A faint green light lit the defenseless child inside his shell. For the first time, he saw the light, after his long, long sleep. He pushed his rubbery shell with all of his strength, and it ripped, making him roll down on the hard ground filled with dust and crawlers. The child shook his ringing head, and his whole body. He looked at his back and furrowed his brows from the sight of his missing wings.

Ahead of him was a dark tunnel, with a bleak light at its end. Looking up, he saw little cracks on the ceiling where lines of light reaching the ground passed through.

He had no clothes to wear, no food, nothing. All he saw were pieces of eggshells scattered around. Some of them were quite far from where he hatched, buried in dust. It seemed that he was abandoned. But what was their reason? Perhaps, it was because he couldn’t fly.

His arms were crossed, and he kept on shivering. Cold. He was cold. Both outside and inside. He shook his back, thinking that maybe it could grow wings. But…there was no hope.

“Where are you, Mother? You said you’d wait for me.”

Where were they? Was he not worthy enough? He walked idly towards the faint light, feeling emptiness in his heart, like how his shell became empty when he left. Strangely, he had an urge to run to the light. Hope. A gleam of hope that maybe outside he’d find something, he'd find life.

He moved his legs faster, and louder that his steps echoed. He felt a sting to his bare feet, getting wounds from the rough ground of the cave. Biting his lips, he continued running, and he stopped, breathing shallow. The outside was only a few steps ahead now. He tried to run again, but he tripped and rolled. He forced himself to stand up. Shaking his head, he darted towards the end of the cave, and what he saw blinded him for a moment.

He heard the calling of birds, and the whisper of the wind. He felt warmth from the sun, as if it was embracing him with life. 

For the first time, he stepped outside the world, not trapped inside a shell or a cave. He felt the earth beneath him vibrate, as if telling him he was alive and just continue walking. The world was alive.

Ahead of him was a forest with clusters of giant plants and trees, towering up to the sky. Above them were thick clouds that looked like enormous beasts swimming in the ocean blue. He couldn’t think of words to describe the world he saw. It was so much different from the cave. It was so bright, and filled with life and colors.

However, it didn’t change the fact that he was still left behind. Again he felt like a body without its soul.

Suddenly, he felt shivers down to his spine. An ominous feeling. He saw something far ahead the forest. There were figures like shadows, running towards him. He lowered himself down on the ground, and felt the shadows pass through him, entering the cave where he came from. He looked back and saw they had butterfly wings flapping, but they were unable to fly. What were those things? Were they beings who accepted darkness to their hearts? Like what his mother told him before he entered his shell and slept for months to grow his wings. It was said that one would become a shadow once they accepted darkness.

“Are you lost, boy?” A croaky voice spoke.

He gazed the forest and saw an old man emerge from a smoke that seemed like a fog. He limped using a paddle, pulling a large bag made from a giant green leaf.

“Ohhh…,” said the old man. “By the forest spirits! Why are you naked? And why do you have many wounds? Those wounds are going to leave scars.”

The old man had a pale complexion–dark circles circled around his eyes, and his bones were obvious to his face. His left eye was covered by green leaf, and his right eye was blue as the sky.

“I…”

“I see. Then, let me help you find your way while I deliver these.” The old man giggled, looking at the boy. “But first, let’s find you something to wear.”

The boy covered his body with his hands, and felt a panic to his chest. The old man let out a loud laugh, face wrinkled with his smile.

Walking together to the forest, he saw hogs jumping around, and playing with some orbs of light. One of the hogs appeared to be levitated by the spheres of light, and it fell.

He heard a growl from afar, and saw a gigantic mirage of a creature in the fog. Looking at it intently, it slowly revealed itself. The old man, and as well as the hogs lowered their heads and knelt down after seeing the enormous creature. Even the little orbs of light stopped moving in its presence. It had four limbs and sharp claws, and two horns that looked like trunks of trees. Its body was surrounded by flowers in different colors.

Seeing the old man, the boy did the same, and knelt down. The creature once again growled, and left.

“The forest spirit accepted us to enter the forest,” said the old man. “Now, we should continue.”

The smoke started to fade after the forest spirit left. They arrived in the part of the forest where the earth was filled with fallen white furs, and holes. Above them were towering plants with balls of cottons on top, blocking most of the light of the sun. There was a boat lay upside down. The boy looked at them with his brows narrowed.

“What are those?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

The boy kept looking at the old man, who seemed to be looking for something, for he kept narrowing his eyes.

“Aha!” shouted the old man. “See that giant plant there?”

The boy diverted his gaze to where the paddle of the old man pointed. He saw a plant that was so much taller than them. Twice as tall as the old man, but not as tall as the other plants they’d saw. But the boy still felt his neck weary looking up at it.

“What of that?”

“Go and ask for a leaf, lad.”

Ask? Do plants talk? His mother didn’t tell him about that. The boy just followed what the old man said, and strode toward the plant. Its leaves were black and sleek.

“Oh, plant of the forest of giant beings,” said the boy. “Can you hand me a leaf?”

The boy waited for a moment, wanting to bury himself under the ground. The plant wiggled its stem, and its gigantic leaf started to float. Orbs of light spiraled around him, and the boy levitated. A blinding light formed, warm and easing. His eyes widened from what he was experiencing. Did his siblings experience this too? Perhaps they did. They didn’t wait for him after all.

The leaf stretched like a rubber and wrapped the boy. He looked like an insect going through metamorphosis. The orbs of light slowly scattered away, and the boy slid back to earth. He now had his arms covered with sleeves and a trouser that had leafy patterns. 

“Now, time to sail.”

The old man bent down, trying to turn the boat upside. The boy rushed, helped him.

“That was a great help, boy.” The old man smiled.

The boat, although sturdy, looked like a giant green leaf. The old man started pushing the boat on top of the holes on the ground, and the boy helped too. They both sat down, and there was a silence between them.

“Why are we here?”

The old man shushed the boy. “It’s here. Hold on tight.” He giggled.

The boy held on tight, and tightened his closed eyes. A loud whistle coming from far beneath the ground was heard. They sounded like music in his ears, for it was as if the wind just sang. It echoed in the forest, and a strong gust of wind from below lifted them, fast and sudden. It was so strong that the boy had to tighten even his grip.

“It’s fun to live, right?”

The boy heard the old man. He felt the boat calming down. He slowly opened his eyes, and he felt his heart race. The world he saw shocked him. It was as if they were on top of clouds, and sailing them. Rows, and rows were white fur-like spheres, and the golden sun was setting in the east. The sky turned a stark tangerine.

“What are these?”

“Dandelions, boy.” The old man kept looking forward. “Beautiful, aren’t they? I once travelled with my wife and daughter here.” His voice trembled.

The boy just nodded, seeing only the old man’s back. The old man stood, and pulled the sail up. Their boat began to move where the sun set. 

Dandelions floated around them, flowing with the path of the wind. Some of the seed fell on the boat, and the boy caught one on his palm.

“In life, we might find ourselves falling behind, but that’s okay. We have different paces.” The old man caught one of the seeds on his palm, and blew it away.

The silence between them grew, and the boy finally spoke.

“But why did they abandon me?” asked the boy, looking away

“Who knows?”

“Is it because I’m useless to them?” He looked down. “Because I can’t fly?”

“Of course not, boy. Anyone can fly,” said the old man. “Life may be cruel, it is also a gift.”

Gift? When did life become a gift, if you were trashed and left alone? The boy felt his chest tighten. 

“But… they left me.”

A part of him wanted to believe what the old man said. Was it possible? Could it be that there was still hope for him? Could his life still become a gift even though he knew he didn’t have a worth?

A buzz of gigantic insects was heard from afar. 

“Keep looking down boy. The bees won’t hurt us, but their wings are so strong that we might fall.”

The boy followed what the old man said, but studied him with gaze. The buzz of the bees echoed even in the massive dandelion field. A strong gust of wind passed through them before even the giant bees reached them. The boy held on the boat, grip hurting his palm. Their boat continued shaking, and the wind changed their direction. The old man took down the sail, and sat down.

“Boy, make sure you hold on tight.”

The boy nodded, quivering. The bees passed above their boat, and the old man let out a loud sigh. 

“You okay, boy?” The old man laughed. "Life is really fun, right? We survived!”

The boy kept on narrowing his brows. How could he be happy? The boy asked himself. Perhaps he was crazy. Could that be the reason why he could smile after almost dying? Could I become like him too?

“Now, we should keep on sailing. We need to reach the end of this before noon, or else we would meet a lot of insects like those bees.”

They both raised the sail again, and the old man pulled it to the right track—

The wind blew again, loud and strong. The old man couldn’t hold onto something, and fell from the boat. The boy couldn’t move an inch, witnessing what just happened to the old man that took care of him. Again, he was left behind. Was he a bad omen? Could it be that it was the reason why his own family, his very own family, left him behind?

I shouldn’t have come to him. He could still be alive right now. I can’t even use these useless wings to save him.

The boy sat himself down, clenching arms to his bent knees. He was alone. In the dark night above the dandelions, the wind grieved with silence too. 

It was my fault. He thought many times. His eyes were starting to darken, and his skin was starting to pale, like a shadow. He felt his body get colder, and his heart getting quiet.

The sky was now dark, and the moon rose from west. Little orbs of light, millions of them, emerged from beneath. Even in the swallowing darkness of the night, they were still a glitter in the eyes. The boy didn’t shed a single droplet of tear. Wouldn’t people cry at times like these? However, he felt his heart ache, even though it was starting to lose its beats.

A roar echoed from above the black sky, stars lit bright. They moved slowly, forming an image of massive beasts swimming in the void. It was as if the sky turned into a dark ocean, with stars swimming. The moon wasn’t alone, but the boy was.

“Yes, those are the night whales.” A familiar croaky voice spoke. 

The boy looked back and forth, seeing the orbs of light fly around. The old man rose from below, stunning the boy. Orbs of light surrounding his body, as if playing with him. The old man lost his leaf eyepatch, revealing an eye that looked like a void from its darkness. What could have happened to him? Did he accept darkness in the past too, but managed to escape it?

The old man giggled, caressing the little spheres with his hands. The boy couldn’t begin to speak, and tears just welled up in his eyes.

“By the Forest Spirits! What happened to you?” The old man hopped on the boat, orbs of light leaving him. “Look at you! You’ve become a shadow.” 

He hugged the sobbing boy, gently stroking his back. “I’m alive, boy,” he said. “I’m alive.”

“How did you survive?” asked the boy, tears still dripped down his face.

The old man let go of the boy, sitting down beside him. “I simply accepted the fireflies, and they simply accepted me back,” he said. “Like how the whales accepted the sky.” 

“Accept what you need the most, and let go of the things that hurt you, boy.”

The boy looked at the whales above, and thought what was he needed to accept the most.

“Now, let’s eat before sleeping. By morning, we would reach the end of this field,” said the old man. He took out two fruits from the leaf bag. The fruits were oval-shaped, and were colored brown. They had rough texture, and seemed sturdy.

“What are those?” asked the boy.

“Dandelion fruits.” The old man slammed his paddle to the fruits, and they cracked. He handed one to the boy, and they began to eat. It tasted sweet like honey.

The night was ghost-silent. The old man fell asleep, snoring, as the boy kept on pondering to what the old man said earlier. What was it that he needed to accept? Despite thinking a lot, he still found no answer to the question. However, he was happy. He was glad that he found the old man, that he got to see a lot of things. He got to see the beauty of the world, and he understood himself.

“Right, I’m happy.” He smiled to himself. “I might have been abandoned, but I can still continue living. I can still live.”

He found himself getting lost in thought. His eyes felt tired, and sleepy. 

WHEN he opened his eyes, the sun was about to rise from the east, and the sky was already pale blue. He felt no sting from his wounds. They were all healed, but they still left scars. But that didn’t matter.

“You have found the answer, boy.” The old man smiled at him.

Answer? What is he talking about?

The boy felt something strange. Something had changed. A change from inside and outside of him. His heart raced, his body warmed, and his skin came back to its original color. He broadened his butterfly wings, and he couldn’t believe to see them. They were colorful. Florals flowed in design, forming intricate patterns on his upper and lower wings.

“I…have wings.” He looked at the old man, voice trembling a bit.

“Yes, child.” The old man was tearing up.

“I have wings!” The boy flapped his wings, jumping around the boat.

The old man held tight on the sail. “Careful, or I’d fall down again.” He giggled.

The boy breathed deep, couldn’t help but to grin.

“Now, try to move them gently,” said the old man.

He gently opened his wings, and slowly flapped them. They give out a gentle gust of wind, and the boy lifted in the air. He rose up to the sky, spun around, dandelions floated with him. For the first time, he felt free, like how the wind wandered around the world. He continued to fly, opening his arms wide, and feeling the breeze of the wind.

“Careful not to fly too high,” shouted the old man.

The boy flew back to the boat, and kept flapping his wings. “What is your name?” he asked.

“Ibulos, boy. My name is Ibulos,” said the old man. “What about you? What is your name?”

“I don’t have a name.” The boy looked down.

“Then, can I have the honor to give you one?”

The boy nodded, smiling wide.

“Lowen. Let me name you Lowen.”

“Lowen…what does it mean?”

“It means dandelions.” The old man smiled.

“Lowen.” Repeated the boy. “I like it!”

Lowen flew above the field, dandelions tailing him. Tears rolled down his face, but he couldn’t help smiling. The sun rose up, and the sky turned a stark blue. Lowen, such a beautiful name. He flapped his wings more, rising up, and watched the greenery and life of the world.