I think a compromise was made a long time ago to preserve the peace. The water could not bear the beauty that the land poured forth. Even though there was stunning brilliance beneath the waves, it could not be seen. It remained hidden with the deep blue mirror. But the land? She had no shame. She delivered her beauty in abundance at the feet of any who would ask for it, and even those who did not ask at all.
As anyone can tell you, it does not do well to anger the
water sprites. Flood after raging flood
ravaged the land until the world was quite forlorn and headed for certain
destruction, yet still the water creatures showed no sign of letting up. Just when it seemed as though the world might
perish, a small plant volunteered a small solution. That plant was a little lily.
 |
| A brave plant, indeed. |
She flung her roots way down low into the water and was
amazed at the beauty she saw in the deep blue pools. Surely, it was grander than anything she had
seen on the dry Earth. The water plants
were as intrigued with her as she was with them, and so instead of drowning
her, they gave her some beautiful qualities that were usually only reserved for
the Kingdom of Water.
The first sprouts reached the surface of the water, and then
they formed flat leaves, which the lily called “pads.” The pads often got quite large and were
visited by exotic insects who loved to sun themselves in the irresistible
combination of sun and water. This
thrilled the frogs who delighted in the windfall of insects, and the explosion
of new frogs in turn delighted the birds and foxes.
And it would have been just fine if the lily had stopped
there because it was a beautiful sea of brilliant floating green pads, like
shiny and perfect little green boats.
How lovely! But the lily was not
done. Armed with the knowledge of the
water creatures, she sent out colored balls atop the pads. The sun came to investigate and kissed them, whereupon
they burst open into brilliant, peculiar flowers of white, yellow, and
pink. There they floated, spiky and
beautiful in the sun, surrounded by water, untouchable by land.
That the Earth put forth a dazzling display of loveliness of
infinite forms cannot be denied, but to this day she still cannot recreate the water
lily with the bold flat green leaves and flowers that mimic the sun. Secretly she seethes in jealousy but says not
a word. Another flood to engulf the
world would not do at all. So she sits
at the edge of the water and stares out into a world of beauty she can never
enter, and that will just have to be good enough for her.
