September 17, 2014 - The Island of Aster

There once was a tiny little island out in the ocean, faraway from any large landmass.  It was a very lonely place because no one ever visited it and no one ever wanted to.  It was just too faraway and too inconvenient to get there.  It was also very small and would hardly hold more than a handful of houses on it anyhow, and so it languished away out in the ocean in sorrow and loneliness.

The ocean, though often swift and fierce, can be kind at times as well.  She heard the little island crying softly every night and decided something must be done soon or the whole ocean would be in tears and the mermaids would stop doing their jobs.  On a particularly mild morning she materialized as a tiny mermaid on the shore of the island in order to get to the bottom of his problems and see what she could do to help.  Well, the island was simply overjoyed to see the mermaid and told her of his extreme loneliness.  He begged and begged her to stay.

“I cannot do that,” said the ocean, “for I only materialize on rare occasions and not for very long as I am uncomfortable in solid form.  But here is what you must do to ease your loneliness.  Find a beautiful and special gift, and I will send my fastest gull to you tomorrow morning.  Give her the gift and she will fly it faraway to the Queen of the mainland in the west.  When the Queen sees your special gift, she will want to visit you and may even stay for a while, assuming of course, that your gift is nice.”

Wild asters growing on the Island of Aster.

Just as quickly as she had appeared, the mermaid dematerialized, turning back into water and flowing into the ocean again.  Now the island was both hopeful and fearful at the same time.  He was overwhelmed with joy at the opportunity but was afraid he would not have a special enough gift.  All day long he wondered and worried, becoming more and more upset as the day wore on.  Finally, sunset had come and he still did not have a gift.  He went to sleep very sad and crying, once again.

In the morning, as promised, the gull appeared and asked for the gift.  The island had nothing to give the gull and was about to say so when he saw a patch of the tiny lavender flowers that grew all over the land.  He picked a beautiful bouquet of them and gave them to the gull, thinking that the gull would give them to the ocean as a thank you present for at least trying to ease his loneliness.  But the gull set off at once for the mainland with the bouquet firmly in his beak.

The gull flew straight to the Queen at her palace, who was having lunch with her maidens in the garden.  He gently dropped the bouquet at the Queen’s feet and stood silently at attention for her orders.  The Queen was beside herself with joy and longing.  She had never seen such exquisitely tiny and beautiful lavender flowers!  She decided right then and there that she would have more of these flowers and would make them available throughout her land.

“I insist you show me where you found these exotic little flowers immediately,” she said to the gull, who nodded in obedience.  And so the Queen, her maidens, and many fine sailors and soldiers all set off in one of her great ships, guided by the gull.  At last they landed on the tiny little island.

“This is where you found the flowers?” the Queen snapped at the gull.  “This tiny and forlorn little place?”  Again the gull nodded.  The Queen was confused and wary, but slowly she began to walk about, exploring.  She didn’t have to walk very far when she came across a huge patch of the tiny lavender flowers, and there were also tiny white ones as well.  The Queen was beside herself with joy and triumph!

“Well,” she said, “I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself!”  Immediately, she told the rest of her crew to disembark from the ship.  They decided to all stay for the evening and have a party.  And what a party it was!!  Fine food, fine wine, and fine musicians played long into the night.  It was the greatest thing that had ever happened to the little island in his entire life.  Not only that, he overheard the Queen talking to her men, and she said that she would build a tiny little vacation cottage on the island and visit it regularly.  She also said that she would come and get some seeds from the beautiful little flowers and spread them throughout her land.

As she said this, though, she wondered what she would call the little flowers.  It would have to be a special name, she decided.  So as the music played and the people danced, the Queen wandered off a bit into the darkness.

“Now what shall I call these flowers?” she asked out loud, not expecting an answer.

“I haven’t given them a name,” the island responded.  The queen turned around, very surprised and apprehensive because she thought she was alone.

“Show yourself!” she commanded.

“It is I, your majesty, the island.”
“Ah, a magical place, indeed,” said the Queen, “And what do you call yourself?”

“I am the Island of Aster,” he responded.

“Very well, then, island.  I shall call these flowers ‘asters,’ after you.”

“Your majesty is too kind,” said the island.

“No, I'm not,” said the Queen, “but I am practical and greedy.  If you will provide me with as many asters as I desire, I will name them after you and your land will be honored.”

Of course, the island agreed but explained to the Queen that the asters were only available during the autumn.  However, he promised he would give her a spectacular show every year.  The Queen was satisfied with this.  She went back to the festivities and then fell fast asleep.  She left early the next morning but soon came back as she had promised, and as the island promised, he gave her a spectacular show of asters.

The Queen built a wonderful little cottage on the tiny island, and eventually the two of them became very good friends.  And even though both are now long gone, you can still see the tiny little asters dotting the countryside everywhere in the Fall, in honor of the Queen and the Island of Aster.