Musings of a Lonely Mind

As I sit here again, as I do every day, wondering how on earth I am still in existence, I begin once again to look back onto my life in an attempt to discover where I went wrong. I never expected to find myself in this location, this island no sane person would ever willingly inhabit. The trees are small and provide little shade and the grass is sharp and unforgiving on my sun burnt skin. My mind wanders once again down that path as I relive for the millionth time the series of events leading to my current predicament...

As a young child I was incurably curious about the world around me, always on the move exploring the various valleys and woodlands surrounding our small cottage on the edge of the village Alinatia. As I grew older I would hire myself as a servant to travelers coming through the village on their way to the larger cities of Hanira and Lyron which lay over the mountains in the west. In this way I would spend my summers far from my overbearing parents and for three glorious months I would be free to explore the cities after nightfall while the rest of the family was asleep. I had always been thankful for being of the race that needs only very little sleep to survive. Sleep seemed like such a waste of time when there was an entire world to explore.

When I completed my schooling, I was sold by my parents as a sailor on the ship Evinti, a common practice among the lower classes. It was soon apparent I had no sailing skills and I was soon given the job of ship tailor until they discovered my race and I was given the job of night lookout as well. I befriended another young sailor named Ghaban on that ship and the two of us soon became known as the most mischievous soldlings to ever grace the gallant Evinti. It was our antics, however, that saved her from destruction on several occasions.

After being on the ship for three years, Ghaban and I became full members of the crew, something unheard of for even one soldling. The captain promoted us to Chief Lookouts and Personal Advisers. At that time the Land Counsel had passed a law outlawing all activities on the ocean. All ships were to return permanently to shore to remain until further notice. There was a great battle brewing between the Land Counsel and the Oceaners, a small but powerful race of water-beings which dwelt beneath the waves and assisted trade ships in their routes to the Sunlands beyond the sea.

This impending battle was the beginning of my troubles. With the Evinti and thousands of other ships anchored in Lyron, jobs were scarce and out of work sailors quickly turned to theft to put food in their bellies. In desperation, many took to the seas despite the edict from the Land Counsel. These vessels began to join with the Oceaners, who were also growing destitute without the tax money to support themselves and were attempting to grow an army of land dwellers...

A bird landed on my shoulder, pulling me from my memories. I smiled faintly and gave her a pat on the head. "Islat," I crooned softly. "I am glad I have you here. I suppose i should get something in my stomach soon, eh?" My bright blue companion nodded.

I pulled myself up off the grass and slowly walked up the path. The trees rustled gently in the breeze, the first in six months. The sound was one of the most beautiful I had ever heard.

Deep in the center of the small island was a small valley which I now called home. A small hut sat on the edge of a meadow next to a crystal clear stream. As I entered, my stomach grumbled lightly at the sight of the meal which was waiting for me. Picking up a plate, I heaped it full of the wonderful food spread before me and thanked Islat as I did every meal. She had taken care of my needs since the day I had arrived on the island, alone and with no hope of rescue...

After Ghaban was killed in a riot outside the Land Counsel's Chambers, I was devastated. In desperation, with no food and no escape from the turmoil of my country, I went to the nearest tavern and within an hour had a crew of tired and ragged sailors ready to follow me to the end of the world. We climbed aboard the abandoned Evinti and set sail to join the now hundreds of ships readying to wage war on the stubborn Land Counsel's army. Suddenly, I had found myself captain. By questioning a passing Oceaner, we soon found their camp and within a week were doing battle with the Landers.

We battled for weeks for a cause none of us truly understood. It was only after we had lost our third battle the rumors began to filter through the ranks. Rumors about race mixing and segregation camps. It soon became clear we were fighting for something much larger than the trade routes. As the weeks passed and we drew back to regroup, the truth finally came out. The Land Counsels was working to split the continent into the Seven Races, giving each their own region. The northern lands, with little to no darkness, were to be given to my own people, the Sleep Race. The more barren lands of the south were to be set aside for Ghaban's race, the Food Race, who required little food to survive. The rest of the continent would be divided between the Air Race, the Sky Race, the Water Race, the Shelter Race, and the Elite Race. All were to be given the lands which best suited their own abilities but would not be allowed to leave their regions for any reason. Only the Normals would be allowed to travel freely.

With renewed fervor we went into battle again, bound and determined to do all we could to prevent this atrocity from occurring. Unfortunately our efforts would be in vain. The Land Counsel's army outnumbered us in every way. Our ships had few provisions and our men were poorly trained. We were soon defeated and our ships taken captive. The captains of the ships, myself included, were sentenced to spend the rest of our lives in Solitude, the ocean beyond the Sunlands, where the islands were so far apart and so small no one ever bothered to go. It became common practice to abandon traitors on an island to spend the rest of their lives completely alone. And so I arrived on this island, to be forgotten forever by the rest of the world...

I finished my meal and returned to the meadow to tend to the small garden I had planted with seeds provided by my faithful companion. I was uncertain how Islat came by the wonderful food and supplies she provided but I knew better than to ask her. She would only ever respond with a nod or shake of her head and when once I had asked she flew away not to return for three days, during which time I had no food and the very water dried up. I can only guess she is the visible form of the island's soul.

I was destined to spend the rest of my existence on this tiny island and as I could not change my situation, I was determined to make as much of it as possible. With Islat providing all my bodily needs I had no need to work, however, my life of constant activity made this impossible. I spent most of my time tending to my garden in the meadow. This seemed to make Islat very happy and I was pleased to be of service to my guardian. I had created my own floral paradise in that meadow and I loved nothing more than spending time caring for what had become my child. Here in this place I was surrounded by colors and scents which brought a quiet I had never known to my soul and it was here I knew that I would be perfectly content to spend the rest of my life in this place, my own revenge against a government which would never know the difference.