🚀 go-pugleaf

[ Article crossposted from alt.mythology ]
[ Author was Tracey Sharman ]
[ Posted on 10 Jul 1996 03:53:49 GMT ]



Hi there.. this is a myth that I have written (wrote?) and I would like
some input...  Thanx in advance:)

ps.. my address is tsharman@chat.carleton.ca

				I 

     In the beginning they were taught that there was no one else
on this vast planetbut them.  They were taught to accept this
without question and doubt and few ever challenged it.  Lasher was
one of the few that did.  He believed that there was more to
earth than what he had been taught.  He approached the elders and
told them of his theories.  They knew the day would come that they
were to be questioned and had prepared themselves for it.  They
informed him that there was nothing out there worth finding and
even if he found something it would just hurt him.  But Lasher
refused to accept this.  So, late one night he kissed his wife
Mikella and his daughter Rowan goodbye,  telling his wife that if
something was to happen to him, make sure she told Rowan the story
of her father and left their isolated island paradise for the "rest
of the world". 
     After months of waiting and not knowing Mikella was confronted
by a young Rowan wondering who her father was and why he was not
there.  After telling Rowan the story of her father's wanderlust,
Rowan vowed to her mother that she would find out what happened to
her father and whether there truly was other people and lands out
there.  


                                    II 

     After being told of her father Rowan spent many days alone on
the shore of the island looking out into the vast waters, dreaming
of the adventures that her father had and longed to follow in his
foot steps.   Finally the day had come that she was viewed an adult
in her people's eyes and could do as she wished.  She confronted
the elders as her father had done so many years before, with the
same evidence that he had provided and asked for their blessing on
her journey.  As before, the elders told her the same thing as
her father, "there is nothing out there worth finding" and they
refused to give her their blessing on her journey.
     Rowan told her mother of her aspirations and what the elders
had said to her.  Mikella knew that this was going to happen as
Rowan is so much like her father.  Crying and pleading to Rowan not
to go, Mikella knew that it was hopeless Rowan would leave
with or without her blessing.  So Mikella gave Rowan her blessing
and warned her to be careful and bid her good bye.
     

                                    III 

     Excited about the journey that awaited her she packed all of
her belongings into her boat along with supplies to last her a
couple of months she set off in the middle of the night.  Not
wanting to upset her mother anymore and not wanting to have heated
words with the elders yet again she decided that leaving in the
middle of the night would be best.  
     She sailed all through the night until day break finding
nothing.  Upon day break she used her telescope searching the
horizon for any sign of land, but found nothing.  Suddenly without
warning the oceans waters began to get quite turbulent.  She looked
up anticipating storm clouds, but the day was quite clear.  Quite
curious she looked over the bow of the boat down into the deep blue
ocean.  
     Surprised at what she saw looking right back at her were two
enormous eyes.  Rowan screamed in fright.  The eyes began to get
closer and closer until the turbulent waters threatened to overturn
her boat.  Then the eyes were no longer visible.  Curious as to
where they went she looked behind her.  As she turned around she
saw this enormous whale with its mouth opened sucking in the waters
around her.  Paddling as hard as she could she couldn't get away. 
Finally she was sucked into the great mouth of the whale.  With the
vast amount of water she was washed down into the stomach of the
whale.  
     Unsure as to what to do she began to scream and cry.  After
hours of this she realized that it was getting her no where.  She
sat down and thought about her predicament.  Then she came up with
an idea, rather far fetched and she highly doubted that it would
work, but at least it was an idea.
     Rowan paddled around the whale's stomach until it was right
under its blow hole.  She hoped that she would be blown out of the
hole with the water that the whale had taken in.  To her surprise
as she was thinking about it the waters within the whales stomach
began to get turbulent and she was being forced upwards to the top
of the whales stomach and then suddenly she was seeing the light of
day once more.  She realized that she had indeed been blown clear
out of the whales stomach.  Then steering the boat over to the edge
she was blown off the water spray of the whale and was back into
the ocean quite far away from the whale.
     Rowan paddled with all her might in fear that the whale would
swallow her again.  After many hours she was exhausted and hungry. 
She was pretty sure that she had left the whale behind so she
stopped.  After a break and some food Rowan once again took
out her telescope and scanned the horizon, this time for land and
for any evidence of the whale. To her surprise Rowan discovered a
shadowy mass on the horizon.  Unsure what it was she regained her
paddling with renewed vigour and excitement.

                                    IV 

     Rowan excited about her find, could hardly contain herself. 
She paddled with all her might.  Finally she was close enough to
determine that what she had seen was indeed an island.  Closer and
closer she rowed until she could see the shoreline quite clearly. 
     Rowan moored her boat and rowed her small dingy into shore. 
Upon her arrival she was instantly surrounded with hundreds of
people.  Shocked and confused by the amount of people surrounding
her she could not answer any of the questions asked of her. 
Finally she regained some semblance of composure and began to
answer their questions.
     "My name is Rowan Mayfaire.  I come from a small island 2 days
sailing from here.  I am here because my people believe that there
is no other human beings inhabiting the rest of the planet.  I came
to prove them wrong".  After telling the islanders the belief of
her people she was given a place to rest and something to eat.
     Out of curiosity she asked their chief if she had ever seen
her father, Lasher.  Her response was that he had been there, but
had died a few days after his arrival.  They told her that in his
last few hours he had talked about his people and his daughter. 
They were told that she would probably discover this island as
well, as she was so much like him. 

                                     V 

     After months of living with these people Rowan fell in love
with a man named Cortland Langtree and got married.  She was
blissfully happy living in this new home.  She spent her days
discovering new parts of the island, picking flowers that she had
never seen, and tasting foods that were never made on her home
island.  She basically lived a carefree existence.  
     Then one day she came upon the place that her father had died
and was feeling homesick.  Realizing that her marriage and the
exploration of this new island had made her forget all about her
home and family.  Cortland questioned her about what was bothering
her and she told him about what she had discovered that day and how
she was feeling.  His suggestion was for them to go back to her
homeland.  By having him with her he could be proof of the
existence of another land.
     So they bid a good bye to island people and set out on the
returning journey.

                                    VI 

     After the days and nights of sailing they could finally see
the shore of her island.  Rowan had spent their time sailing
talking about her mother and the people of her island.  She could
hardly wait to tell them about all she had discovered and that
there was indeed a world beyond theirs out there and it was worth
exploring.

                                    VII 

     Upon her arrival on the island she was immediately surrounded
by people questioning her about her voyage and if she had
discovered anything, totally ignoring the man still in the boat. 
She then told her people that there was indeed another world out
there waiting to be explored.  She told them of her adventure in
the whale and the finding of the island.  It was then that she
remembered her husband and immediately introduced him to the people
on the shore.  
     After all the introductions were made and the supplies were
brought in from the boat, Rowan and Cortland set off towards her
house and in search of her mother.  They arrived at Rowan's house
to find it empty.  Curious as to where her mother was she asked on
of the villagers walking by.  She was informed by them that her
mother had "passed on"  while she was away.  Her mother had died of
a broken heart, she was so upset about Rowan leaving and was
worried that she would never return that she took ill and died.  
     Upset with the turn of events Rowan was consoled by her
husband and then went off to talk with the chief.  


                                   VIII 

     Rowan was welcomed by the chief and was told to sit down.  She
told the chief of her adventure and what she had discovered.  The
chief waited patiently while she told her account of the trip. 
After she had finished the chief began telling her the reason for
the elders belief.       
     The chief began by telling her of a great war that had taken
place many years ago.  Many of the elders had only been very young
children or not even born.  This war was killing many people and
threatening to get even worse.  So a group of about 100 people
decided to move to an island that was not affected by this war. 
Upon moving there they received word that the war had became far
worse than anyone had anticipated and the human race was definitely
in jeopardy.   So they sealed themselves off from the rest of the
world and told their children that there was nothing else out there
and for many generations it was accepted.  Now she had changed all
that.  The chief questioned her about the other people and what
they were like and if they were different than them.  Rowan
reassured the chief that they were just like them and just as
friendly.
     With the chiefs approval Rowan gathered all of the people of
the island together and told them what the chief had told her, then
told them of her adventure.  Many of the islanders decided that
they too wanted to meet the people on the other island.  So
the result was many people leaving the island in search of the
island that Rowan had found and that Cortland was from.
     Rowan and Cortland still curious about what else the world
held set sail in the other direction in search of more islands and
even more people to learn about.





  Tracey :)        .
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Tracey Sharman