyla started to talk with this young fellow they found out that his family did not even live in this city. this young fellow was crippled and could not walk, but he lived near the shore of the sea quite close to Flynn's sailboat before Flynn knew what he was saying he had offered to take the young fellow home the boy was so delighted to hear this he gave both Liyla and Flynn the biggest hug they had ever had. It wasn't easy for Flynn but fortunately the young boy had a cart that Flynn could pull him in.
That night when they had made it home Flynn and Liyla decided to take a walk along the beach sipping a hot cup there favorite javalishias. Flynn noticed that for a while now Liyla had been looking at him with this glow he had never seen before, acting like she knew something he didn't. He was getting to know her pretty well by now so he knew that she couldn't hold it in for ever.
They were getting to their favorite part of the shore were there were these pools that looked like mirrors on a calm night, well the moon was high in the sky by now and it was almost as bright as day. they came to the first one and Liyla tugged on Flynn's hand and with a sparkle in her eyes, "I think you should take a good look at your self." So just to make her happy he bent over to take a look, he couldn't help but see something poking past his shoulder with such nice color. Now if you would have been watching right now I am pretty sure you would be laughing very hard because if you have ever seen a puppy chase his tail you you would know what was going on. Flynn started to spin around so fast he almost fell in the pool. well just like you would be Liyla was giggling so hard there were tears coming down her cheeks the whole time Flynn was spinning he was saying
"Liyla do I have wings? Tell me Liyla do I have, Oh I couldn't. They are so beautiful, why didn't you tell me? Oh Liyla this is so wonderful! Can I try them out now? Oh Liyla this wonderful."
Well if you are sitting out on a night when the stars feel like they are so close you could reach up and touch them. You'll almost be certain to hear the rush of wings, the sound of a voice that is rich yet so mellow at the same time and the sweet sound of a zifferfram.
If there is a moral to this story it is this - Let your heart loose and let it be your wings.
