Coming Dew
“Tell
me child, what do you see?” asked the mother. The child gazed upon the deep,
lustrous darkness of the sky. Stars danced along twinkling paths, akin to his
beaming eyes. But the sheer vastness of the night turned his face a pale grey.
“Do not fear” calmed the mother. “This is the sky. In the morning, she hugs
them with her warmth. At night, they sleep soundly in her blanket”. The child
felt relieved knowing someone with such stature was their friend. His eyes
widened once more. “Mama, what about them?” he asked, pointing to a myriad of
shapes and figures below. “Yes, even the animals are loved by her. And they
love her too” she said in a dulcet voice. A strong gale shoved them without
permission and sent them hurdling past the lagoon below and above the misty
ocean. “Ow!” cried the child. The mother embraced him once more. “You are safe”.
“Who was that?” rang the child.
“That
was the wind”.
“Has
he manners?”
“It
is not for him to have so”
“Then
he is awful”
“My
dear child, the wind has a heavy burden”
“Heavier
than ours?”
“Yes.
He carries the souls of lives from worlds beyond our reach so they are born
anew. Through his ardent footsteps, he guides they who travel in our waters
that they may reach their destinations”. The child wore a serious face, perhaps
of newfound comprehension. Just then, he noticed the symphony of lights beneath
them. It was sublime. Coral cities painted the seafloor, meticulously crafted
to house a variety of residents. Some hid in tiny nooks, peeking from their
sturdy structures. Others enjoyed the rush of being carried by swift currents
as the world blurred past. The child almost leaped down with booming elation.
“Isn’t it beautiful my child?’ asked the mother as she ran her tender hands
through the silver linings of his hair. The child continued to marvel until a
peculiar sight caught his eye. A mighty sea lion swimming with a trembling gait,
away from the bustling city he had just seen. “Mama, where is she going?” Her
expression changed. “In search of food” replied the mother. “There is no food
here” he wondered. “There used to be” sighed the mother. “Then I will give her
water” he proclaimed. Before the child could react, the mother held his hand
with a firm grasp. “Do not worry” she assured. “She will find her way. It is
you, who must drink here”. The child looked up with a curious expression, but
noticed how the air began to differ. The sky was greeted with a harsh languor.
Birds flew off-course, and just like the sea lion, many were scattered in
multiple directions. Travellers with nothing but faith and instinct as
nourishment. “My son” she warned. “You are to cling to me and not leave my
side. Do you understand?” The child nodded without hesitation. He held his
curiosity back, for mother’s words were more compelling.
Hours
passed. Perhaps days. Along the way, the mother gifted the world below with
drops of solace. Curtains of her mercy showered countless regions, from a
litter of cheeky lion cubs in the savannah to the palatial skyscrapers of New
York. Not all were relieved by her presence. Some even cursed her. Eventually,
they reached a city. The last one before they cross the ocean once more. The
child woke up with a start as a cacophony of cars, machines, and factories rang
from below. A grave tension struck his heart. “Hang on” said the mother. She
swooped in with great speed, commanding the sky to bend around her presence. A stark
darkness filled the sky, this time ominous and gloomy unlike the radiant
colours of the night. Smoke pierced her sight, but she kept going. Without
reaching the other side, they would not be able to complete their course. But
was she even going the right way? She recalled the sea lion they had seen back
then. “Did she manage to find a single mote of plankton?” she wondered. “Surely
none are left after the burgeoning heat”. She snapped out. “I must not be
clouded by such thoughts” she murmured to herself. She stared at her child who
held her tight not for warmth, but from fear. The smoke grew harsher. It began
to pierce her skin. “Mama?” She pressed on, ignoring the pain. But it was
heavy. It continued to sear her very being. Just then, a glistening sight shone
from afar. “The sea!” The mother rushed towards the glimmer of hope, but to her
dismay was not met with freedom. Instead, she was lashed with a fiery lick of
flame, erupting from a tower below! She winced in pain. However, the blow struck
them so hard it launched them past the smoke. Finally, within sight, lay the
soothing sea just a stone’s throw away. But in her arms, was a ghastly scene instead.
Her son had also been scorched, gasping on the fringes of life. She took a long
look, and let out a bittersweet smile. She was tired, but a mother never lets
that stop her from nurturing life. She was only sad that she had to leave her
son such a heavy burden. With all the life in her bones, she gave her son the
very last of drop of water and pushed him in the direction of the sea. “Mama!”
he cried. He rained, and the humans below were perplexed as it was sunny. “You were
born with kindness, and kindness shall you bring them”. The child pleaded, but only
grew further and further. The mother looked at her hands, as they began to
fade. “I don’t want to! Mama!” The mother smiled. “Give to them, not because
they deserve it my dear child. Give, that they may know kindness”. Her hands
turned to mist. “Such as you-”. Her lips quelled to dust. “-who sees beauty”.
Her eyes lulled to sleep. “-in the darkness of the night”.
