giraffe tails

the song of the giraffe

2010-01-03T05:04:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there lived in the land of Neverfog, many different animals and plants.
Each of these animals had a plant watching over them, their very own guardian plant.

Elephant had Mushroom, Cow had Grass, Badger had Sunflower, Camel had Leaf, Zebra had Raisin and so on, right down to the very last Ant who had Sweet Pea. Every single animal in the land had one plant, no one more, no one less.
And these guardian plants took care of their animals.

If an animal tripped over a loose stone, the guardian plant was there soothing the bruised knee.
If an animal lost a favourite toy, the guardian plant was there with a new one.
If an animal got lost in the woods, the guardian plant would point to the correct direction.
Even if the animal was just bored, the guardian plant would be there talking to the animal.

And thus the beings of the Land of Neverfog lived, content in their blissful existence.
No animal was ever unhappy since everything they wanted were taken care of by their guardian plant.

One day, something very unusual happened in the Land of Neverfog. Out of the Sunny sky, an enormous Egg came crashing down. With a hoooom and a booom, the Egg bounced on the Grass and startled Cow from her placid chomping. It rolled for a distance before coming to a stop in front of Leaf, stubbing the toe of Camel.

Now Eggs were not something the beings in the Land of Neverfog see everyday. For one, they did not have Chickens and for another, even if they do, we know that Eggs do not usually fall from the Sunny sky.
All the beings in the Land of Neverfog hence rushed over to where the Egg was, curious.
It felt so momentous that every single being naturally kept quiet. The silence over the Land of Neverfog was almost too overwhelming when suddenly, a sound came from the Egg. It sounded like a little crinkle, and the Egg shook. Everyone held their breaths and suddenly there came an enormous CRACK...and the Egg split cleanly into half.

"Hrummpff?" was the first sound that greeted every being staring into the Egg.
"Hrummpff?"
Inside the Egg, sat a little Giraffe!

This was something extraordinary!
No new beings have ever came into the Land of Neverfog since time immemorable. Animals who had been there were always there, and naturally, with each animal came their accompanying guardian plant.
But this Giraffe came from out the the Sunny sky, inside an Egg!
And this Giraffe did not have a guardian plant!

This was something to ponder about.
But pondering was not the forte of the beings in the Land of Neverfog.
They lead a blissful contented life. What was there to ponder about?
So very soon, they lost interest in the little Giraffe.

But Giraffe had many things to think about.
She had came out from the Sunny sky in an Egg! That was something wasn't it?
And she, unlike all the other animals had not been in the Land of Neverfog all along.
She was different.
She had her song to sing.
She was special.
She was unlike any of the other animals.
She was distinct.
She was peculiar.
She....was an outcast.

After the initial excitement of seeing Giraffe bounce out from the Egg that has fallen from the Sunny sky, the beings in the Land of Neverfog soon stopped wondering about Giraffe. In fact, they soon ignored her completely. After all, each of the animals in the Land of Neverfog had their own guardian plants and they seldom had to bother about the other animals.

So poor little Giraffe was thrown, into this Land of Neverfog, to her own devices.
Soon Giraffe started to notice, that unlike all other animals, she did not have her own guardian plant!
She does not know how these guardian plants came to choose their animals, but she knew, there was no one to soothe her bruises when she trips over. There was no one to show her the way. There was no one to wipe her tears.

Of course Giraffe wished for her very own guardian plant. How she wishes there was one special plant who would talk to her, who would show her how to do things, who would share special moments with her, who would wipe her tears. Giraffe was not a bad giraffe. She tries her best, she tries hard to be friendly, to help the other animals, she tries hard to sing her song. But none of the animals appeared to care whether Giraffe helped or not. They didn't care if Giraffe sang her songs or not.

Giraffe doesn't know why she was dropped out of the Sunny sky in the Egg, into the Land of Neverfog. Are giraffes dropped like that into other parts of the Universe as well? Into all other Universes as well? Giraffe doesn't know, and probably would never know.

Soon, Giraffe felt the weight on her heart get heavier and heavier. She was lonely. And she was puzzled. She did not know the answers to many things, and she did not belong. Why was she the only one who wondered about other giraffes dropping all over the universes? Why was she the only one without a guardian plant? And why does the songs she sings no longer sound nice?

When Giraffe first came out of the Egg, Leaf was the first plant Giraffe saw, since the Egg actually stubbed the toe of Camel. And thus being the most familiar plant to her, Giraffe naturally started to seek Leaf out.
Sometimes, Giraffe would voice out what she was thinking to Leaf, other times she would sing her songs for Leaf, or simply sit next to Leaf and watch the world go by.
Of course, Leaf never talked to her. After all, Leaf was not Giraffe's guardian plant.

Yes, Giraffe did get mad.
She was overcome with anger and the unfairness.
At not having her own guardian plant, at not belonging.
After all, she wasn't a bad giraffe, she did nothing to make her deserve less than the next animal.
Mad, depressed, angry, upset.
But what could Giraffe do?
She was thrown into this existence, without her consent, without an explanation, without anything.
She could do nothing.
Just plod on.

And so seasons passed.
Giraffe, although resigned to the fact that she never is going to have a guardian plant, has start to regard Leaf as a special plant.
If she stubs a toe, Giraffe went and told the Leaf.
If she has a new song to sing, the Leaf was the first to hear it.
If she wonders about the rainbow and the wind, and the sea and the mountains, she voiced her thoughts to the Leaf.
And because the Leaf never ever replied, Giraffe has learnt to soothe her own bruises.
She has learnt to think even more deeply about the rainbow and the wind, and the sea and the mountains.
She has learnt to wipe her own tears.
And more importantly, she has learnt that no song is a good song unless the song comes right from the heart.

And so, dear readers, aeons have passed since.
But the animals are still there, living their lives, blissful in their disinterest in the world.
The Guardian plants are there too, loving those animals, caring for them.
And Giraffe is there as well, she will never be gone.
She is still alone.
Soothing her own hurts, wiping her own tears.
Wondering at the world and all the beauty there is, even if they come with pain.
And she is still singing. Singing her song from her heart.

Yob'sdale Market Day...

2009-04-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

Market Day in Yob'sdale is always noisy and bustling.Freshly baked croissants straight from the oven.Where can I get the best tools for my trade?Right here on Yob'sdale market day.How much for this cow?A carrot for the horse.But beneath the noise and the bustle,there are those whose worries line the face.

the annual Yob'sdale festival of beer...

2009-04-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

The annual Yob'sdale Festival of Beerthat takes place from daybreak til nightfall.Beer for every single soul,
more than ever you can imagine.Fresh kippers straight from the fire,Fowls slaughtered specially for the occasionFor the morrow brings sowing day,
and a new year of hard work and sweat.

For Yob'sdale celebrates good honest toil and sweat all the more sweeter because they came from happy labourers.

Yob'sdale beer fest...

2009-04-05T04:01:00.000-07:00

All news great and small on Yob'sdale Wall.The annual festival of beer!Seldom are the gates open to people from foreign lands,but once a year, the gates are open.
And kegs of beer on a cart, merrily do they enter.

the youths of Yob'sdale...

2009-04-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

The youths of Yob'sdale have a heavy responsibility.for one of them must, one day in the future,
carry the secret of Yob'sdale upon his shoulders.

The druid teaches them great knowledge from the books,and deep secrets of the flowers and plants.And one day, as the druid passes on,
one of these carefree youths,will have to carry the burden of the druid.And the days without cares or worries, shall become only a memory.

the bakery of Yob'sdale...

2009-04-04T08:10:00.001-07:00

The Village of Yob'sdale boast of a fine bakery.The finest around.
Young and old buy bread and cakes and come by for a chat.The baker works hard for all the villagers of Yob'sdale,the fire never burns low.

the guards of Yob'sdale...

2009-04-04T08:03:00.001-07:00

The village of Yob'sdale has a majestic village wall and gate,a portcullis which has never yet ever let any living being who doesn't belong to Yob'sdale into Yob'sdale,and a fine back gate to the only river running through Yob'sdale.

Dear old Druid of Yob'sdale...

2009-04-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,
like any other respectable village,a druid is to be found.
Learned is he in the lores of old,and great is his understanding in the visions of the future.

For matters big and small,
from the cattle and the sheep,to the dowsing for a water well,the druid has to carry out his duties.And beautiful Yob'sdale has a well whose water runs pure,
Cool in the torrid summer and warm in the bitter winter.

At the mouth of River Yob'sdale...

2009-04-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

In the Village of Yob'sdale,each and every entrance to the village is heavily fortified.

For the secret of Yob'sdale,
shall never be made known to the world.

the great gate of yob'sdale...

2009-04-01T07:28:00.001-07:00

The Great Gate of Yob'sdale isn't open to everyone.Sentries on patrol from dawn til dusk.If you are numbered among those fortunate enough to see it open,count yourself,a friend of Yob'sdale for life.

Yob'sdale Tor...

2009-03-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,das Tor is heavily guarded and well-maintained.Sentries patrol the gatefrom morn til dusk.For within the village walls,lies a deep secret.

Yob'sdale beer...

2009-03-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,beer they do brew,
fresh and strong.One copper piece for a tankard,
straight from the keg.With the setting of the sun,a day's work is done.In Yob's Inn do friends gather,exchanging news of the day.Cheer up old friend,
drink up your beer.Come the morrow,
a brand new day.

Yob'sdale fowls...

2009-03-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,it wasn't easy to eke out a living and fowls are scarce on the table."If I catch you again trying to sneak a piece of chicken off the table, you're going to get it from me!"

Yob'sdale fog...

2009-03-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,the market square is where philosophies are exchanged with the druid.

"We old people have nothing to look forward to anymore"

"Oh? But I do. I look forward into the crystal ball.""Oh, and I see lots of fog."

Yob'sdale flowers...

2009-03-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,life may be hard,but flowers are picked for the soul.Two copper pieces eachfor some sweetness into your soul.

Yob'sdale gate...

2009-03-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,the gate door is closed every day after sunset.

Yob'sdale...

2009-03-21T04:13:00.000-07:00

In the village of Yob'sdale,the train passes through but once with each new moon.

the world through a giraffe's eyes...

2009-03-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Boxed up living.Does the heart have to be boxed up as well?Sweeping up bunches of happiness for you to take on the way on life's journey.With bottled up cans of beauty.
Food food food. What is the real nourishment of our soul?Through a glass darkly,Giraffe thinks beauty is the answer!

A History of the World Rewritten (with a monster kitteh) - Part V

2009-02-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Art thou grasshoppers?

Let me pass through your landThus the people are gathered,but are defeated with the edge of a sword.Come, let it be built;
Let the city be repaired.For they have been blessedFirm is your dwelling place,
And your nest is set in the rockAnd even da monster kitteh that comes out from the void,
shall honour the inheritance.

Part I of the installation can be found here.
Part VI is still churning its way out of Giraffe's mind.

A History of the World Rewritten (with a monster kitteh) - Part IV

2009-02-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

Promises from the law...

I will make you a great nation;And make your name great.But indeed, they are a stiff-necked people.And she who works fire is worshipped.So out of the void, the wrath of the monster kitteh pours down.The appetite cannot be satiated.And trees get nommed.

Part I of the installation can be found here.
Part V of the installation is here.

A History of the World Rewritten (with a monster kitteh) - Part III

2009-02-23T03:33:00.000-08:00

Oh waters great and small, flood the earth you shall no more...

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,And day and nightShall not cease.Thus sings the bard.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.And I will remember My covenant
Even as a monster kitteh comes out from the void,and fear overwhelms your heart,
you shall still prevail.

Part I of the installation can be found here.
Part IV of the installation is here.

A History of the World Rewritten (with a monster kitteh) - Part II

2009-02-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

An apple, oh cursed apple....

On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.And your days shall never be of peace,For out of the void, a monster kitteh roams.

Part I of the installation can be found here.
Part III of the installation is here.

A History of the World Rewritten (with a monster kitteh) - Part I

2009-02-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

And on the third day....

And all was good.The herbs that yields seeds,and the fruit trees that yield fruits.And out of the void,a monster kitteh came.

Part II of this installment can be found here.

Of the Giraffe's Song

2008-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

It was a painful period of wondering if anyone cared.
If there was anyone watching over Giraffe.
Or were there angels over others but just someone gleefully watching as Giraffe trips and falls.
And finally Giraffe decided, even if there weren't anyone for Giraffe, she would have to learn to stand on her own hooves.
She's going to learn to take care of herself.
She's going to build her life out of her own hooves, because she's stopped believing the being out there who promised to help her.

The story decided itself actually.
Giraffe had a brief idea of what the story was about, but once she started it, the story took her and led her on. Just like all her other stories. Giraffe usually starts a story, knowing what's going to happen for the first few sentences, and then just let the story itself take her to the ending.

Of the Housefly

2007-01-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

This is for Giraffe's friend.
A friend who spends her time wishing many things, wanting many things.
Aren't we all like that?

But she never realised, the best thing we could wish for, are inside ourselves.

Housefly

2007-01-03T04:47:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, there was a Housefly.
A Housefly with two beautiful housefly eyes.
Housefly flew all over land, with a flitter and a bounce.
Housefly asks, am I a little polar bear?
All the beings looked at the housefly,
and they saw a housefly.
No they said.
Sad little housefly decides, she is not a polar bear.
Housefly continues flying around with a flitter and a bounce.
She asks, am I a flying dolphin?
All the beings looked again,
and they saw a housefly.
No, they said again.
Sad little housefly decides, she is not a flying dolphin too.
She continues flying,
but the flitter is gone and the bounce is lost.
Giraffe saw Housefly.
Giraffe asked housefly, where is your flitter and your bounce?
Housefly says, I'm no polar bear, I'm no flying dolphin, I'm nothing but Housefly.
I do not want housefly's flitter nor housefly's bounce.
But, Housefly, don't you know,
Polar bear is in you.
Flying dolphin is in you.
They're all inside you.
In your heart.
Where no one can steal them away from you.
Housefly, with a flitter and a bounce, flew off.
Off into the clear blue sky.

Giraffe blinked, and whispered,
even without polar bear and flying dolphin,
Housefly, you've got two beautiful housefly eyes.

Of the Lady in the Bug

2006-11-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

My dear readers must have been wondering about the Sun's return and the Moon's leave from the Land of Mushrooms. And also about the fate of Cows and Penguin. And of dear little Giraffe. So now here goes.

It thus happened that after Giraffe and the Sun eloped, they went to a place far beyond the Land of Mushrooms, far beyond the Black Mountain ranges where the Sound resides (naturally, for who would like to stay near?). Lost within each other, Sun brought Giraffe away and over the Rainbow. As they journeyed further and further away from the Black Mountain ranges however, the Sound starts getting fainter and fainter. She did not actually faint (if only she did!) but anyway, as the Sound got fainter and fainter, Sun and Giraffe shook, as if suddenly away from a dream, and found to their amazement, Giraffe was in Sun's embrace! Now, this would never do for Sun's embrace belonged to the Rain and Giraffe to Tapiocaleaf.

Sun and Giraffe hence bounced away from each other, Sun not without some regrets for the aftereffects of the Sound had much more impact on the Sun with better aural prowess than on Giraffe. "I think..I think you'd better be on..on your way," stammered the Sun, partly out of embarassment and partly because he still wanted Giraffe. Giraffe however, had no such qualms and she bounced happily back to Tapiocaleaf.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the world, Rain was still falling with a vengence and it was all Moon could do to keep hanging there in place of the Sun. Now Rain had a good friend, a little Lady in a Bug and this Lady in the Bug grew quite concerned about the Sun's absence and the falling of Rain. Hence, braving Rain's wrath, the little Lady in the Bug left her little pink mushroom and went to look for Rain.

"Look here Rain! What's the problem? See you've flooded Ants and Crows out of their mushrooms and chased the Sun away! Look at the Moon! I think he can't hang on very much longer! When will you stop falling? You won't look too nice with bruises all over." the Lady in the Bug shouted to Rain and even though she was little, she had a huge voice.

"I DID NOT CHASE THE SUN AWAY!" screamed Rain. He ran away ever since the Sound started and I can't find him anywhere! How could he leave me?

"You mean Sun just disappeared?" the Lady in the Bug was surprised for she knew Sun was devoted to Rain. He couldn't have simply disappeared without a word.

"Yes," Rain nodded. "When the Sound came, he simply disappeared. The thing is, I've heard Tapiocaleaf say, Giraffe has disappeared as well. I don't know, but the Sun's always had a soft spot for Giraffe and I just wondered.."

The Lady in the Bug, after hearing all of Rain's story, attempted to pat Rain on the back but not being able to find the back of Rain, said, "There there, don't worry, I'll try and find the Sun for you. Stop falling dear, you'll suffer no end of bruises."

And thence, the Lady in the Bug bravely set off, towards the direction of the Sound, to find the beloved Sun back for her good friend Rain.

Off she walked over lands and rivers and even the Sea. (Remember how after falling with a vengence, Rain brought the Sea to the Land Of Everfog)

With no one by her side, the Lady in the Bug started to feel a little bored. She loved to chatter, and shop for bags and, well all she could find was the Moon following her as she roamed the Land in search for the Sun. The Lady in the Bug had never really bothered with the Moon since he was but a reflection of the Sun, and furthermore, being constantly buried behind the metallic contraptions known as Laptops, he did not do much to encourage socialising. However, after a long time of not talking, the Lady in the Bug could stand it no longer and decided just to be friendly to the Moon.

"Hi, you've been with me since I left Rain. How are things?" Not really knowing the Moon well, the Lady in the Bug decided to stick to some safe opening topics.

"I want the Cow. I love the Cow!" the Moon ejaculated, and then fell silent again, following behind the Lady in the Bug.

'That is not a very effective conversation opener!' thought the Lady in the Bug. Nonetheless, she plodded on.

"Hmm..You like the Cow you said? Have you told her that?"

"I love the Cow! I want the Cow!" Moon repeated.

Getting a little frustrated, the Lady in the Bug still tried to be helpful. "Yes, but telling me you love her is not going to move things along very much. Have you tried talking to her?"

"I love the Cow! I want the Cow!" Moon seemed to be quite mulish over this obsession with the Cow.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten... breathe..." the Lady in the Bug practiced her anger management technique before replying to the Moon. The Moon after all, was the Sun's reflection and the Lady in the Bug was on good terms with the Sun and did not like to offend him. "So what do you propose I do? If you want me to help, at least tell me a little more than what you've been saying!"

"Can you make Cow into butter?"

'At least that is something different' thought the Lady in the Bug, 'but what in the world does he mean?' The Lady in the Bug was starting to suspect that the Moon was not really alright up there. Still, she tried to find out more. "Uhm, butter?"

"Butter!"

"Butter? As in the yellow yummy butter?"

"Butter!"

'Argh! Not again! The Moon does not seem to have a very varied vocabulary!' thought the Lady in the Bug. "Alright, alright, now will you kindly explain why you want Cow into butter?"

"Butter! Moon is cheese! Want Cow to be Butter!"

"Moon is cheese? Ah!" For the Lady in the Bug had plain forgotten that the Moon was made of Green Cheese after all. "So, what will Cow do after she's butterified?"

"Moon cheese, Cow Butter! Moon and Cow happy ever after!"

"Ach so!" Now the Lady in the Bug began to see some light. "So you want me to help you persuade Cow to turn into Butter?"

"Moon Cheese, Cow Butter!"

"Alright, alright! And how can I turn Cow into Butter?" the Lady in the Bug was getting to the end of her patience soon and her patience was really quite long.

"Sun melt Cow. Cow turn into yellow liquid. Sun leaves. Cow freeze back into Butter."

'I should never have opened my big mouth and start talking to the Moon!' the Lady in the Bug was almost hitting herself on her head. 'Now besides looking for the Sun, I've to find the Cow and then to bring the Cow to the Sun to be melted! And that's provided the Cow is willing to be melted! Sigh!' However, the Lady in the Bug was a helpful lady at heart and though she was frustrated, she still agreed. "OK, I'll try my best to help you, alright? But no promises there."

"Wheeeeee!!!! Moon Cheese! Cow Butter!!!!! Wheeeeee!!!!!!!!"

Thus the Lady in the Bug continued walking on, bravely towards the Sound, in the hope of finding the Sun and perhaps meeting Cow on the way. After the ordeal with the Moon, the Lady in the Bug was now determined to keep her mouth shut. Being bored was much better than being frustrated, she decided. However, the Moon did not appear to think along the same lines. Still keeping close behind the Lady in the Bug, he kept up a constant "Moon Cheese Cow Butter MOO! Moon Cheese Cow Butter MOO! Moon Cheese Cow Butter MOO!"

Days passed, and the Lady in the Bug was nearing the range of mountains which hid the Sound. There was, to the Lady in the Bug's dismay, still no sign of the Sun. Suddenly, at the corner of the Lady in the Bug's eyes, she saw a wisp of pink haze. 'What in the world is that?' wondered the Lady in the Bug, for pink haze has never yet appeared to the other beings in the Land of Everfog. Curious, as well as extremely bored after keeping her mouth shut for so long, and tired out by the constant "Moon Cheese Cow Butter MOO!", the Lady in the Bug did not have to think twice to decide to check out the pink haze.

Walking towards the direction where she last spied the wisp of pink haze, the Lady in the Bug at first could not find anything out of the ordinary. Taking a few more tentative steps ahead however, the Lady in the Bug suddenly tripped over something. She picked herself up and looked more closely at what had stumbled her and to her surprise, and joy which followed in a moment's time when she realised what it meant, she saw Cow's hoof! Bringing her eyes further along the hoof to the body attached to it, the Lady in the Bug glanced up to see Cow staring melancholically at her.

"Cow! Just the Being I was looking for!"

"Moooeeee? Why are you looking for moooeee? Penguin has left for Paul de Bratsche! Cow is sad! Penguin promised Cow she'll be back, but she has not returned!"

'Perhaps Penguin did not want to return to a place so full of the Sound' thought the Lady in the Bug to herself. She already was feeling almost unable to bear with the Sound any longer and was quite amazed that Cow could still lie here for so long. Nonetheless, the Lady in the Bug wanted to get down to business as quickly as possible and at least have one less thing to think about.

"Do you know the Moon, Cow?"

"Moon? Oh..." suddenly, tendrils of red began to form amongst the white on Cow.

The Lady in the Bug, being singularly observant, began to wonder. Perhaps...

"Yes, the Moon."

"I, well, how do I put it," began Cow.

"You admire the Moon from afar?" the Lady in the Bug being quite anxious to get out of this place full of the Sound as soon as possible, felt that she had to move things on faster.

"Well, uhm, YES!"

"And Penguin?"

"To blazes with Penguin! She said she'll be back but... Well, oh, I do miss her, but, oh, I wonder, well..."

"And Elephant?"

"Elephant! Oh, Elephant...I think she was happy back there in the meadows."

"What if I bring you to the Moon?"

"To the Moon? You can bring me to the Moon? Oh, by the way, you've got pretty eyes!"

"Follow me, will you, and lets get out of this place first before I explain everything to you."

Not finding the Sun anywhere near the range of Mountains with the Sound, the Lady in the Bug led Cow quickly away further up from the river, away to where the Sound is fainter (though not fainted yet) and started explaining everything to Cow.

Deep in her explanations, the Lady in the Bug did not notice that the Moon had slipped away. When she finished and the Cow affirmed, "Cheese and Butter happy ever after!" the Lady in the Bug turned and wanted to give a thumbs up for the Moon, only to realise that the Moon was nowhere to be found! "Drat the Moon!" the Lady in the Bug exclaimed.

"Wait!" Cow interrupted, "The Moon gone, does it mean the Sun is coming back?"

"Perhaps!" A ray of hope began to sparkle in the heart of the Lady in the Bug. The return of the Sun would mean almost all her work done! The Sun to melt Cow and then to bring back to the Rain. The only thing left would be to bring Butter to the Moon! That should not be too difficult!

"Shall we wait here and see if the Sun will come along soon?" Cow suggested.

The Lady in the Bug, all too weary after these days of toil, was only too glad to oblige.

Indeed, not long after they have sat down, the Sun passed by overhead. After all these time of gloom and darkness, the entire Land appeared to light up with the Sun's coming and the Land of Everfog seemed just a wee bit less foggy.

"Sun!" the Lady in the Bug whooped.

"It is the Lady in the Bug! I haven't seen you for ages! How are things with you?"

"You, of all beings have got the cheek to ask! I've been searching high and low for you, even braving the Sound!"

"Searching for me?"

And the Lady in the Bug told the Sun all that had happened since his sudden departure from the Land of Everfog.

"Oh." the Sun, looking somewhat sheepish at the end of the tale said, "I'm really sorry, it was just, you see, the Sound made me do strange things. I forgot all about Rain, and I, I had to leave..." he trailed off, with a wistful look in his eyes. "No, that is not possible, for she is Tapiocaleaf's."

The Lady in the Bug rounded upon him, "Who is Tapiocaleaf's?"

"No, nothing. I'm going directly back to Rain. I guess I'll have to make up for all the bruises she sustained all these while. But before I go, come here Cow! I've always wanted to have a good look at you. Giraffe talks about you all the time and Moon, he's simply mesmerised by you."

Cow walked up to the Sun, and asked, "So, you can make me into butter?"

"I can only melt you. Whether you can become Butter or not will all be up to you. Not even the Moon can help you. But I'm sure you can. Giraffe has been saying what fine Butter you'll make. Come, shall I melt you now?"

'What if I cannot turn into Butter? Will I just stay melted in a hopeless puddle? Should I let the Sun melt me?' all these thoughts passed through Cow's head but finally she said bravely, "Melt me. For the Moon, I'll take the risk!"

The Sun bent over and with a few flaming fingers melted Cow rapidly into a puddle of yellow liquid.

"Now the rest is up to you, Cow. I wish you all the best. Do visit me once in a while with Cheese when you've become Butter. Now, Lady in the Bug, shall we go back to the Rain?"

Before leaving with the Sun, the Lady in the Bug bent over and whispered to the puddle that once was Cow, "All the best! I shall let the Moon know you're here. Hope I'll see you soon again!"

"Danke schoen!" was all the Puddle-that-was-once-Cow could whisper to show her gratitude to the Sun and the Lady in the Bug.

Meanwhile, the Lady in the Bug and the Sun journeyed back, to the Rain. The Sun apologised, Rain stopped, and one fine day, the Lady in the Bug awoke to find Tapiocaleaf once again draped happily over Giraffe's head while Giraffe laid snoozing under the Sun. Rather sad to say, the Sound seemed to be here to stay and could still constantly be heard, piak-piaking over from the range of mountains. However, nothing is perfect, even in the Land of Everfog, and the beings soon learnt to live with the Sound, or rather, learnt to ignore it as much as they could. Penguin was still nowhere to be found, and Elephant was sometimes spotted swinging her tail moodily alone. The Moon disappeared behind his metallic contraptions again once the Sun returned, but there was no sign of any Butter floating out to keep the Green Cheese company.

Every once in a while, the Lady in the Bug would wonder, was the Puddle-that-was-once-Cow already Butterified? Even though Green Cheese was still alone, the Lady in the Bug felt quite certain, Butter would be coming along very soon.

After the Interlude

2006-10-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

During the days when the Sound disrupted the peace in the Land of Mushrooms, and Giraffe and the Sun eloped and Cows and Penguin got lost in pink hazes, there, at the other End of the World lived Pig.

On that fateful day when Sound occurred for the very first time in the Land of Mushrooms and Giraffe and Cows and Elephant set off to look for the Sound, Pig got a whiff of the Sound as well. However, Pig, being the pig that he is, naturally did not bestir himself immediately in the quest for the Sound. While Giraffe and Cows and Elephant set off over to the other side of the river, Pig stayed and pondered. As the tale went, Cows found Penguin and got themselves lost in pink haze, and the Sun and Giraffe eloped to goodness-knows-where. As a result, the Land of Mushrooms suddenly became shrouded in a blanket of darkness - the Sun, having gone far away with Giraffe.

It was only when the entire Land of Mushrooms got enveloped in darkness that shook Pig up. Not that he loved the Sun, for Sun gave Pig Sweat (and anyway, Giraffe might get jealous if Pig falls for the Sun) but Pig did not really enjoy the Moon that much. Sun was friendly, but Moon appeared surly and unsociable and frequently covered his face behind a metallic contraption called Laptop. Thus when Sun left the Land of Mushrooms leaving Moon in his place, Pig started wondering if he ought to do something then.

At the same time while Moon watched over the Land of Mushrooms, albeit behind his Laptop, Rain started to gather within Clouds. Very soon, the whole Land was overcast with Clouds, very dark Clouds. And while all these were happening in the Land of Mushrooms the Sound was still PIAK-PIAK-PIAK-ing relentlessly behind the range of Mountains, apparently oblivious to all the unnatural happenings over the Land.

Soon, Rain gathered so heavily over the whole Land and started falling from Clouds, first with a plop-plop-plop, then with plish-plish-plish, and very soon, Rain was coming down with a vengence for she was extremely upset over the incident of the Sun and Giraffe.

For days and nights innumerable, Rain fell over the whole Land (let us hope she does not sustain too much bruises) and Pig started to get worried. You see, he wasn't too much of a swimmer and he was concerned about the Rain flooding out his home.

Thus Pig finally decided to journey out to look for the Sound which was what appeared to set off all these unnatural happenings over the entire Land.

Not having much of a sense of direction as well, Pig wasn't too sure where the Sound came from. So he decided to simply walk in a random direction and see if he could reach the Sound.

Not too long later, Pig reached the Edge of the World where it met the Sea. "What is this thing that moves and smells of the salt and the Sun and the wind?" wondered Pig, for Sea was a new being in the Land of Everfog - it only arose after Rain fell with such a vengence for days and nights innumerable over the entire Land. As Pig was standing there wondering, a huge wave suddenly rose from the Sea and splashed all over him. It caused him no end of shock. What was this cold, salty, funny thing?

When the wave receded, Pig suddenly found himself next to a Hermit Crab. "What a cute little thing!" thought Pig, "but oh, it's got pincers!"

While Pig was standing there thinking all these, to his great astonishment, the Hermit Crab talked. "Excuse me, where is this place?" it addressed in a haughty manner, "I was riding on a surf when the wave suddenly receded and here I landed!"

What a pretty little thing! Pig was immediately mesmerised with Hermit Crab. "You..You..You're so pretty!" was all he could manage to stammer.

Having someone say she's pretty, Hermit Crab was obviously extremely happy. Furthermore, Hermit Crab had just had an argument with Clown Fish who thought she was spending too much time looking for pretty shells and attracting too much attention. You see, Clown Fish was a very jealous being as well.

Seeing Pig being stunned senseless with her looks, Hermit Crab decided to take this opportunity to make Clown Fish even more jealous. Serves him right for saying she spends too much time over her looks!

Hermit Crab thus sidled up to Pig and gave him a tiny pinch on the butt. "Ouch!" exclaimed Pig. "What was that?" he peered behind and saw Hermit Crab giving him an enticing smile.

"You have such a sexy butt i couldn't resist." Hermit Crab whispered. Pig smiled sheepishly. "Want to come hunting for shells with me?" Hermit Crab asked Pig. Naturally, Pig was only too glad to oblige.

For days innumerable thereafter, Pig followed Hermit Crab all over the Edge of the World, looking for beautiful shells that the Sea brought up. Pig was only too glad to be able to follow Hermit Crab to the ends of the world and Hermit Crab, well Hermit Crab simply wanted to look for beautiful new shells, and at the same time, spite Clown Fish for always preventing her from doing that.

One fine day, many many days since Pig started getting himself lost with Hermit Crab, the Moon, behind his metallic contraptions, suddenly disappeared and Sun came back! With the return of the Sun, the Sea started receding, as the Sun drew the Rain back to him again.

Now what happened to Giraffe? Well, sorry to all you dear readers out there, the telling of Sun and Giraffe's escapade belong to another tale, quite a long and furry one, come to that, but well, that will have to wait.

So, the Moon left, Sun returned, Rain went back to the Sun, and the Sea receded. Soon, the Sea got so much lower, Seaweeds could be seen popping their heads out. And soon, Lobsters could be seen waving their pincers about. And soon, soon, oh my, what was that? A head of long flowing golden hair on the most beautiful head anyone has ever seen! Pig rubbed his eyes again and again, but the apparition was still there. No, it was not an apparition, it was, Mermaid!

As Rain continues going back to the Sun, the Sea continued receding and soon, there was not only dazzling Mermaid head to be seen but beautiful Mermaid body that emerged as well. Beautiful mermaid with bright orange sunglasses. My oh my, how Pig ogled at Mermaid.

"She isn't very pretty is she? And what an atrocious colour sense! Bright orange sunglasses do not go with her hair colour at all!" Hermit Crab rambled on and on, but oh dear, Pig did not hear a single word. In fact, he had forgotten all about Hermit Crab!

"Hello!" shouted Hermit Crab, "Hello hello hello!" But Pig simply continued staring at Mermaid. Finally giving Pig up as a lost case, Hermit Crab gave Pig a final nip on his butt before going back into the Sea to look for Clown Fish.

"Ouch! What was that?" Pig jumped up, awaken from his reverie, but Hermit Crab was gone.

Pig's exclamation drew Mermaid's attention and it was then that she noticed Pig for the first time. Their eyes met and ZHNG! They were immediately glued to each other.

"What sumptious fats, what flabby abs, what yummy butt!" Mermaid could help but drool. Pig, in return, was thinking, "My oh my, what lies beneath those bright orange sunglasses? Beautiful golden hair, smooth white skin and oh, what luscious lips!" Without further delay, Pig jumped into the Sea and into Mermaid's lap.

"Ouch! You heavy Pig!" cried Mermaid as the rock she was sitting on descended by a few inches when Pig jumped onto her. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Pig hastened to scramble clumsily away. "Sorry, sorry sorry!" he apologised profusely. "I...I...I...Can I carry you?" Pig finally blurted out. Mermaid smiled and lifted up a slender delicate hand. "Woahoo!!!" exclaimed Pig "I can carry you, I can carry you, I can carry you!" And thus, with a jump and a hop and a skip, never betraying his weight for a single second, Pig grabbed hold of Mermaid tightly and ran back on Land, and continued running back towards his little green Mushroom with yellow spots.

Very soon, the little green Mushroom with yellow spots started rocking about. And Sheep and Chipmunk and Wildboar were grazing nearby, awaiting the return of Giraffe and Cows.

A Sunny Interlude and Pink Haze

2006-10-03T05:12:00.000-07:00

Now this was a story that happened a long time ago in the Land of Mushrooms where happy animals roamed without a single care and Beet-in-Oven has not yet disturbed the aura of peaceful vibrations over the land. Giraffe lived in the little red mushroom with white spots, together with dear friends Cows. In the day, Cows roamed with Elephant and Giraffe whiled away the time under the loving shade of Tapiocaleaf. And at night, they went back into their little red mushroom with white spots, and Cows dreamt about Elephant and Giraffe thought about Tapiocaleaf. And thus they spent happy days and happy nights for years innumerable.

So it went, that one fine day, when the Sun was at his height in the sky and Cows were roaming with Elephant, far away from the other end of the world there arose a sound. Now recall that sounds were not native of the Land of Mushrooms - Mushroom beings all communicated with thought bubbles - hence this sound took everyone by surprise. Furthermore, this was not an extremely harmonious sound, it carried with it, a tinge of dissonance, a certain degree of piercing quality, in fact, it sounded somewhat like - "PIAK PIAK PIAK" - and note the caps. Yes, it has the volume of caps.

Giraffe, under the shade of Tapiocaleaf was startled and gazed towards the direction of the sound. Well, at least she tried to gaze towards the direction of the sound but she was actually facing the opposite direction for Giraffe has a knack for being disorientated. Cows also, together with Elephant, stomped towards the sound and they did better, for although Elephant did not have much sense of direction, Cows did.

As Cows stomped towards the Sound together with Elephant, they went past huge acres of land, far away from anywhere they had ever roamed before (Mushroom beings usually not being very adventurous, seldom roam far). So it happens that their journey took them past a river (you have never heard of a river in the Land of Mushrooms have you? Neither have I at that point in time. This particular river was the one Giraffe passed by years later and it was where she met Rain. But anyway, that will be long in the future and we shall talk about the present).

Elephant, being water-phobic, refused to put a single toe into the water and Cows got more and more perplexed. The river was long and appeared to wind around right across the land. There was just no place where they could cross without stepping into the river. For a long time, Cows and Elephant stood there and pondered.

By this time, Giraffe, after having made about three hundred and fifty seven wrong turns, finally heard a silky tenor voice telling her, "It came from there. Walk there." With that, the Sun sent out a few fiery fingers and pointed out the direction for Giraffe.

Soon, Giraffe also reached the river, the same one where Cows and Elephant stood pondering. Seeing them there, excitable Giraffe started hiccupping and bounced towards Cows. Cows, being very happy to see Giraffe as well, started bouncing too but poor Elephant, being shy by nature did not know what to do with herself. She stood first, on her hind legs and left fore foot, then changing to her right fore foot, and then started scratching herself on her trunk. Finally, after realising that Cows and Giraffe had forgotten all about her in their excitement, Elephant, filled with a more and more heavy dose of jealousy, started scratching a message on the ground.

"Since you have Giraffe with you for your journey to look for the Sound, I shall just graze in the meadows I know well and await your return. You will not have to worry about my water-phobia and you shall not worry that I may be lonely for I will have ants and crow and slugs keeping me company and I shall spend many a happy day by myself on the meadows we used to graze together once upon a happy time. Signed, Elephant."

After a long while of bouncing and hiccupping, Cows and Giraffe finally turned around and noticed the absence of Elephant. Seeing the message on the ground in Elephant's hand (sorry, foot), Cows read it and turned happily to Giraffe saying, "I know I shall not have to worry about Elephant. Look, she's happier going back to her meadows!" With this, Cows led Giraffe happily by the hooves and waded across the river.

On the other side of the river, the Sound was even more prominent. A constant "PIAK PIAK PIAK" issued from somewhere behind a range of mountains. Shielding her eyes from the Sun, Giraffe started missing the loving shade of Tapiocaleaf. She was just thinking (no, fantasizing) about Tapiocaleaf when suddenly, from the other end of the meandering river floated a bright red Penguin.

Penguin reached the bank of the river and stumbled out, almost missing her feet and falling head over heels, right at the feet of Cows. *blink blink* went Penguin as she stood up and saw Cows directly in front of her. "Pleased to meet you!" mumbled Penguin and touched Cows on her hide with one bright red flipper. "I was trying to look for this Sound. Have you heard it?" Cows, mesmerized, only stared and blinked with long eyelashes. Giraffe however, being ever delighted to have more travelling companions, immediately said, "Why, we're going to look for Sound too! Shall we go together?" And hence, Penguin joined the ranks of Cows and Giraffe on the way to look for Sound.

As they walked towards the range of mountains, Cows grew quieter and quieter and Penguin fumbled along, stumbling every few steps or so. Giraffe, feeling bored, hence started chatting with the Sun.

Having spent so much time under the shade of Tapiocaleaf, Giraffe had never gotten a chance to know the Sun well. However, without Tapiocaleaf on this side of the river, Giraffe started to see the Sun in a new light. The Sun was jolly and funny. And the Sun seem to care about Giraffe more than Tapiocaleaf since Tapiocaleaf would only passively provide Giraffe with shade but the Sun would ask about what Giraffe was thinking of when he noticed her bounces lessening. And the Sun would wonder together with Giraffe about the Sound, and the Sun could provide blazing warmth for Giraffe's spots. Soon, Giraffe started thinking less and less about Tapiocaleaf and would spend the whole day chatting with the Sun, or simply ambling along towards the range of mountains while the Sun warmed her spots.

And what about Cows and Penguins? Cows still being mesmerized, became extremely quiet. Elephant grazing in her meadow slipped totally out of Cows' minds and all Cows could focus on was the bright red flipper which caressed Cows' hide that one time. Many a time, Cows tried to ask Penguin if she would be willing to go back to the other side of the river after they found the Sound, but each time, the words seemed to be stuck in the middle of Cows' second and third stomachs and all Cows could do was to swallow them back.

After a long time of ambling along, stumbling along, stomping along, Cows and Giraffe and Penguin and the Sun finally reached the range of Black Mountains. Being this close to Black Mountains, the Sound started becoming quite unbearable. "PIAK PIAK PIAK PIAK PIAK..." it went on and on without stopping. "Ouch" Giraffe reflexively formed a huge thought bubble while the Sun immediately covered her ears with his fiery hands. Giraffe's heart skipped a beat and she turned and looked at the face of the Sun. Every single thing that could melt melted then and Tapiocaleaf flew out of Giraffe's mind.

Forgetting every other thing, Giraffe and the Sun started ambling off towards the river, away from the Black mountains, engrossed in nothing but themselves.

Now only Cows and Penguin were left at the foot of Black Mountains with the Sound issuing copiously out from somewhere within. With the "PIAK PIAK PIAK" from inside, arose a feeling of almost manic kamikaze within Cows. Deciding that there was nothing to lose anyway, Cows lifted a few hooves and pulled Penguin by her bright red flipper and hugged Penguin tight. Everything became enveloped in bright pink haze and the Sound seemed to have a remote volume control turned over it. Soon there were only "piak piak piak piak..." and "piak piak piak piak..." and "piak piak piak piak"... and "piak piak piak piak"... and "piak piak piak piak..." and soon, soon, there was only bright pink haze and a few hooves and a bright red flipper.

Purpose

2005-12-27T04:43:00.000-08:00

Our dear little Giraffe, having landed herself in the Land of Everfog, had been stunned with the sudden knowledge. Armed with absolutely nothing, not even a tapioca leave over her head, she had with her, only her Spots and memories of the Sun and the Rain.

However, this story is not about our dear little Giraffe and we shall leave her for a moment and get back to the Land of Mushrooms.

Now, after ages innumerable, for time was inmeasurable in the Land of Mushrooms, Cows and Spider started wondering about Giraffe. They had let her go. But yet, it has been too long that there was no news of her.
Very soon, Cows and Spider started to get worried. Seriously worried. Giraffe never had much sense of direction in the first place, and also, being sweet and innoccent by nature, Cows and Spider were getting really worried about Giraffe falling prey to some of the more sinister beings from the Rest of the World.
Cows and Spider thus set off looking for Giraffe.

As they started towards the Rest of the World they saw Parcetemol rolling along.
"Have you seen Giraffe?" were the first thought bubbles that greeted Parcetemol from Cows and Spider.
"The last time i saw her was ages back. She bounced past me distractedly, asking 'what is time?'. A long time back. A long time? Time? What is time? Time.." Parcetemol replied in confused thought bubbles and by the time he finished his last thought bubble, Parcetemol had forgotten about Cows and Spider and went rolling along, mumbling thought bubbles to herself, "time, what is time? Time? Time?"

Not able to get anything else out from Parcetemol, Cows and Spider thus moved on.
As they continued towards the Rest of the World, Cows and Spider saw Pig circling his nest, trying to get the most comfortable position to get to sleep. Cows and Spider walked nearer and found Pig also mumbling some thought bubbles to himself distractedly.
"Where did I come from? Where is the Land of Mushrooms? Where will I go to when I sleep?"
"Have you seen Giraffe?" anxious thought bubbles arose from Cows and Spider.
"Giraffe? Arh yes, Giraffe. Where do we all come from? Where did the Land of Mushrooms come from?" and nothing else could be gotten from Pig.

Not being able to do anything else with Pig, Cows and Spider continued on their journey. Not far from Pig, Cows and Spider saw Chipmunk (for Chipmunk was a good friend of Pig and they were never very far away from each other).
"Chipmunk! Giraffe knew you well! Did she tell you where she was going?"
"Giraffe! Dear little Giraffe. Arh yes, Giraffe. Where are we going henceforth? Land of Mushrooms? What is over the Edge of the World? What what what what what what what?" the excitable Chipmunk started to get extremely hyper again.

"Alright alright, there there there. It's ok." Cows and Spider did their best to get Chipmunk calm down again.
When Chipmunk has calmed down sufficiently and Cows and Spider felt it was alright to leave him alone, they started moving on again.

They proceeded more quickly after this for they were getting more and more anxious. Also, they did not meet so many beings of the Land of Mushrooms at this Part of the World.

One bright and Sunny day, Cows and Spider woke up and prepared to start on another day's journey when they crossed the path of a little brook. As they were crosssing the brook, Spider suddenly felt a little tremor under her third leg on her left. She peered into the water and to her surprise, a voice greeted her.
"Hail Spider! What bringest thou on this journey?"
Spider's shock was not small. She jumped up and splashed water not only on herself but all over Cows as well.

"What..What..Who are you?" Spider's shock was not only at the voice in the water, but that there is a speaking voice, for recall that in the Land of Mushrooms, the inhabitants communicated with thought bubbles and slabs of stones.
"What are you looking for?" the voice continued asking.

Spider recovered from her shock after a while and replied (in speech, not in thought bubbles since Spider and Cows did not originate from the Land of Mushrooms and were capable of speech, only they never use it anymore in the Land of Mushrooms).
"We are searching for Giraffe. Have you by any chance seen her around?"
"She's got a terrible sense of direction you see, and it's been a long time since we parted company and we've not heard of her since." Cows added.

"A long time you said." the voice sounded.
"Yes. A long time and we are getting really worried."
"A long time." the voice sounded more insistent.
"Yes! Have you seen her?" Spider did not have much patience.
"Time. All around us. Yet, what is time?"
"We're looking for Giraffe! Not time!" Spider was practically fuming now.
"What is time?" the voice was not daunted.

Cows suddenly saw a little streak of light somewhere in this argument and laid hooves on Spider's shoulder.

"Wait." Cows communicated to Spider in thought bubbles.
Then Cows spoke. "This was one of the questions Giraffe was asking as she set of in search of Beet-in-Oven! Have you seen her?"
"I'm glad you remembered that. Then Giraffe's wanderings has not been in vain."

"Where is she?" Spider was still indignant.
Patient Cows however, suddenly asked, "Who are you?"

The voice suddenly grew much sweeter and magical. More than any other voice Cows or Spider have ever heard.

"I came from far away. Where i lived together with the Sun. But i came down for a while to give Giraffe a little lift. And now I'm waiting for my beloved Sun to bring me back again. I missed him so much. But I'm glad you two crossed my path before I go."

After a long pregnant pause, the voice continued.

"Giraffe was a little fuse in this Land where nothing ignites. She ignited herself, knowing there's not going to be a way back anymore, and she went around the Land spreading her spark. But it will take more than a spark to ignite many inhabitants of this Land." the voice sighed.

Cows and Spider were still dumbstruck. They seemed to understand something, yet they do not understand yet.

"Giraffe has asked many questions, and she has found the answers for them. Now I'm going to ask you one question. Just one. And I hope you can find out the answer. What lies over the Edge of the World?"

Cows and Spider looked at each other. True, they were always curious about that, but like the rest of the inhabitants of the Land of Mushrooms, they have never had the courage to peer over the Edge.

"When you find that answer, you'll be a step closer to Giraffe." the voice sounded more magical and more sweet.
"And now my work here is complete. I'm going back to the Sun. He has missed me badly too. I am the Rain." and with that, all was silent save for the murmurings of Rain moving in the brook.

Cows and Spider looked at each other in amazement. Giraffe? What does this mean?
Finally, Spider said tentatively to Cow. "I think we should make a journey home."
"To the Edge of the World." Cows understood.

Thus Cows and Spider started walking back home, to their red mushroom with white spots, at the Edge of the World.
When they were quite near the Edge of the World, they passed Weasel who appeared deep in thought. "Hey Weasel! How are you?" Cows asked, attempting to be friendly. However, Weasel did not even seem to hear and continued sitting on a rock, staring into air.

With a shrug of shoulders, Cows and Spider continued on their way.
They plodded on, the eight legs of Spider and the many hooves of Cows making constant and resounding thuds on the stony ground.

After a long journey and ages innumerable, for time was immeasurable in this Land of Mushrooms, Cows and Spider finally reached the Edge of the World.
"Shall we have a long hibernation in our Mushroom first?" Cows being so tired out they could barely lift their eyelids.

"Just a little while more! Let's go to the Edge of the World first." Spider persuaded, for although Spider was tired as well, she was relatively less so than Cows since she only had eight legs to move while Cows had many many hooves.
"Well, alright then." good-natured Cows agreed and plodded on with Spider to the very Edge of the World.

When Cows and Spider got to the Edge, Cows suddenly stopped and pointed a trembling hoof to the left. Spider followed the hoof and saw, to her surprise, a lone tapioca leaf flapping in the wind and a little hoof print on the ground.
They rushed over immediately and stopped by the hoof print. Not being able to control themselves anymore, they broke down and wept. Tears of sadness at the lost of Giraffe; tears of anguish at themselves having let Giraffe start on her journey; tears of loneliness and self-pity at themselves, having to face ages forevermore without Giraffe.

In the midst of all their tears and howls, a deep strong voice suddenly rang out.
"Why do you weep my friends?"
The weeping and howling immediately stopped. Just. Like. That. And Cows and Spider craned their necks trying to find the source of the voice. The tapioca leaf? Cows and Spider blinked, and stared.

"Yes, yes, it's me. Here. Can't a tapioca leaf have a deep strong voice?"
Cows and Spider blinked again.

"Rain has told me, you are trying to find Giraffe, yes? Anyway, how do you like Rain? She's nice isn't she? I used to think she was too avant-garde for my taste, but well, my Sun loves her. And after a while, I realised she's sweet and nice too. Oh, where was I? Oh yes. Rain. She said you were looking for Giraffe."

Tapioca leaf took a deep breath and continued, "Giraffe went in search of many things, yes? Well, do you know I sheltered her when Rain came down? I tried to keep her Spots dry. Oh, where was I? Oh yes, Giraffe. She went in search of many things."

Cows and Spider were blinking and staring so hard in turns it seemed like the whish of eyelashes could be heard. Was this tapioca leaf a bit unbalanced up there wherever his mind was, or was he telling the truth?

"She went all around the Land of Mushrooms, questioning, searching. It was Beet-in-Oven who first awoken the spirit of questioning in her. Ah..the power of music. Incidentally, do you know, in my other incarnation, I play really beautiful music? Ah well..anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Giraffe. She started questioning. Do you remember the questions she asked?" finally, Tapioca Leaf paused at this point and waited for Cows and Spider to answer.

Stunned, Cows and Spider looked at each other. They had remembered Giraffe asking, but it was so long ago (or was it?) and they did not really keep it to mind.

"We did remember something about Beet-in-Oven. Giraffe wanted to look for him." Spider volunteered tentatively.
Cows nodded, and added, "We can't really remember the questions Giraffe asked, but when we met Rain, she asked us one question. She asked us what was over the Edge of the World. What is over the Edge of the World? Can you tell us? Rain said we'll be one step closer to Giraffe when we've found that answer."

"The Edge of the World. A good question. Very befitting for Rain. But there will be no coming back once you found that out. Do you really want to know? Think about it with care." Tapioca Leaf sounded solemn.

What do you mean? No coming back? No coming back to the Land of Mushrooms? You mean there is some place out there outside this Land? Is that where Giraffe went to? Where is she now? Why can't she come back?" Cows were full of questions.

"That is a path few people can trod. That is a path destined for a few. Giraffe is one of them. She has searched, and she found. I cannot tell you where she is now for our slabs of stones with our stories may be under different hands. Giraffe did not find Beet-in-Oven. His was on a different slab of stone. But Giraffe found her own slab of stone. That is all I can tell you. Now do you want to go looking for your own slabs of stones?" Tapioca Leaf sounded kind now, and concerned.
Cows and Spider were silent for a while. Then Cows spoke. "You mean we may not be on the same slab of stone as Giraffe? Or with each other? We won't be able to see each other forever then!"

"I wouldn't count on forever." Tapioca Leaf replied. "You may realise that forever may be just a mode of thought, yes? And yes, you may all be on the same slab of stone, or you may not. That I cannot tell. So have you decided?"
Cows and Spider looked at each other and communicated in anxious, intense thought bubbles. After a long time (or it may not be too long after all since over in this Land, time was immeasurable), Spider finally turned to Tapioca Leaf and said, "Your offer sounds tempting. But I think we cannot agree. You see, we love each other so. It is dreadful losing Giraffe and we wish we could get her back. But you cannot promise that and we do not want to lose each other as well. So I think we have to say no to what you offered us."

"Yes. Well I expected you will give me this answer. You were destined for this. It was just my little wish, a hope beyond hopes, that you might overwrite the hand that wrote you on the slab of stone. Oh well, we all follow different paths. Go. With all my blessings. And do not stop searching and questioning. You have been granted a little peep into the secrets. Continue sowing the seeds, even if it is only here in the Land of Mushrooms." With a final waver, Tapioca Leaf fluttered over the Edge of the World, leaving Cows and Spider alone, facing the lonely hoof-print.
The silence seemed too sacred to break and Cows and Spider stood still, not moving even a single eyelash.

There are some whose destinies are to roam and search. And there are some that are to stay. Yet others may be given a chance to choose. But there is a purpose to whatever that is being chosen. Our stories have all been written with a purpose.

Giraffe

2005-12-17T04:42:00.000-08:00

To fully understand this story, we need to go back a bit to the story of Cows and Elephants in the very beginning. A pity the stories wasn't written by the author and so she does not have the privilege of putting it up on her blog. However, she will try her very best to give a gist of the stories in the hope of helping all you out there understand the ramblings of dear little Giraffe.

Everything began once upon a time in the Land of No Return where Cows met Elephants and fell in love with each other. Things proceed such that when Elephants left for their own Land of Everfog, Cows just had to go in search of them. Thereby ended the first story and Cows found Elephants and they lived happily ever after.

However, the happily after was but a new beginning of joy, a new beginning of life, a new beginning of adventures, and also a new beginning of conflicts. And one fateful night came the huge row between Cows and Elephants which started a cold war. Now of course Cows and Elephants did not really hate each other for it would be too terrible to imagine a world which is so. They just happened to have a major conflict and stopped all their telepathic messages between each other. To avoid other confrontational conflicts, Cows and Elephants started penning their thoughts on a huge slab of stone at the centre of Everfog, with apple trees to the East and a vinyard to the West of it.
Cows and Elephants love stories and they started distracting themselves with their common love - Stories.

The Land of Mushrooms was a completely silent land and the inhabitants lived happily in the barrrenness of sound. Giraffe, Sheep, Chipmunk, Pig, Spider, Rabbit, Squirrel, Snake, Goat, Potato, Carrot (which Rabbit does not consume because residents of the Land of Mushrooms do not eat their neighbours), Moon, Broom, Teabag, Eyebag, Bottle, Parcetamol, etc. were all inhabitants in this obscure land. To cut a long story short, a Box dropped into the Land of Mushrooms one day and surprised one of the inhabitants, Giraffe, with the wonderful myraid of sounds it could produce. Lemon Tea, Mole's Heart and finally Beet-in-Oven mesmerised Giraffe with the wonderful sounds they managed to coax out of the Box. However, one day, sadly, Beet-in-Oven, perhaps being overbaked, died, and bizarrely metamorphosized into a herd of Cow corpses. With a kiss from Giraffe, Cows started breathing again and Cows and Spider returned with Giraffe to her red Mushroom with white spots and resided comfortably together, leaving the Land of Mushrooms peaceful again in its Silence.
Hereby ends the first two stories ever woven of the Lands and it is here where our story continues.

Now readers who have been familiar with the happenings in the Land of Mushrooms would know that the previous episode with the Box ended happily with Silence reigning forever more. However, it is but a fallacy to believe in happily ever after stories. Unless you are a little kid who has not yet learnt to read, perhaps you may still indulge in these fantasies; but when it comes to that, if you have not yet learnt to read, then you will not be able to read this anyway. So let us get back to the events that happened after Silence continued reigning in the Land of Mushrooms.

There was Silence all over and this Silence lasted for an innumerable eon of time, for time was immeasurable in the Land of Mushrooms. Giraffe however, is a singularly restless animal and very soon, she started to miss the poignant and soulful humming of Beet-in-Oven's bouncings on the Box. Even the constant companionship of beautiful Cows and Spider could do nothing to satiate her inexpressible hunger for Beet-in-Oven, and Giraffe spent many an hour sighing away in the corner of her red Mushroom with white spots or peering over the Edge of the World, hoping for a sign of Beet-in-Oven.

Oh Giraffe's woes, her sorrows if I were to describe, would fill a whole library with scrolls but ah well, this isn't a story on that, so it shall suffice to say that Giraffe was sorrowful beyond the boundaries of sorrowfulness and woeful beyond the boundaries of woefulness.

Giraffe of course, is never one to sit on things, for as mentioned earlier, she is a singularly restless Giraffe. After whining and sighing and getting all the attention she wants from Cows and Spider, Giraffe decided that she should start on her quest for Beet-in-Oven.

But where has Beet-in-Oven gone to? All Giraffe knows was that Beet-in-Oven bizarrely metamorphosized into a herd of Cow corpses that fateful day and nothing else was ever heard of him anymore.

Giraffe, never one to be easily contented, searched high and low for the answers. She wandered all over the Land of Mushrooms, asking the same questions in dejected thought bubbles to everyone she met.
"What makes the World run?"
"Who created the Land of Mushrooms?"
"What lies over the Edge of the World?"
"What is time?" (for recall that in the Land of Mushrooms, time was inmeasurable).
"Where did Beet-in-Oven go?"

Giraffe met and asked many inhabitants all over the Land of Mushrooms: Chipmunk, Crow, Pig, Ant, Sheep, Goat, Turnip, Weasel, and of course she asked Cows and Spider as well. But no one ever had the answer. No one in the Land of Mushrooms seem bothered by these important questions at all! Giraffe continued wandering, feeling more and more dejected and lonely but never giving up.
Giraffe wandered further and further and soon, she stopped going back to her home in the red mushrooms with white spots for it was much more easier to move as she goes along, over the Land of Mushrooms, rather than have to go back to her own mushroom at the end of every single day.
Cows and Spider were of course upset that Giraffe stopped coming home. But Cows and Spider loved Giraffe, and they knew, this was what Giraffe had to do and their part in this was just to let her go.
Giraffe wandered on. She was tired, lost, dejected, and her questions remained unanswered.

One day, Giraffe awoke and prepared herself for another day of search when far away at the Edge of the World, some storm clouds gathered. The clouds got bigger and heavier and darker and very soon they were advancing towards where Giraffe was, moving rapidly towards Giraffe from the Edge of the World.
In a short time, the clouds were directly overhead and with the sound of thunder, Rain started pouring. What a storm it was. Rain came down in torrents, falling with a vengence seldom seen in the Land of Mushrooms.
Poor Giraffe. Cold, soaked to the spots, hungry and lost, she huddled more closely under the tapioca leave she was crouching under.
The thought bubbles kept playing and replaying.
"What makes the World run?"
"Who created the Land of Mushrooms?"
"What lies over the Edge of the World?"
"What is time?"

"Where did Beet-in-Oven go?"

Suddenly, a disembodied voice sounded somewhere near her. Giraffe jumped violently, splashing water all over herself.
"I know the questions you've been asking. I've been looking for you all this time."
"Who are you? How did you know?" the thought bubbles came fast and furious.
"I'm all around you now. Do not hide. Can't you feel?" the voice sounded gentle and sweet.
Giraffe was stunned. "Rain?"
"You've found me at last." the voice sounded so soothing, sweet, so laden with emotions, almost as if she was there waiting and wishing Giraffe would find her.
Giraffe dazed, could only sit with the tapioca leave draped foolishly over her head, listening.

"You've been all through the Land of Mushrooms searching. It's been hard on you all this while. But I had to let you do it. You were destined to do it. To sow the seeds all through this land. Someday, someone will catch hold of one of the seeds and they shall tread the same path as you did, scattering more seeds over this land."
Question marks were popping out of Giraffe's thought bubbles.
"You do not understand yet. But you will very soon. Now do you know what lies over the Edge of the World?"
Giraffe could only shake her head. She, like the rest of the inhabitants of the Land of Mushrooms, had never been brave enough to peer over the edge.
"Not everyone is destined to go over the Edge of the World. But this is a destiny you cannot escape from."
Giraffe sat mutely listening as Rain continued.
"Now Beet-in-Oven has gone past the Edge of the World, a journey taken by only a precious few. You were wondering where the World came from. Come, let me show you."
Giraffe nodded dumbly and followed.

Hereby followed the worst Rain the Land of Mushrooms ever experienced. For the next few days, or was it weeks, or years, who knows, for time was inmeasurable in the Land of Mushrooms, Giraffe followed Rain, seeking, understanding.

Finally, the Rain slowed to a drizzle. The voice, as sweet, as magical as the first time Giraffe heard her, whispered. "The time has come now. I have shown you many secrets. Now you have to decide, are you willing to trust me and go, over the Edge of the World and beyond?"
Giraffe knew what she would answer. This was the answer she has been searching for so long. She took a deep breath, and formed the nicest, clearest thought bubble she could. "Yes!"
All at once, the Rain cleared and the Land of Mushrooms resumed its peace, exactly the way it had been for time inmeasurable.
Not exactly the same actually. For somewhere near the Edge of the World, we see a lone tapioca leave flapping dejectly on the ground. Not too far away are a pair of lone hoof-prints, their story being left there forever.

Giraffe felt a lightness she had never felt before. Rain whispered, "Goodbye, in this place, you will never be able to hear my voice again. But you will remember forever, all these things I've shown you. Even though you can't hear me again, always know that, I'm here watching."
Suddenly, there was a burst of Sunlight, and hand in hand, Rain and Sun held a rainbow over Giraffe. Giraffe felt a warmth seep through every single Spot on her and knew, this warmth was to stay deep in her heart.

All of a sudden, the lightness stopped. Giraffe found herself on an empty plain with apple trees to the east and a vinyard to the west. Right in the middle of the apple trees and vinyard, lies a huge slab of stone. Giraffe shook her head violently to clear away the heaviness she suddenly felt and bounced towards the slab of stone. There were a whole bunch of engravings on the stone and Giraffe started reading.

Day 1

Dear Cows,

There is no point in this non-communication. Oh, it hurts, hurts too much. But neither of us will give in - why? Let us distract ourselves by focusing on our common love - Stories - Shall we?

Forever lovingly,

Elephants

-----

......

-----

Elephants... Of course, we will forgive you for we do not have the heart not to. Pray thee, do not ignore us again, for the pain was too much to bear.

With a kiss from Giraffe, the Cows�� hearts started to pump again and blood flowed throughout their bodies. Cows and Giraffe, as well as Spider, returned to the Land of Mushrooms and resided comfortably and permanently in the red Mushroom with white spots. The Land of Mushrooms was again peaceful in its silence.

As Giraffe finished the last line, she sat in astounded silence. The Land of Mushrooms, Cows and Elephants, and Beet-in-Oven??? Could this be true? Was she a figment of the imagination of Cows and Elephants on this slab of stone and nothing more? What was she?
Giraffe did not even have the strength to move away and she sat by the huge slab of stone. Rain's words came back to her. "When the little ants come waking up and starting to think about where they come from, what would they find? If one day you find that what you've always imagined came alive, would you still dare to imagine it?"
Beet-in-Oven was not here after all. Her red mushroom with white spots would remain forevermore on the slab of stone for time inmeasurable. But she would never be able to go back anymore. Giraffe looked up and saw the Sun in the sky, sending his warmth to every single Spot on her. In the distance, Cows and Elephants were advancing towards the plain from the vinyard.

Of the Spots...

2005-12-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

Spots represent something really important to Giraffe.
If you know Giraffe, probably you know what those Spots are. If you don't, well, suffice to say they are Giraffe's life.
But developing her Spots has never been easy for Giraffe.
And Giraffe has never felt sure about herself.
This is the story of how it went.
And Giraffe still doesn't know how it is going to turn out.

There is never going to be an end to the story.

Spots

2005-12-03T04:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a story that happened long long ago, when fairytales still happened and the World was flat and the Sun travels across the World from one end of the World to the other.

At this time there lived, at the Edge of the World, a dear little Giraffe. Living at the Edge of the World had its problems. For one thing, Giraffe tended to drop things about - she was never a neat giraffe - and hence her things frequently fall over the Edge of the World. The Edge of the World also happened to be very far away from the Rest of the World and Giraffe never had much visitors. Giraffe also needed a long time to get to the Rest of the World and hence Giraffe was frequently late as well.

Giraffe loved Spots and had always dreamed of having beautiful Spots. In the days when fairytales still happen, spots were difficult to get and were really difficult to maintain well. Some might have one or two random small spots, others might get a few of different colours, yet some might have uneven spots, or worst of all, there were some who could not get any spots at all. But our Giraffe here dreamed of having some really beautiful Spots, quite evenly spaced, and homogeneous in the colouration.

When Giraffe was young and knew nothing about the dangers lurking around the World, Giraffe did not have the spots she had this day (not that Giraffe is very much older now). But Giraffe always wanted Spots. Good, beautiful Spots, not just any spots like the others.

She searched high and low around the World, roaming from the Edge of the World to the Rest of the World. One day, Giraffe found a Lion with the most beautiful spots she has ever seen. Knowing nothing about the dangers of the World, Giraffe gathered up her courage (for she was a shy and sweet little Giraffe, whatever she may appear on the outside), and approached Lion for his secret to beautiful Spots.

Lion indeed had some pretty charming Spots seldom seen in any part of the World. And Lion was proud that Giraffe saw his beautiful Spots and was charmed. So Lion took Giraffe home and showed her how to get beautiful Spots.

Now Lion also saw that Giraffe, being the sweet dear little giraffe she is, could possibly be a good one to boast of his Spots to. Giraffe was loyal and faithful. And Giraffe would work to her death for something she believed in. Giraffe, knowing nothing about the dangers lurking around the World, was trusting and believed the best in everything.

So Lion started showing Giraffe ways to get beautiful Spots. Giraffe listened to every single bit of advice and worked harder than anything. Soon, Giraffe started to have some Spots! At first, they were not very beautiful. Some were bigger, some were smaller, and there were green ones, red ones, even purple ones (Giraffes do not like purple). As Giraffe continued working on the Spots, they got nicer and nicer. Most of them started turning into some shades of brown and they also evened out over whole of Giraffe.

Everytime Giraffe went back to the Edge of the World, she would faithfully carry out the instructions Lion taught her. And everytime Sun passed overhead and saw Giraffe working hard on her Spots.

So it happens like all other things, Giraffe's Spots got more and more beautiful as she faithfully carried out all the instructions Lion gave her. But at some point, there seemed to be a lull in the Spot-growth. Giraffe was perplexed. She did everything faithfully, but there just seemed to be something missing. At the same time, Lion, seeing that Giraffe did not look as beautiful as he expected her to look after all this time, lost his interest in showing Giraffe ways to beautify and maintain Spots.

Now Giraffe started to get confused. Did she do something wrong in her Spot management? Or did she miss out some steps? Or perhaps she was just too stupid to be able to grow beautiful Spots. Poor Giraffe became extremely depressed. So depressed she did not continue maintaining her Spots for a long time.

Years passed. Giraffe, now slightly older and wiser than she was before (not that she is very very much older), longed for beautiful Spots again. This has always been Giraffe's Dream and Dreams do not die in the World during the times when FairyTales still happened.

Giraffe, being older (not too much older though) and wiser now wondered about going back to Lion. Would he be able to show her how to get beautiful Spots? Giraffe, confused, talked to her friend, Weasel. Weasel was a spotless animal, but he liked good Spots too and so was able to give Giraffe some advice. Then Giraffe asked Cow about the secret of her Spots, and she asked Chipmunk, and she asked Pig. She was sad and she was confused.

One day, as Giraffe was out on a stroll around the Edge of the World, she met a Potato. Potato started talking to Giraffe and she was surprised because for one thing, Giraffe never knew Potatoes could talk. And for another, Giraffe never imagined Potato could talk about Spots! So Potato talked and talked and talked and then potato mentioned a certain elusive being in the World at the times when FairyTales still happened, Owl. Potato encouraged Giraffe to look for Owl as Owl perhaps was more experienced in the type of Spots that Giraffe wanted. (Of course, Potato did not exactly put it this way, telling Giraffe that Owl was more experienced, but at this time, Giraffe, being older (not very much older) and wiser, understood).

Giraffe hence packed the few things she might need and set off to find the elusive Owl. After days of walking and wearing her hooves thin, Giraffe finally found Old Oak Tree with a bough cut off. Apparantly, Potato told Giraffe that Owl could be found here. So Giraffe, screwing up all her courage, knocked on the Old Oak Tree. To Giraffe's delight, a little panel opened on the side of Old Oak Tree and Owl invited Giraffe in. Giraffe and Owl had a long chat, and to Giraffe's delight, she could still pursue her dreams of Spot-growing!

Owl said, "Perhaps you should find another one who can teach you other Spot-growing ways"

Giraffe, "I do not know who"

Owl, "Who do you think have nice Spots?"

Giraffe, "I haven't come across many nice Spots"

Owl, "Do you know the Sun?"

Giraffe, "You mean the Sun who rises over the Edge of the World everyday?"

Owl, "Yes, and he has some Spot-growing methods I heard"

Giraffe, "Will the Sun want to show me his Spot-growing methods?"

Owl, "I'm sure he will, I'll help you ask"

So Giraffe went back to her home at the Edge of the World, happy and excited. Owl flew to the Sun and asked about Giraffe and her Spots and Sun said, "Oh, I've seen Giraffe many a time, trying to grow her Spots. I would not mind helping her."

And thus began Giraffe's second attempt at Spot-growing, this time with the Sun. Sun knew Giraffe was a sweet dear little Giraffe who was willing to put in all she had to get beautiful Spots and so the Sun tried his best to help Giraffe. Giraffe was slow at times, and made many many mistakes in the instructions the Sun gave her. But the Sun tried to be patient with her for he knew that Giraffe would hide in her house on the Edge of the World, never to show anyone else her Spots if she felt that she had failed again.

Now Lion happened to hear about Giraffe and her second attempt at getting beautiful Spots. Lion was proud and hurt that Giraffe did not ask for his advice again and so he wanted to sought Giraffe out. Giraffe, however, being the sweet and trusting little Giraffe she was, was keen and eager to let Lion see her new Spots she had grown in the few years of absence.

So it happened that one day, when Giraffe wandered to the Rest of the World and met Lion, Lion asked to see the Spots that Giraffe has gotten. Giraffe, though she knew that her spots were not very beautiful yet, was happy to show Lion all that she has. Now when Lion saw Giraffe's spots, he started telling her, "I think this Spot looks really weird here, oh, and this one is the wrong shade of colour. Oh, you should not crowd too many spots around here, that's ugly."

Poor Giraffe suddenly felt that her Spots were all wrong! Perhaps she should not grow anymore Spots? She does not know. Perhaps Lion meant the best, for he knew how to grow nice Spots too, or did Lion feel upset at Giraffe? Giraffe felt that she had let the Sun down too for he spent so many hours watching over her as she tries to learn the many ways of getting beautiful spots. Giraffe is confused. And Giraffe feels too stupid to continue growing Spots.

And so the story ends here. It is not a story with a happy ending. For Giraffe does not know what to do here. Dreams do not die in the times when FairyTales still happened, but Giraffe is confused. Will Giraffe's Dream live on?

Of the Fish...

2005-12-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is Giraffe's first ever story out there on the blog for the world to see.
Be kind to it.
It's raw. Extremely.
But it has got what Giraffe believes inside.
Giraffe didn't find it easily.
And she hopes that as you read this little tale, you might find that a little more easily than Giraffe did.

Letting go.

FISH ON A BOAT

2005-12-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, in the world of ColouredWaters, there lived an ancient mariner. He was a courageous and adventourous mariner, braving all the waves and storms and waters of unknown lands, journeying further than anyone has ever been before. His whole life was on the little boat he called his home. The little things he had, a few pieces of clothing; his reading glasses, though our ancient mariner never learnt to read; a walking stick cut from the bough of an old oak tree; a pretty little bowl rumoured to be given to him by a certain pretty woman who passed his life once; a yellowed letter in a box made of beechwood. These were his valuables he treasured more than life which he kept safely in the little cabin in his little boat he called his home.
Now our ancient mariner prided himself in being the first to journey to waters deep and unknown, to lands far and wide. He would never turn away from unplotted terrain, from waters unexplored.

One day, which began like all other days, the sun of ColouredWaters rising out of the waters, chasing the little orange moon down back home. The ancient mariner arose with the sun and smelt the air of ColouredWaters and saw this new sea which shone a hue of pale mauve. The ancient mariner stood at the stern of the little boat he called his home, thinking. Was he thinking about the pretty woman who gave him the pretty little bowl, or of the yellowed letter in the box made of beechwood, or of the part of the sea which shone mauve, we do not know.
As the boat drifted past a certain part of the sea which shone a hue of pale mauve, the ancient mariner looked down through the clear waters and saw, of a beautiful land far beneath. Unseen by any other eyes of man before the ancient mariner, this was a world where things were one. The seaweeds had the consciousness of the fishes and the turtles knew the sand that lay deep beneath this part of the clear sea that shone mauve. There was no other, no unknown, no you or me. All was one, a single consciousness, a single thread of cognizance in this place where the sea shone a hue of pale mauve.
Down in the depths of the water the ancient mariner saw a fish swim past. A fish with the thread of consciousness of the sea anemones, and the silver sand, and the waters of the sea which shone a hue of pale mauve. The ancient mariner stretched out his hands and caught this Fish which swam in and had the consciousness of the waters in this part of the sea which shone a hue of pale mauve, and Fish was put into the little bowl rumoured to be given to him by a certain pretty woman who passed his life once.

Every new ocean he went to, the ancient mariner would take some water from the sea and put it into Fish's bowl. The waters changed from blue to green to yellow, to red, purple, turquoise, violet, mauve, olive, orange, but they never mixed.
Every new drop of water into Fish's bowl brought Fish new knowledge, new colours from far away waters she once knew as home. Every single time a new drop of water was added, Fish would tell the ancient mariner new stories. Stories of the lives and peoples of far off lands. Stories that were touching, stories that were exciting, stories too marvellous for words. And every time the ancient mariner hears a new story, he would grow a little. A little richer, a little wiser. A little more into the world of ColouredWaters.
Once when the ancient mariner added a drop of cyan water, Fish told him about the world of a princess who has never found Love because she had been holding Love too tightly and never giving Love a chance to roam and be found.
Another time when the ancient mariner added some pearly coloured water, Fish talked of a dying old man on his rocking chair, smelling the last rose of summer, knowing that there will never be a next summer for him.
When a drop of green water was added, the tale of a soldier fighting for all that he had, his country, his home, his freedom.
A violet drop, a young man losing his wealth but finding truth and kindness in return.
Turquoise, magenta, olive-coloured, yellow, pink, blue. A young lady stepping out of her ivory tower for the first time; a newly married couple having to part; a second chance given to a sinner; a little boy breaking the toy train he loved most; a mother by the deathbed of her child; an old woman sitting by her door for years, watching the world pass by.

Soon Fish's bowl was full of all sorts of different colours, all the colours of the rainbow. And the stories that Fish told enlarged the ancient mariner by a little and a little and a little. The world of ColouredWaters was getting closer and closer to the world of the ancient mariner.
Fish had to go back to the seas one day. That became clearer the closer the world of ColouredWaters got to the world of the ancient mariner. But the ancient mariner could not let go. He loved Fish too much. And Fish loved in return, and never mentioned her own world in the seas of ColouredWaters.
Fish hoped one day, her stories would bring the ancient mariner's world so close to the world of ColouredWaters that Fish would be with ancient mariner even in the deepest seas of ColouredWaters.

Years passed. The ancient mariner was still sailing the seas with Fish in the little bowl rumoured to be given to him by a certain pretty woman who passed his life once. The boat was still the same, the little cabin in the little boat the ancient mariner calls his home. But the ancient mariner had a few more lines to his face and his hand perhaps trembled a bit more as he guides the little boat he calls his home under the stars of ColouredWaters.

One day, which began like all other days, the sun of ColouredWaters rising out of the waters, chasing the little orange moon down back home.
As the ancient mariner sailed towards a certain part of the sea which shone a hue of pale mauve, he seemed to remember something. A memory of a story long ago. Was it of the yellowed letter in the box made of beechwood, or the little bowl rumoured to be given to him by a certain pretty woman who passed his life once, we do not know.
Suddenly, the ancient mariner's hands trembled, and slipped, and the little boat he called his home steered towards a rough patch of rocks.
The little boat the ancient mariner called his home, gave a jerk, and an ear-splitting crash, over the seas which shone a hue of pale mauve. With the jerk, the little bowl rumoured to be given to him by a certain pretty woman who passed his life once shook and fell off the niche on the shelf it stood for years. And with it, the water with colours of the rainbow, and Fish, her consciousness with the certain part of the sea which shone a hue of pale mauve.
The fall struck a hole in the little bowl rumoured to be given to him by a certain pretty woman who passed his life once and the crash struck a hole in the little boat the ancient mariner called his home. As the water poured out of the little bowl, the ancient mariner could only watch as Fish gasped desperately for air. He was sad. Sad that the end had to come like this. That he could not let go before. But Fish knew. Fish would be one again with the seas which shone a hue of pale mauve. But she could not tell the ancient mariner.
As Fish gasped for her last breaths of air, water gushed into the little boat the ancient mariner called his home.
Fish was gone. The water continued gushing in. The ancient mariner thought of the princess who never found Love, of the man with the last rose of summer, of the soldier fighting for all he had, of the fear in the heart of the sinner, of the many many stories the seas brought to Fish.

Then the ancient mariner knew. The water continued gushing in, lifting the lifeless body of Fish and the ancient mariner knew.
With a smile, he loosened his hold on the stern of the little boat he called his home. With a smile, he let go. And the water continued gushing over him.