Bridges in the Sky

Long ago, the world was young and dark, and the skies knew naught of the warmth of light and truth. No one felt pain. No one felt sorrow. Nor laughter. Nor love, fear, or pride. No one graced the earth with emotion or the spark of hope. Except for one...

Nestled deep within the forests and its trees, hidden within the vines and infinite leaves, behind the mellifluous torrent of a waterfall, lived a young girl who worked tirelessly with a sole purpose: to bring back the world its colors.

Arona had spent her entire life over a loom, able to spin the most delicate of threads into the clearest and most ethereal fabric ever seen. She lived by herself, high in the mountains. During the day, the clouds, the sun, and at night, the stars and the moon, all shined down with a luminous glow. This spotlight shone on, and only on, Arona, everywhere she went.

Just below the mountain lay a village filled with people. Arona wanted to inspire and bring out their lives and let them experience the world as she had.

One day, Arona decided to venture out to search for supplies, in the hope of weaving a remedy for the lost and lifeless. This required material never heard of or used before – something extraordinary and magical, enchanting and marvelous. She found a special woven basket she made and passed through the cascading waterfall and down the flowing path.

As she followed the stream down the mountain, her bare feet traversed the slippery rocks, and her toes gripped for her life. Soon, the rocks turned to sand, her legs sank into the pearly white grains, and her fingers gripped the soft, mushy soil for balance. The sand then turned to grass, and the thorny blades ran and cut her ankles, shins, and knees. But she did not care. She walked and walked and walked. It was an endless meadow: she had never walked so far before.

Eventually, when the meadow temporarily cleared, Arona stood by a towering flower stalk. The stem shimmered gold, and the petals blossomed before her very eyes. An enchanted, red rose hung over her head like a chandelier . Arona smiled; having never seen such beauty before, she clipped off the corolla, placed it carefully in her basket and continued on through the mystical meadow.

The beautiful clouds, the dreamy effervescent flowers gave her indescribable joy. A whiff of something sweet caught her by surprise, as she turned and saw a flutter of monarch butterflies swarming an apple tree. She approached and watched them dance, until the prettiest one of them landed on Arona's nose. Arona smiled; having never seen such beauty before, she let the friendly creature walk onto her finger, and gently placed it into her basket and continued on through the mystical meadow.

It was noon, and she felt warm and tired. A faint grouping of rocks and mountains formed a small cave, to which she happily obliged for some shade. Inside, a sparkle caught her eye. Along the wall were countless golden, gleaming gems, each brighter than the stars. Arona smiled; having never seen such beauty before, she lightly rubbed the object with her soft hands, and set the stone in the basket and continued on through the mystical meadow.

This time, the pasture shortened and thinned before the grass turned into trefoil. Arona bent down and looked at the leaves, counting three for each, except for one. She plucked it from the ground. This one had four. Arona smiled; having never seen such beauty before, she dusted the dirt from the stem, laid the plant beside the butterfly and continued on through the mystical meadow.

With a further bit of trekking, Arona felt parched and wished something would quench her thirst soon. Up ahead, a well appeared and Arona skipped and laughed at her luck. She lowered the bucket down as far it would go, felt the weight increase with fresh water, and spun the handle to bring it back up. Arona was shocked to see such clean, sparking, shining, blue water. Her reflection smiled, having never seen such beauty before; Arona sipped the water and left the bucket inside her basket for the butterfly to drink and continued on through the mystical meadow.

She started to feel hungry and wished something would satiate her journey. Suddenly, a berry bush appeared and Arona jumped for joy. She plucked every blueberry she could muster, throwing them into her basket - one for her butterfly and one for herself. Having never tasted such delicious, juicy fruit, Arona smiled, happy to have found such amazing things to weave. Her basket overflowed, and she decided to return back home.

* * * * * *

Arona sat down at her loom and began to weave the most beautiful tapestry she could think of. She used everything she found on her trip: the red roses fit perfectly through the device and gave off a polished look, the orange wings of the butterfly floated through undamaged and gave an airy feel, the golden yellow gem chiseled through and gave beauty and value, the green leafed clover vibrated through and gave off an earthy sense, the blue water dripped through and cleansed the room, and the indigo berries sprayed and burst through and gave off a delicious aroma.

As soon as Arona finished, she brought her work to show the village, hoping to spark some life and emotion to everyone in it. She rushed to the town square and beckoned for its people to see. "Look, look!" she cried out. They all gathered around her, seeing the beautiful creation of hers.

"The Red Rose is for Love and its what I share for the Earth and all of you! The Orange Wings are for Freedom and we can use it to create and explore! The Yellow Gem is for Joy so we can always be happy and healthy! The Green Clover is for Luck so we may always be ambitious and strong! The Blue Water is for Hope so we won't ever sadden from loss or fear! The Indigo Berries are for Compassion so we always care for one another!"

The villagers looked at her the same as they always have, with no emotions, and just understanding. No happiness, no saddness. No content or dissaproval. This made Arona disappointed, and wonder why her idea did not work. Just then, a carriage drove into town. Dozens of horses, guards, and one single chariot stopped before Arona in the center.

Out of the chariot, emerged a prince, dressed in wonderfully purple robes, and a crown with more jewels than Arona could count. He approached her and knelt down on one knee.

"I have heard of your quest and came to offer my help," he said. Arona stared at the royal prince, wide-eyed, filled with limerance. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. "If there is anything you need, my fortunes can supply it. Just name it and it will be yours."

"Oh prince, your violet robes, they are what I must be missing. Could you spare your cloth as to finish the last piece of my design?"

"That is a simple request," he replied and ripped off the purple cloth to his robes. The prince and villagers all looked on as Arona weaved the last piece of her creation.

"The Violet Fabric is for Wisdom, may we all be wise and gain knowledge in life!" Arona exclaimed, as she weaved all seven pieces of fabric together.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet colors shined and sparkled, combining into one arching prism. The first Rainbow appeared and brought color down onto the world. Arona was so happy and could feel the life emanating from everyone and everything around her.

The village celebrated, deeming Arona as the Rainbow Weaver. They and soon everyone else in the world were able to experience joy, passion, and love. They were able to hope, create, and explore. Arona eventually married the prince and the Rainbow Weaver thought she created the perfect utopia. But soon, people started to experience greed, arrogance, and jealousy. Hatred, lust, and gluttony.

Arona asked the prince what happened. "Why are people acting this way?"

The prince smiled and said, "Dear Arona, the Rainbow Weaver. I gave you my cloth, one from my kingdom that has known only those things. Greed, pride, and envy. We were driven by power and money, and so the cloth brought that upon your Rainbow."

Arona, saddened to hear such things, left the kingdom and went back to her home in the mountains. She only wanted her people to be happy and never feel pain or sadness. She knelt over her loom and began to work. She spun and wove, hoping one day she will make something to rid the world of its evils.

End.