Girl from the pond – a short story

There I stood looking upon the pond.

And before me arose a mist from the shimmering surface

like gold leaf on an Egyptian statue.

Across the mist there arose a gentle bird

whose wings spread across the water and sent ripples across the pond.

The fish rose up to meet the wind and basked in the bird’s glory.

As I stared into the sun, this bird flew slowly toward me.

She spread her wings and as the sun strained to reach past them,

the beams of light created a city behind me in the sand

from which a thousand generations rose and fell

like the coming and going of the rain.

The bird started to lower herself on the wind like a parachute

and from her body two long human legs emerged

and touched softly at the shore before me.

I reached out my hand

but the girl just stared at it.

I wasn’t sure if she was mute or spoke a language I would never understand.

But as we regarded each other,

we spoke to each other through our eyes

and between us a wind was created that powered a thousand ships

for a thousand years.

The sea behind her started to ripple as the fish protested their jealousy

And the water rose up a thousand meters into the air.

A giant wave threatened to overturn the boats and submerge the city behind me.

But the girl rose her hand,

with feathers falling from her arms,

and all around her the people of the ships and the city and the fish in the sea

joined together in a song

rejoicing her beauty and glory.

The sun was so happy that it created the moon

just so she would always be illuminated.

As the moon rose, it controlled the sea which fell back down level.

The boats returned and the fish were satisfied.

The people of the city held a festival

and fireworks flew into the sky

As the girl flew up and smiled down upon the land.