I Remember

The Spirit in the Sky

A long time ago, long before you or I had been born and the world was still new, spirits of all kinds roamed this vast space. There were spirits who took up residence in the water, whose job it was to take care of all the fish and control the tides. There were spirits who made their homes in the earth, and it was their responsibility to nurture the soil and grow crops. There were spirits in the air, in volcanoes, in every nook and cranny of the world. However, there was one place that was rather short on magical creatures.

High up above the earth was a lone spirit who lived in the clouds. She had a wisp of a body, fluffy wings, and her hair was made of raindrops and sunlight. She was by far the most beautiful of the spirits, but she was also the loneliest. For all of the other spirits had many of their respective kind and never longed for the company of others, while the spirit in the clouds was all alone. The earth spirits could not leave their beloved soil, and the water spirits were tied to the aquatic areas where they dwelled. The flame spirits could not leave their fiery homes for fear of being extinguished, and the single house in the sky was even too high up for even the air spirits to reach. Yes, the spirit of the skies was cursed to live a life alone.

One day, as she watched her fellow spirits far below her, all smiles and laughter, the lonely spirit began playing with a stray piece of cloud from one of her wings. She absentmindedly stretched it out, isolating its core parts and mixing them back together, over and over again. Suddenly she felt the cloud harden in her palm, and she looked down to see something she had never seen before. In her hand was a tiny, perfect snowflake.

The spirit had never seen an object so pure, so beautiful. For a moment she had completely forgotten her pain, and a new emotion spread through her. She was happy. After years of suffering, she had finally found joy.

The spirit in the sky began creating more snowflakes, each one more perfect and lovely than the last, and the more she made, the more at ease she felt and the lighter she became. The clouds that composed her body were no longer dark and grey, her wings became stronger, her dewy hair glowed golden in the sunlight and framed her beautiful face like a halo. Still the spirit kept on working, and her appearance and demeanor transformed more and more every day. No longer was she the sad, lonely spirit that all pitied.

As she made more and more, her home atop the clouds began to overflow with the delicate works of art, and soon they began to fall down to the world below. It was a subtle change, and it was days before any of the spirits noticed. They were fascinated with the beauty and quality of the snowflakes, as they had never seen anything quite like them. Even the flame spirits were willing to brave the cold just for a glimpse at the icy wonders. The spirits of the earth soon started a tradition of calling off all work on the days when enough flakes fell for the ground to be covered, instead opting to play in the snow dusted fields. They called the time when the most snow fell- when the spirit above was busiest- winter.

However, with time the spirit once again began to feel lonely, and it wasn't long before she was back to gazing out over the spirits tethered to the earth, longing for their lives so full of friendship. One day, as she sat on the edge of a cloud, making snowflakes while staring in on the lives of others, her hand faltered. It slipped in such a way that her arm made a movement she had never done before, and, to her surprise, the sunlight from above shifted and followed her every movement. The spirit had never known she was capable of such a thing, and she was once again filled with delight, the pain she had felt moments before slipping away.

The spirit practiced bending the light waves every day, and soon began adding new flourishes and steps to her movements, creating a dance that was more beautiful even than the snowflakes. She learned how to change the color of the sky at dusk, and was soon painting elaborate pictures on her newfound canvas. Each day her art became more and more magnificent, and her heart was filled with joy. She began to transform once more, her body becoming lighter, her wings more radiant, and the sunshine that fueled her talent seemed to seep into her body, giving off a soft, angelic glow.