The Story of Andra of the Island
The Story of Andra of the Island (revised)
There was a civilized group of immortal people living on an island. There they lived where no main events occurs. There were no seasons, no past worth celebrating, and no milestones to think on. When they thought on their past there was no war or battles that th
ey remember. Here they have been living on this strange island for centuries, without aging, death or birth. It was peaceful, though it was quiet, until one day a woman who willed for change decided to do the most unusual thing on the island. She decided to walk over to the shore, grab a log take it home. This was unusual for there wasn’t a need for firewood, they didn’t feel warmth. She placed the wood on the table in the house that she never ate from. She got some tools and carved the wood into the shape of a little girl. She didn't know why she did it, but she wanted to see this wood take a new form. The wind was blowing in from the windows, anticipating the sculpture's arrival. When it was ready the woman kissed it on the forehead and saw her turn into a real girl. She gave the little girl a tunic to wear that she made for her to wear.
As the little girl started to learn about her home on the island she realizes how strangely young she was. Many of the other villagers admired her for her age. She didn’t understand why her mom wanted to have a child. Her mom told her she wanted to see a new life, something she has never gotten to see before. Her mom cherished having a little girl, something she couldn’t quite explain to the other villagers. Nevertheless they enjoyed raising the little girl in their village, teaching her how to read, write and even do sword play. They called her Andra because of her very warrior like skills. As she grew older she finally stopped growing after having ended maturity. She knew everybody on that island. Many of them have told her their stories of living on the island, but many of these stories were essentially the same and very short.She wanted to learn more but at such a young age she knew that she grew and changed, but knew she seemed rather confused as to why this lack of change. Some of the villagers were also surprised by how her personality had changed over time on the island, for they didn’t understand her growing maturity.Everyone admired her and enjoyed being with her and she grew to appreciate them very much. The world was very different until the ocean brought a surprise on its shore. Andra noticed from outside the beach that there was a strange object on the shore. Many of the others took notice of the wooden contraption as well and gathered around it to observe. Andra ran towards the ship with curiosity and walked to touch it. She noticed the wood was weathered and the contraption beaten down for some time. A noise came from the inside, sounded like a man, she went inside to find the voice. Many of the villagers watched with fear and excitement about the event happening before them. Andra found a man who had on black boots, hose, a blue doublet with a belt around it, and a black feathered hat. He was stuck in the rubble of the ship and she helped him out, she concerned even after she saved him, she never seen anyone hurt before.
The man looked at the villagers in curiosity, it was like looking into a window into a past era. There was a strangeness not only to their clothes, for they also were lien in their clothes. He asked where he was, assuming these villagers were different from the natives discovered by James Cooke. A man told him that the island had no name. Andra was curious about the man, asking him who he was from and what he wanted to do. The man told her his man was Jordi. He was a trader on another ship sailing towards the Philippines. He went on a smaller ship to reach the shore of another island but it disappeared like a mirage, as did the ship as well. Jordi was confused an sailed back towards where he had last seen the ship but he never saw it again. He experienced a storm approaching, but it was so unusual. How many storms had a face with a mouth descending towards him from the sky? The strange events lead him to wake up inside the rubble of this small ship. As he told Andra this story she was delighted to here something different from what she had known. No story had ever grabbed her attention, for all stories were left on the island as mere facts with no point around them. This one at least allowed her to explore the possibilities and thoughts that she could imagine.
Jordi asked about the island, and Andra was glad to show him around. She was amazed by his face when he noticed how clean the town’s roads were, and how quiet the place was. As she gave him a tour of the customs and jobs people would do he started to wonder where their children where. Andra wasn’t sure how to approach the question. He told her about his city and how there are ‘children’, young small people who are raised by a man and woman their homes as a ‘family’. Andra started to recognize what he was talking about and told him she’s never seen another child before. But she still thought it unusual when he talked about the ‘family’. She wanted to learn more about them, he told her about how different they behave from fully grown people who aren’t children anymore. Andra was starting to relate this to her own strange life and the amusement the villagers had for her when she was still seeing the world anew. Hearing his story lead to a rebirth in that wonder that she started to lose from growing accustomed to the island’s typical ways. She felt freshness come from everything that he would do, and he acted differently speaking in an unusual manner to her.
As the day went by he noticed the sun didn’t set. Jordi was having a strange feeling that something wasn’t normal about this place, the way he got there was very unusual as it is, but he could understand what was going on with the sun not setting. He checked his watch and found that it was already midnight, but the sun was still above him. The man told Andra he needed to leave the Island real soon. Andra was suddenly surprised and asked him why. He didn’t know how to explain but asked her if the villagers could help him with rebuilding his ship. Andra smiled and ran down towards the shore of the island, and Jordi chased after her.
Once he got the shore he saw what Andra wanted to show him: the ship was fully rebuilt with fresh wood. The man looked back at Andra with a lost look on his face. She knew he still had many questions and Andra still wanted to know more about Jordi, so she decided she should go on the ship to help him. Everyone else was looking from a distance, still wondering who he was. Andra wanted to learn more about the society of Jordi and their life. She climbed on the ship and he was glad to have her come on board. Her mother looked at her with concern but she knew her daughter could take care of herself from any danger that could come her way. Andra looked back at her with joy upon her face and her mother decided to see where her journey leads her.
The villagers helped push the ship off shore and they began to sail. Jordi pulled out a compass and it started to spin in all directions until the Island disappeared behind a strange fog. When it stopped the fog cleared away showing the sun positioned in the afternoon. On the journey to the man’s homeland she saw the sun going down and disappeared under the ocean. She was worried that the ocean swallowed the sun and Jordi explained to her that it will come back. The sun and earth move with time and time will continue until its end. She observed the dark sky but soon came to adjust her eyes to this darkness. She was the numerous stars in the sky for the first time, she saw clouds moving under the stars. As they sailed Andra and the man got to learn more about each other. Andra learned about the strange stuff too such as the need for food, sleep and even the need to excrete waste. She also learned about the customs of the people and their dress. So when they made it to his homeland she was prepared to see what she understood as different from her island. Thick dark clouds were approaching the ship and thunder was roaring from above. The rain came and poured over the ship, Andra got worried, the man seemed calm when he was dealing with the ship. Andra became calm after seeing how relaxed he was. She became amazed by the rain and became relieved when the sun came out. When they arrived on the mainland the man decided to show her around the port.
They went to the central square of the town where she was introduced to a variety of different people, of various ages. She saw a young man show her breads that were made from wheat, a middle aged woman selling lettuce, even an adolescent boy cutting meat at a butcher shop. She was offered a sandwich but when she took a bite out of it she didn’t taste anything, she felt the need to spit it out. It felt strange to have food go through her throat. She noticed how delighted the people at the port where in eating, and she wanted to experience that taste. She saw a little girl that reminded her of herself, and an old man with a smile come up to her. He offered his hand and she shook it with delight seeing how beautiful it must have been seeing the various stages of age before her. She saw families with children, parents and grandparents, as well as siblings. She even saw siblings as parents, and many other family relations. She got to Jordi’s family when she came to his home. Jordi bought some clothes for Andra to where. She got dressed invthe chemise, kirtle, and gown, which we great for her to see. She learned the customs of the townspeople around the area and she decided to practice swordplay with the soldiers there. She loved to see the sky change and the days go by on the land. She was bewildered by the sight of age but soon aw beauty behind it. She wanted to experience old age and die with a new life. After she learned about She wanted to protect the people, knowing the war that was occurring in their land. Time goes by fast but life seems more vivid in the land of mortals, while in her land the people seem to be living but waste their time indulging most of the time.
For the first time since she felt the island she wanted to actually experience life, not just live. The mortals appreciate life than the immortals have shown in centuries. She recalled how the only excitement her people had was when she was growing up after she was born from wood. She decided to return to her land to tell them she wanted to become mortal. Her mother overheard her, her appearance into this distant land surprised Andra.
“So this is where my daughter wants to stay, in the land of mortals, after she’s lived as an immortal for only two centuries.” Her mother said with a hint of remorse.
“Mother if you could I would love to live with the mortals, they live life…”
“I’ve created you because I wished to raise a child, as the mortals raise children. I raised you knowing no matter how long I live life will continue to contain nothing but longing with me, unless I experience Love. You gave the experience of storge, family love, and I appreciate everything that you’ve given me.”
“I want to experience all four Loves given to humanity from the first Love, the one that brought all love into being. Mother, could you make me mortal?”
“I can, but once you become mortal, you can never come back to the Island again.”
“Will you join me mother?”
“I will.”
Her mother kissed her on the forehead and allowed her to become a mortal. From there Andra and her mother became mortal, never to return and lived in the communities that she lived with. Her mother saw Andra get married, have children and she became a grandmother. They loved life ever since, for live is not worth living without Love, and that was something they came to recognize and lived for the rest of their days.