​The Mythical Lonely Blellow

Chapter One: Origin of The Blellow

Imagine a land surrounded by freshly blossomed flowers kissed by crepuscular rays and blanketed in a soft layer of misty dew. No matter the time of day or season, these flowers are always exactly perfect in their beauty; the exact image of what we picture when we think of excellence and opulence. There are gardenias and honeysuckles, lilies of the valley and columbines. No matter which direction you look, you can see the array of flowers for miles, and their scent envelops the land as if it was the air itself. It is not a bombarding smell but rather a concerto of scents that perfectly blend and swirl around leaving behind a scent so rare that the human mind could not reformulate or replicate it within a perfume of its own. This mythical place is called Theia; its namesake coming from the Greek Titaness of light and divinity. No human has ever been able to step foot in Theia, but it is well known throughout the world as stories of it have been passed down for generations. Though no person has ever been able to see Theia, a lucky few of been able to smell it and proclaim to all, how the smell is so beautiful that it healed their weary thoughts and restored all hope they may have lost throughout their challenges in life.

Although no human has ever stepped foot into Theia, there is life that exists amongst the flowers. Tucked beneath the petals and leaves, exists a species of birds whose beauty approximates that of the flowers around them. The birds are exceptionally beautiful; all of them the paragon of grace and precision. All of them but one. Hidden beneath the petal of small yellow tulip, lives a bird that was born beautiful, but missed the mark of perfection. His wings are too small to fly with like the other birds, but he still learned to fly with the use of his tail feathers and the two unique feathers that protrude from the top of his head. No other bird has ever had too small of wings to fly with and especially not had head feathers. It is because of these quirks, that he is often ostracized for not fitting in and is often made to feel as though he should not be allowed in Theia as he does not represent the perfection that defines the land. This unusual bird is called the Blellow. He is the only one left of his species and has spent his life trying to find a place of belonging amongst the other birds; an endeavor that has always ended in failure. Though faced with loneliness and criticism, the Blellow has never lost his appreciation of the life he lives and continues to thrive in a community he has never been welcomed into. He flies alone, he eats alone, he sleeps alone… he is alone, but his heart is always filled to the brim with gratitude for he knows that loneliness has never defined him.

Each day, the Blellow searches for the most perfect leaf or petal he can pick to present to the other birds as a peace offering. He believes that if he continues to show them that he truly does have something to offer and that he is still capable of recognizing perfection, that his lack of perfection in his own appearance, could one day be overlooked. And so, every day before the moon replaces the sun in the sky, the Blellow delicately places that day’s most perfect petal and leaf before the flock, holding his breath in hopes that they accept it. He awaits their response patiently as the moon finally encompasses the sky and shines light on the ever-growing pile of petals and leaves that have never been and never will be accepted. The Blellow, realizing once more that night that his efforts must continue the next day, returns to his tulip petal, never letting his head hang down in defeat. The Blellow curls up atop the petal in the company of only himself, and dreams of flying in formation with the troupe of perfect birds he longs to connect with. His dreams are always the same each night: finding a place of belonging. He never dreams of himself having regular sized wings and a head free of odd feathers. He doesn’t want to change who he is; he merely longs for acceptance for exactly how he is.