Light and Life

By Maya William

(Unedited version. All rights and characters belong to the author.)

"Once upon a time, life arrived to a desert when a group of nymphs brought the elements of water, wind, fire and earth to the land.

With them, water sprouted from the dead land creating a river; mountains appeared, and trees grew tall enough to reach the clouds; the new landscape once dead came to life.

The nymphs stayed and continue their good work, providing the elements the land needed. The rule was to keep a safe haven, to love and treat others as they would like to be treated; as long as these rules were followed, the land would prosper and their magic would be passed on from generation to generation, enriching the land.

For centuries, the once small forest grew and with it, the nymphs' kingdom. Order needed to be established, and so a king was named. The king ruled peacefully and kindly, harmony was maintained and so it was decided the crown should be passed to his heir.

However, after several generations of kings and queens, envy between the royal families grew and this was passed on to their subjects; the harmony which once existed began to decay and together with it, the nymphs' powers.

The nymphs were now being classified by the strength of their powers; not a good omen, especially when they began to be revealed later in life rather than in their childhood. However, one thing was clear; if by their eighteenth birthday their powers weren't revealed, their hope would be considered lost.

Those with no power would be then isolated, as if they were cursed. They were sent to perform simple mundane jobs; they were known as the outcasts.

It didn't take many years before only a few were gifted enough, and in charge of protecting the forest. However, the king's mind was elsewhere and he thought "as long as there was one nymph for each of the elements, the forest would still be safe."

From a young age, the young nymphs would hear the element calling, and if they were lucky enough, magic would grace them with its fortune. Teachers would train the young nymphs, including the king's daughters, on the importance of each of the elements. However, it was well known the king's eldest daughter had her head lost in the clouds, constantly daydreaming about the outside, playing with the crystal and the rays of light, finding it quite curious how the light would refract.

When it was time to choose the elements, students were eager. When the fiery red flag was shown a lot of boys were eager, for it was well known the power which lies behind fire. Afterwards, the blue flag was shown and quickly the younger princess, Aqua, chose it, showing her love for water. Close by the yellow flag danced, their instructor showing off with his powers, allowing the flag to dance at his command displaying the wind element, a few boys joined in, hoping to be as their mighty king. Last, but not least, the green flag was raised; to some, the weakest element of them all, but this does not deter their decision, for boys and girls were cheering.

By the time the ceremony was about to end, there was a girl, Aura, standing at the top of her seat, her arm stretched, her hand held up high, holding a crystal while waiting for the light to shine. Her crown fell from her head with a loud crash. The teacher reprimanded her and pointed at each of the flags asking her to decide. She simply shook her head and looked up at the rays of light, wondering how magnificent it would be to reach for the sun.

Meanwhile, not too far away a young nymph, Eemon, whose magic was yet to be revealed decided to explore the forest. However, what he found sent shivers down his spine; for what was once a sight full of life was now falling apart. In that moment, he had a moment of revelation and knew if the forest died, the nymph kingdom would die, too. He then decided to make it his duty and return this place to its initial glory.