The Sailor and the Light

Many seasons and many years before our time, there was a sailor renowned for his mastery of the oceans. He had travelled across continents, through storms and sun with no fear. The time he spent on land was minuscule compared to the time he spent on the great blue ocean.

After years and years of sailing across oceans and discovering new lands and new people the sailor came to discover that there were people everywhere but none of them knew each other existed. Everyone believed they were alone, but in fact, the sailor discovered that there was a huge human family out there to be reunited. He dedicated his life to save humanity from its lonesome using his mastery of the sea to find all forgotten and lost people.  The sailor grew old with his mission, met a woman in one of his travels and had a son who grew into a sailor just like him. His son followed him and learned everything he knew about the world and the sea from his father. The sailor reiterated to his son at every possible moment, that they had come to this earth with a greater destiny than many, they were destined to help create the biggest human family and connect the humanity one destination by one. 

When the son started getting a voice of a man and no longer a boy, the father started to grow white hair. The stronger the son got, the weaker the sailor got who was once known to be the greatest sailor of all time. The sea inevitably took years from the sailor, but the sailor would never change those years to his destiny. On his death bed, the sailor gifted his son with his destiny – one to be inherited from himself. 

“My son” he said “I am so proud of you. You were born on this very ship, in the moonlight of the dark sea. You were born on the sea and you belong to the sea, you are a true man of the sea. Knowing this, I am confident to pass down my destiny to you. I would like to you fulfil the part of my destiny that I was not able to fulfil”.

The son feared the loss of his father but was honoured to carry on his father’s legacy to help unite all peoples of the world. The father continued speaking between what would be his last breaths; “Son, I have done the unimaginable and connected more people than I ever thought could exist. There is no land I have not discovered on this earth except for one. A land I tried to reach long before you were born. An island far from any, close to the ice at the edge of the world. I have left a map in my chamber, you must use the map and find the island. Once you find it, you must make sure that the island can be found by others too. Once you fulfil this the whole human family will be united and our destiny will be fulfilled”.  Without even finishing the last word, the sailor departed this world. 

Tears dropped from the sons face and a fire started inflaming in his heart. His heart knew what he had to do, he had to find the island and make sure it was discoverable after he passed. Even if it was the last thing he did. 

Just as his father, the son travelled the seas and oceans meeting and connecting with many people. Throughout the years, compiled with his experience he gained the same title as his father and the world came to know him as the greatest sailor with the mission of connecting and uniting all people. He tried many times to find the lost island his father talked of. Many attempts he made, to the edge of the world guarded by ice but could never find the lost people.

After trying and trying, over and over again, he found the lands his father spoke of. The water surrounding the island was dark as black and wild as a bore. 

The father was not able to land on the island because of the feisty sea. But the son was a pure man of the sea even more so than his father. He spoke the language of the water. This is why his father entrusted him with what he was not able to do. After fighting with crashing waves, the sailor finally reached the island. The island looked different than he imagined. It was an island, full of greenery and beautiful turquoise lakes and white sandy beaches. The air was fresher than the heavens and there were red blossom trees that bloomed everywhere. The sailor was expecting a grey, cold, icy island, after all, it was on the edge of the world guarded by the great Antarctic ice. 

He trekked hours into the island looking for some sign of people. The island was quiet, it almost felt like there were no people on it. But he knew his father wouldn’t have sent him here if he wasn’t sure there were some lost, forgotten people. And he was right, on his fifth night on the island the sailor was greeted by a group of 10 women and men. The people looked friendly, warm and cheerful. But they were caught by surprise. No one else but them had ever stepped foot on the land from a time that could be remembered. 

The sailor had gone to all ends of the world and had picked up all kinds of foreign dialects but the one the island people spoke was one he could not identify or understand. But he did not want to give up. The people were welcoming in their gestures and made the sailor feel at home and comfortable even without a common language. The sailor joined the people’s camp and started living alongside them picking up their language more and more every day. His father had always taught him that the human family is different but the same at their core. He taught him that the difference we perceive is a mere visage, and beyond the visage, we are all the same. This is why neither the father nor the son was ever thrown off their mission to unite people if they could not understand the people they had found because they knew if they tried hard enough and fully believe they were the same as those people in their core they would one day feel one with them by learning their language, their ways, their culture.

After one year of living with the island people, although not fluent the sailor could now communicate with them in their native language. The sailor had truly enjoyed his time in paradise, discovering the heavenly island and the mesmerizing culture of the island people but he could not let this distract him from the first reason that took him there at the first place. He called for a meeting with the chief to explain his reason to land on the island.

The chief and his advisor gather in the tribe hall waiting to hear what the sailor had to say. In the island people’s language the sailor said ” I thank you from the depths of my heart chief, you and your people have made me feel welcome from the first day we met. In addition to that, you have given me the gift of entering your world by teaching me your language, your ways. I would like to now offer you a gift. There is whole another world beyond the ocean with people who speak different languages. But they are the same as me and you. We are all family. I came to this island, to make sure you are not alone and that you know you have a human family beyond the oceans. I need to build a fire torch on the tallest mountain facing the oceans so that you can go to explore and then find your way back home by following the light, as well as for other people of other lands to come here and meet you and your ways.”. The chief was stunned, he always knew there was a possibility of other people outside their island but did not know the whole world was full of life. He quickly agreed to a fire torch being built, as he wanted to go and discover new lands and people and find his way back home too. But there was a problem. With a nervous voice, the chief said ” I want to help you build a fire torch but this is not possible. The highest point facing the oceans is Palliser and it is guarded by the Witches Forest and the Giant Seal Monsters, even if we wanted to build a torch we would never be able to pass these, it is too dangerous to get to Palliser. Many strong warriors have tried for years and years but none have come back.

The sailor was not ready to quit now, after all, he had done to fulfil his father’s wishes. He assured the chief that monsters are just another mirage of the selves we don’t want to be and that the best way to fight a monster is to feel the monster. The chief did not understand it but allowed the sailor to set out for an excursion to Palliser to see if he could make it. 

The sailor knew the island was heavenly but had not realized it was magical. The monsters and witches excited the sailor even more, as he was about to discover something he had not yet discovered in all his years on earth. 

The next day, the chief guided the sailor to the ocean road and said “You need to continue on this road until you reach, the Witches Forest. You must pass through the witches’ forest and then continue on the ocean road until you reach the Giant Seals. Behind the giant seals lie Palliser.”. The sailor had his backpack full of fire stones which he would use to light up the fire once he got to Palliser. The chief continued “This is where I leave you, my friend, may the land be beside you and guard you in this journey, I hope to meet you again!.” And so the sailor began his journey to Palliser.

His journey was not a long one, one that would take a day if he did not stop but the sailor did not want to rush. He wanted to be slow and ready for the witches and Giant Seals. He walked for hours and hours on the beautiful ocean road, reminiscing his life on the sea. He felt a warmth of comfort within him, having the deep blue water beside him. He was on this journey with none other than his closest life companion the sea. After a journey that seemed somewhat peaceful, the sailor reached a big stone gate. The gate was taller than hills with pointy stone edges. It looked haunting and ancient. The gate looked untouched for many years, but it was open. Not the whole way but enough for any human to pass through. Here it was the gates of the Witches Forest the sailor thought to himself. He was afraid but more excited to enter this enchanted land. When he entered the forest he was greeted by tall green trees and a stone river bed. It did not look scary, he thought. The forest was guarded by tall grey stone pinnacles all around it as if it was protecting something. He walked deeper into the forest to find what the walls were hiding. The deeper he walked into the forest, he noticed a change in the air. The warm and light air started to get heavy and frosty and before he knew it thunder started to strike. There was no rain, but continuous thunder struck the floor of the forest. The sailor knew this was not nature but magic. Thunder only exist where there is rain, he thought to himself this must be the witches. The thunder was aimed at the floor and not at the sailor. Once the sailor realized this, he understood it was not defensive sorcery it was protective. He thought back to something his father once told him; “If something ever chooses to attack you, it is because they fear you. The way to stop an attack is not by fighting fire with fire but to show the other that you are not one to be feared.”. The sailor trusted in this and continued his excursion into the forest, to find a way out. He knew the Giant Seals and Palliser were past the forest and to get to them he would need to journey through the forest and out. As he was walking he realized a split in the forest track – one uphill and one downhill.  The downhill trek followed the river bed, whereas the uphill road followed dark green trees through the misty air. The misty air was smokey but the sailor could feel it was enchanted. It must be where the witches hide. He thought to himself whether he should take the safe route or the route that looks to hold more than it shows. Many warriors had passed through this forest and had not made it out, the sailor thought to himself. He realized he had to take the route that feared him. Because he knew the only way to get out was by facing whatever was hidden in this enchanted forest. His fathers’ voice echoed in his head “The cave you fear to enter, holds the treasure you seek son”.So he decided to take the route uphill, through the misty dark green trees. 

From the moment he stood beneath the trees in the upward trek he knew there was something hidden in there. He knew he could easily get lost so he started finding bright coloured rocks and hiding them around the trees so he could find his way out if he needed to. The thunder did not stop, it got louder the deeper the sailor travelled into the forest. The sailor knew this was a sign that he was getting closer to what was hiding in the forest. He continued leaving his mark to find his way around in this forest that reminded him of a maze, with his one eye wide open looking out for the witches. 

While keeping his eyes out and about looking for the witches, the sailor did not realize he was about to fall into a trap right in front of him. He stepped straight into a hole that was meters and meters below the surface. Although his fall was long, once he touched the bottom of the hole he did not feel any pain. It was almost like he had fallen onto a cushiony bed. The whole was bright yellow-coloured with shimmering walls. The sailor had fallen into many holes in this lifetime while adventuring in the world but none were as beautiful or comfortable as this one. He knew whoever had put this trap here had no reason to harm anyone. Nevertheless, the sailor had no way of getting out of the hole. He was so far down that he could not even see the surface. One thing he did realize was that the thunder haunting him had stopped when he fell into the hole.  He figured now that he was captured, the witches no longer feared him and no longer needed to strike thunder. He started looking for ways to climb out but was so soft that every time he tried to climb he would just slip back down. 

He knew he wasn’t alone in this forest, for a bare minimum there were the witches who were roaming the forest. So he started yelling as hard as he could “Anyone out there? I am a traveler searching for Palliser and I have fallen down this hole. Please help me, I can not survive in here for too long.”. He heard no voices back. He tried again and again. Louder and louder. 

Hours passed and no one came. The sailor was out of breath from all of the yelling. He sat down in the hole for a rest. He dreamed back to his days on his ship and his childhood with his mother and father. Even though he was stuck, the sailor felt at peace. Soon after the sailor was transported to the dreamland, he was greeted by a creature that he thought could only exist in a dreamland. In front of his very eyes was a little human, with dazzling blue wings. She was as big as his hand and had shiny white hair. His curiosity popped out of his mouth and he said “Hello there, little creature. May I ask you who you are?”. And little flying human replied, “Hi, my name is Mariposa and I am a fairy. Who are you?”. The sailor replied “Oh, how very wonderful! I was told this forest was full of witches, do you know if it was the witches who trapped me here?”. Very bluntly the fairy said “No, there are no witches in this forest. It is only us the fairies and the Tuatara dragon that lives along the river bed.” The sailor replied “Well, whose trap did I fall into?” Surely it can not be yours, you seem like a lovely creature. 

Indeed, the trap did belong to the fairies. The fairies have been setting up these traps for centuries to protect themselves from the Tuatara dragon. The sailor asked the fairy if he was the only human who had fallen into these traps that were meant for this dragon creature because he knew no human had returned from their venture into the forest guarded by pinnacles. The little flying fairy replied “You are most certainly not the first human to fall into our traps, but we love humans and do not want them trapped in our traps. We have met several humans through time, and they have either become our friends and lived with us here in our forest in peace but some have also left the forest through the other side to face the Giant Seal Monsters but none have left from the route they came in”. The sailor asked, ” Why is that?”. The fairy explained neither the fairy nor the humans who have roamed into the forest had been able to find the door again. It was hidden in the jungle and as hard as they tried they could not find their way out. The fairies knew a way out of the forest but the only way they knew was the road that passed through the home of the Giant Seals, they only let the bravest of humans pass through that road. The fairies themselves were too scared to pass the road, in fear the Giant Seals would eat them. The fairy said in her eyes looking down ” No fairy has ever been able to leave the forest because the safe road out of the jungle is lost and the other road is too dangerous with the Giant Seals. No fairy has ever been able to leave and survive. 

The sailor felt compassion for the fairy. He knew how hard and lonely it felt to be lost with no way out. The sailor had gotten lost many times in his journey around the world and seas. This is why he left a trail of colourful rocks while trekking up the high jungle. He knew he might get lost and he made sure he had a way out. He told the fairy about the route with the colourful rocks. He said “If you follow the road with the colourful rock you will find the door out of the forest, you can go and explore New Zealand and meet all the other humans living on this island. But before you leave, you must show me the route towards the Giant Seals. I need to get past the Giant Seals and find Palliser”. The fairy warned the sailor of the danger that awaits him on the route to Palliser but could not sway the sailor otherwise. Instead, the fairy offered the sailor a gift of gratitude to help him on his journey. A magical aqua blue rock that was enchanted with a healing spell. 

The sailor took the rock with much appreciation and continued his journey on the road guided by the fairy towards the Giant Seals. The sailor tracked down the road for 2 days until finally, he started to feel the breeze of the ocean once again. He knew he must be getting closer to the end of the forest and closer to the Giant Seals. Although the sailor was fearful to some degree to face the giant seals, he also remembered his advice from his father that he should never fear anything and that he is no threat. When the road ended and the sailor reached the ocean once again, he could see the Giant Seals from a distance. They were much bigger than any bear he had seen in the wild and taller than any animal he had witnessed. He could see about 20 Giant Seals all dressed in a different shade of grey. The sun is falling and the night was coming in, the sailor could see in the distance the Palliser Point. He knew if he travelled in the dark he could get there without even being noticed by the Giant Seals. But he needed to make sure others could travel through the Giant Seals someday to keep the fire torch glowing long after he is gone. The sailor knew in his heart he needed to face the Giant Seals and make peace with them in the name of the humans on the island. 

He waited until dawn and walked towards the Giant Seals hand in hand with the sun. He had an expectation of aggression from the seals when he arrived but the Giant Seals did not even notice him. The sailor threw rocks half the size of him into the water to grab the attention of the Giants. The very dark grey Giant Seal that was the closest to the sailor heard the sound of splattering and turned towards him with fiery eyes. The Giant enhanced his sharp teeth and started growling at the sailor, sending messages that suggested the sailor stay away from them. Every step the sailor took towards the Giant Grey Seal, the louder the growl became. The sailor put his hands up and dropped his bag behind him to show the Giant Seals that he was not to be feared. He said ” I come here with no intention of harm or intrusion, I seek only to pass through your land to reach Palliser.”. The Giant Grey Seal responded, “You are of the humankind, my kind has no trust for you. How do we know you will not hurt me or my family”. The sailor responded ” Your fears are unfounded my friend, we may not be of the same kind but we are both the same. We both seek to protect our family and loved ones. There is no reason we can not also be family. I hope to get to Palliser with the mission to light a torch on Palliser, so more of the human family could connect.”. The Giant Seal did not seem satisfied with the sailor’s answer “We cannot be family, you protect your own kind with goals to unite your own kind not for a purpose to serve my kind”. The sailor felt despair, not because he thought he could complete his mission but because of the mistrust, the Giant Seal had towards humankind. His aggression and growling were only due to his fears and his love for his Giant Seal family. While this was happening, the sailor noticed that a group of Giant Seals were circled around a white smaller seal, a baby seal. The baby seal was not well, it looked as if the life was drained out of him maybe due to the gnarly sea. 

The sailor spoke up to the dark grey Giant Seal “My friend, I see one of your smaller family members is not in well health. He is suffering. I feel your pain. Let me show you that you can trust my kind. I was gifted an enchanted stone from a fairy in the forest guarded by pinnacles. The stone has healing powers. If you lay the stone on the forehead of our friend in pain, he will be healed.”. The Giant Seal did not trust the sailor but was running out of hope to save the little one. And although he did not admit it, there was a little part of him inside that wanted to trust the sailor so that the Giant Seals could finally make peace with the humans and no longer be alone on this island because they are feared by everyone. The Giant Seal took the enchanted bluestone and applied it as the sailor instructed. Nothing happened in the first instance. The sailor told the Giant to trust and keep the stone in its place for the remainder of the day. He said ” If the stone heals our little friend by sunset, agree that you will let me and all other humans who seek to pass this route reach Palliser when in need. If the stone does not heal our little friend I shall leave your home and make sure no human ever trespasses”. The Giant Seal agreed and the wait began.

The sailor waited, trusting his fairy friend that the little seal would be healed. The sunset turned to a pink sky, with no wind and a calm sea. The little seal opened its eyes to the wonderful pink skies with joyful tears. The whole Giant Seal colony laughed and cried with happiness. Trust and hope and a little bit of magic had healed the little seal. The Giant Gray Seals’ eyes turned icy clear blue from the once fiery red. He came over to the sailor and gave him a giant hug. The sailor was lost in the fur of the Giant but felt love and compassion while embracing his hug. 

Looking directly at the sailors’ eyes, the grey giant said “You were right human friend, you are no threat to us. This day forward we are to see you and your kind as a part of our family. Our home is open to any of your kind when in need”. The sailor once again felt gratitude and warmth in his heart. The Giant Seals helped the sailor reach Palliser point guiding him up the mountain.

The sailor had finally made it! The point no other human on the island had been able to arrive at. All he had to do to complete his mission was to light the fire torch. He opened his bag and pulled out the wood he had chugged along with him in his journey and his fire stones. He lit up the flames. A fire grew strong around the wood but it was not big enough for it to be seen from any other lands. He thought to himself “this is the kind of moment when a little magic would be helpful” and of course the magical island provided. Mariposa, the little fairy the sailor had met in the forest guarded by the pinnacles showed up. She said, “I had a feeling you may need my help human friend”. She enchanted the fire to be twice the size of the Giant Seals. 

And there it was the Light of Palliser, a light that would guide humans from all around the world to the magical island. From that day forward the light was guarded by both the fairies and the Giant Seals. The people of the magical island became friends and family with the fairies and Giant Seals. They lived their life happily in harmony, protecting and loving one another.

Many people from all around the world came to the magical island and the people of the island went out into the world to meet their human families knowing they would always have the Light of Palliser to guide them home. 

Just as the sailor’s father had wished the human family was fully united, there were no longer any lonely humans. His destiny had been fulfilled.  The Light of Palliser remained on the magical island fiery as the first day it was lit for centuries until one day, one man built a Lighthouse in its place. The lighthouse came to be known as the Cape Pallier Lighthouse.