When the People first arrived on the island, the great Captain divided the People into four groups.

Unto the first group he spake

“ You, the People of the darkness , I give for you the place in the light. Yours is the bright place of the Sun. May you revel in the Sun’s energy.”

A dark man came forward and bowed

“Thank you, oh Captain, whose generosity surpasses all. We will take the Sun’s energy, only to give.”

unto the second group he spake

“ You, the People of the Earth, I give for you a place of the Earth. Yours is the central place of the Earth. May you nourish yourself with the Earth’s soil.”

A brown woman came up and curtsied

“Thank you, oh Captain, whose wisdom is timeless. We will be nourished by the soil, only to sow and nurture.”

And unto the third group he spake

“You, the People of of the sand, I give for you a place of the water. Yours is the aqueous place of the unmeasurable coastline. May you forever cleanse yourself with the water’s purity.”

An ochre man came forward and bowed

“Thank you, oh Captain, whose justice is fairest. We will clean ourselves, only to cleanse our domain.

But to the remaining, fourth group he looked on and was silent.

A fair woman came forward

“The island that you have brought us to is wondrous, are we the People of the sky, to have our share of this island?”

The mighty Captain was silent.

A fair man came forward

“We have travelled with you for many Suns, is it not only just that we are to have a quarter of this paradise?”

The Captain remained silent.

A silence engulfed the gathering. Though the People were one in this silence, they were divided, now. For the first time, they felt apart from the People. They also felt apart from their groups. For the first time, each person interpreted individually an event that had been experienced collectively. They looked at one another, confused, insecure and suspicious.

A commotion had started amongst the fairer People. However, with a flash of the Captain’s eyes, the silence resumed. People made way as a toddler slowly crawled its way towards the Captain. Without hesitating, the toddler clutched at one of the Captain’s trunk-like legs, and pressed its head against it in a tight embrace.

The Captain’s face broke into a smile.

“Oh the People of the Sky! Child is no doubt the father of man. Here you, fair lady, fair man, you would take, giving nothing. Here is your child, he gives his heart, taking nothing. That is how the People have lived best, taking little, giving all. To you the People of the Sky, I give you, yourself. Little though it may seem, now, when you use it to take, you shall take all. It is not for you that you will take, it is for the child at my feet. For it is from your child that you will learn to give, and it is to your child that you will give.”

The great Captain paused.

“Henceforth, the People, you are the People of the Island. This Island is yours to take, yours to give. Ultimately, though, it will be the island that takes you. Explore this paradise, People of the Island. People of Darkness, the Sun is easiest found, for the art of discovery itself, is the Sun’s own. People of the Earth, the Earth is not hard to find either, for one must not look neither forward, nor backward, but under, to find it. People of the Sand, on this Island water is all around, however water is inside too. Though this inside water may be uncovered timeously, it is this water that is purest. People of the Sky, when you look upwards, see not the distant shore, hidden peak, the far flung star or galaxy. See nothing but yourself, and you shall find yourself.”

End of Part One