A Man Not Like Them

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash‍ ‍

Between heaven and earth, there is a place where the sky is filled with a constant hum. A place where birds float on everlasting winds. A place where a flap of the wings is only necessary in the beginning. A place where soaring to new heights isn’t a figure of speech. No one has been there lately, and this place where we originated from, exists only in our memories. 

Our people used to watch the birds and pray they could fly. As collective beings they gave it a great deal of thought. One day a young girl noticed she was no longer walking on the ground but was stepping on the softness of nothing. Soon others noticed and she was hailed as a healer, for she could rise on demand. She did not know how this occurred, but she kept telling everyone to believe they could walk on air. Over time, one by one they were able to rise high into the sky.

As a whole they were unstoppable. Years passed and this tribe created many beautiful things. They were able to live in harmony with the earth and each other, because they knew what they had was special. 

Then one day, a man not like them arrived at the place they called home. When this man saw they could fly, he knew if they would only teach him then he could teach others and become wealthy. Time went by and he tried to learn their ways. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he should care about what they were teaching him, but he cared more about all the money he was going to make. 

When he realized he wasn’t learning to fly as fast as they had, he began to get angry at these people who had taken him in. Soon his anger started to infect the whole tribe. They grew frightened of this man, and one by one their feet never again left the ground. This man whose only true goal was to become wealthy had destroyed an entire village. His hatred for his inability to fly made it impossible for others to fly. “Why should you all be happy and have this gift if I can’t have it also,” he screamed. 

It wasn’t long until the loving and peaceful vibe was soured by this angry man. It is said that he changed the course for all humans, simply because he was incapable of being happy for others and their abilities.

— Nicole Barden 3/8/2022