Woosh. A great breeze blew past the town. The lanterns swung and flickered, and the crowd ducked for cover. Waves of scarlet leaves soared down from trees with twisting trunks and thick grey branches. The joyful folk music, the laughing, the singing, the dancing of the people, had all ceased. Rather, they stared at the object that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the festival. A curious boy, Arche, stared in awe. His shabby brown clothes, messy blonde hair, and bare feet made him blend in with everyone else.
They had not seen such a thing in all their lives. Stratus was a small town that stood on a pale purple cloud. The sky was covered in floating lanterns that lit up the unique periwinkle sky. Without the lanterns, the town would be pitch black as neither the Sun nor Moon had risen for millennia. The people know of a place below called Earth; they have heard several ancient stories about the odd world from the one they call The Sage. His knowledge was immeasurable, knowing more about the universe than any other mortal. His white and thin beard stretched to his knees, and his frail pale skin was wrinkled with age. He had lived past the people’s grandparents, parents, and soon would live past them as well.
“It appears to be a tree!” Arche observed, cautiously stepping around it.
“Yes! It certainly does. Though, I’ve never seen a tree with such peculiar leaves!” A man from the crowd responded.
“Why, they’re green! Ha, I’ve never seen anything so odd in my life,“ another agreed. As the townsfolk murmured in confusion, the gentle thumping of a cane arose. The crowd made way as The Sage wobbled over to the tree.
“Pine,” he whispered, “a great pine tree has made its way to Stratus.” The people murmured in shock. A pine tree? Like the one from The Sage’s stories about planet Earth? Arche thought. As the group of people inched closer, an ominous hoot rang through the tree.
“Monster! Run! The tree is possessed!” The people leaped back and yelled to flee. They hid in bushes, behind food stalls, simply anywhere away. All that was left was The Sage and Arche. Hoot. Arche took a cautious step back. The leaves rustled as Arche held his breath in anticipation. Suddenly, a brown bird flew out. Its elegant wings flapped as it flew to the tip of the pine tree, though, Arche couldn’t help but stare at the bird’s daring golden eyes. In the silence, a man’s laugh echoed through the village.
“Ha! That is just an owl! A creature from Earth. No need to fret, my people,” The Sage chuckled. The owl hooted as if it was pleased and gracefully swooped down in front of Arche.
“Its name is Paquito; a Northern Saw-whet owl,” Arche said unconsciously. He didn’t know how he knew the name or species of the owl, however, something clicked in his head. Something about the owl seemed familiar, yet Arche couldn’t figure out what it was.
Stratus spent their next few days investigating the owl, Paquito. Though, whenever Arche came near the owl, the boy felt immense heat and power as light illuminated between the two. Arche never went too close to the owl, for he feared what would happen. No one witnessed these interactions except The Sage, who hid far away watching, viciously scribbling notes and whispering conspiracies.
The days went by with people murmuring about the mysterious appearance of the owl and The Sage closely observing it until thirty days had passed.
“As tradition, we must celebrate the beginning of a new month! On Earth where the Moon and Sun rise, the Moon is completely gone on the first day of every month,” The Sage announced to the people.
Just like the previous thirty days, a festival was assembled; music and laughter filled the streets again, and people sold sweets to children who chased each other around. When suddenly, a great wind similar to the one from last month hit the town. However, this time, the lanterns did not flicker and sway. The light diminished, leaving the small rural village in pitch darkness.
As Arche looked around in panic, he noticed that the only light left in the town were the two ominous glowing eyes of Paquito. Arche carefully approached the owl, who stood in place staring at the boy. I know what to do… Arche thought.
Step by step, Arche came closer to Paquito, until finally, he was just one step away. A crowd had grown as the light between Paquito and Arche grew. Hesitantly, Arche reached out his palm, and to everyone’s surprise, the owl nestled his claw into it. When they touched, a sphere of light engulfed the town. The Sage made its way to where Arche and Paquito once were. When everyone’s eyes adjusted to the newfound light, they saw two small spheres of light; one a calm blue, and the other a fierce yellow. The Sage slowly cupped the two into his palm and raised them into the sky, where they slowly levitated past the peak of the pine tree, past the once-lit lanterns, and past the sky. Almost immediately, the sky lit up, covering itself with an aurora of lavender, mauve, saffron, azure, all the colors one could name.
“Ho! The prophecies were true! The boy holds the spirit of the Moon. Paquito was free of his burden of holding all sunlight, carefully stored in his eyes. Both spirits, the Moon and Sun, have been awakened! See, my people, the Sun!” The Sage stretched both arms up into the heavenly sky.
It was only then did The Sage notice the significance of the boy and the owl’s name: Arche, translating to Moon and meaning beginning; the beginning of a new world of light, and Paquito, meaning free, for it was Paquito who freed the lands from eternal darkness.
Written by Sophia Zong from Pleasanton, CA
