DESTINY'S CHILD

On the Island of Leisha lived the muses, Greek goddesseswho existed solely to inspire humankind. Each was gifted tobring their talents to those who needed them most. Clio wasthe historian gifted with the ability to write all of history, once it hadbecome the past. She did not, however, possess the power of prophecy, asdid her sister, Delphi. Clio's job was simply to record events accurately,so that future scholars could learn from them. Signa is the muse ofsong and dance, inspiring those who dreamed of the performing arts.Calliope is the muse of musicians, Urania of astronomy, the twins Floraand Fauna of horticulture and animal husbandry, Thalia of comedy andtragedy. The youngest of them all was Hope. The rules were simple: onemuse, one dream, but no more. The reason for this rule was the factthat there were so many people in the world who needed them, so allshould be given a chance.

However, there was one who deserved and needed the muse's help,but for all their powers, they could not help her. It was their little sister,Hope, the loneliest muse. In human terms, Hope looked to be no morethan a child of six or seven years of age, but in actuality, she was overtwo hundred years old, although that is not at all old for a muse. Hopewas a wonderful child. She was warm and caring, as well as highlyintelligent because of her natural curiosity about the world in whichshe lived. Even though Hope had her own dilemma, she never becamediscouraged. She always put aside her own problems in order to helpothers she felt were more deserving.

You see, Hope had the greatest problem a muse could ever have.Hope lacked the talent to inspire others. Hope excelled in all otheraspects: archery, history, music, astronomy, math, plant and animal life,as did all the muses, but each of them specialized in one specific talent.

Hope, on the other hand, did not, and although this was troublesomefor her, she never let it show. This concerned her sisters so much that,unbeknownst to Hope, they called an emergency meeting. Clio spokefirst, as was her right as the eldest.

"As you are all aware, I have called this meeting to discuss how wecan help our littlest sister in her hour of need."

"Where is Hope?" Asked Signa.

Clio replied, "Flora asked Hope to gather some special herbs thatgrow only on the other side of the island, so that we have enough timefor discussion." Flora nodded to her sisters.

"Besides," continued Clio, "This matter concerns her personally, asit does us emotionally, and I have asked her to join us when she returns."The muses agreed. "I am certain she will be here soon."

Clio glanced at Delphi, the muse of prophecy, and Delphi spoke.

"As it comes to pass, so shall it be written." Clio was quick to writea note in her tome for future reference.

"Sisters," Clio said, "You are very much aware of the plightour youngest sister Hope faces. She has existed among us for twocenturies and has brought great joy to us, her family. Who among youdisagrees?"

All in attendance sat silent, as Clio well knew they would. Herstatement was just a formality, and she was silently pleased by her sisters'acknowledgement that Hope was indeed loved by them all.

"It saddens me that in all this time, with as many times as shehas helped us, she cannot help herself. My heart breaks," continuedClio sadly, "That one as special as she cannot find it within herself torecognize her special talent. Truly, among us all, she is the loneliestmuse."

Once again, as was becoming the norm, the muses sat silentlyhelpless. As Clio concluded, all the muses, as if in an orchestratedmovement, lowered their eyes to the ground, for they knew Clio spokethe truth.

Fauna, after what seemed an eternity, spoke with a forcefulness notusually seen among them, let alone heard.

"And what of the other gods, what do they have to say about all ofthis? Or do they choose to sit idly by high on their mountain top? Arewe still considered nothing more than an Amazonian petting zoo?"Fauna concluded.

"Sister, please," Clio said, trying to calm Fauna.

She understood the frustration Fauna was feeling, for the male godshad once treated them as such, but that was before the great rebellion,when gods fought gods. Clio shuddered at the remembrance.

Flora spoke.

"Sister, although we are identical in appearance, it is obvious thatwe are different in thought. Must we run to the other gods to solve ourown problems? Are we not goddesses in our own right? We have inspiredso many; can we not inspire ourselves for once?"

Fauna looked into her twin sister's eyes and knew she was correct,but what were they to do?

"Maybe," said Fauna, "That is it!" She exclaimed so loudly that shestartled those around her. "Clio," Fauna said excitedly, "I assume youhave already consulted Delphi in determining Hope's talent?"

"That is correct sister, but I ..." Before Clio could conclude herstatement, Delphi interrupted her.

"And as I explained to Clio, I cannot see what should be seen, fornow I am truly blind."

This statement of Delphi's was utterly remarkable, thought Faunasilently. Though she was physically blind, Delphi could navigate theisland by herself and describe everything she saw, or rather did not see,in perfect detail.

"Come out with it," Flora said.

"Yes!" The others chorused eagerly.

"I will tell you," said Fauna. "Or rather Delphi will." She smiled."Sister, what needs to be done for Hope to find her talent?"

The muses were shocked. They were so certain the answer remainedin the past; they completely forgot to ask about the future.

"Ah, the way is clear, but it brings much sadness," replied Delphi.

Signa cried, "You do not mean ...?"

"No, dear sisters," Delphi continued, "As is often the case whenone inquires about the future, it can be misunderstood. When I spokeof sadness, I spoke the truth, but it is not Hope's sadness; it is ours. Inorder for Hope to find her destiny, she must do what no other muse hasever done. She must leave our island."

THE DECISION

"What?" Asked Calliope quizzically."Is this true?" Asked Urania."Are you certain?" Asked Signa."Sisters, please," said Clio.

Delphi understood her sisters' confusion, for how could they beexpected to feel otherwise? They could not understand that, while thefuture has many paths, there is but one answer. Delphi sighed inwardlyand felt it was her duty alone to explain, that which was not the answerthey were seeking. Delphi explained that it was indeed true, that she hadchecked all the timelines possibilities and all led to the same conclusion:Hope must leave the island.

"I am certain," she said sadly, "As certain that the youngest of usnow approaches."

Hope was returning from collecting the rare herbs her sister Floraasked her to find. Actually, thought Hope, it was no trouble at all. Yes,these herbs only grew on one part of the island, but Hope so enjoyedhelping out when she could and enjoyed exploring on her own. Oh,was that bad of me to have that thought? She asked herself. No, she didnot think so. She loved her sisters dearly, but being only two hundredyears old, her sisters all believed that it was their duty to mother her,and sometimes she felt they were overprotective. She giggled. For oncein her existence she felt truly human, even though that was not the case.Muses are not born like human children. They have no father or motherin that respect; rather, they are created collectively by the thoughts ofthose who share the same needs.

Sadly, she said aloud, "I wonder who created me? What are theylike? Are they even aware of my existence?"

Humans were so silly like that. They did not realize that thoughtsand words hold power, in which everyone's dreams create another realitywhere life has meaning, and harsh words should never be spoken lightlyor even at all. Delphi was always telling her,

"Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it."

Hope wished she could find those who created her; they mightknow her secret talent or whether she even had one at all. At thatmoment, Hope realized it was getting late and she ran as fast as her tinylegs could carry her. Silly me for daydreaming, she thought, and giggledonce more. On the way home, Hope could not help wondering if hersisters suspected the problem she faced. Lately, it seemed normal for oneof her sisters to ask each day how she was doing. Hope always answered,"Fine," because she did not want to worry her sisters, when it was moreimportant for them to inspire those who needed them more.

Hope had studied Clio's "Tome of history." Although it was small, itappeared to have endless pages. She had read about all the great peopleher sisters had inspired. Clio inspired people such as Plato and Socrates;Galileo and Mobius were inspired by Urania. Flora and Fauna helpedto inspire genetics by introducing plants and animals to save lives, andDelphi inspired Nostradamus. Each one had a purpose in life that gaveher existence meaning. All of her sisters had a special talent except forher, and she could not understand why. As brave as Hope was, it was inrare moments like this when she allowed herself to cry.

"Stop it this instant, young lady!" She said to herself. "You are justbeing silly. Muses are not born to live our lives; we are born to helpothers so they can live theirs. We are simply a thought or perhaps awhisper to inspire those who dare to dream."

Hope knew in her heart that, sadly, this was true, for the gods andgoddesses of Olympus had decreed this long ago. What good is being amuse, if I lack the talent with which to inspire? This last thought madeHope even sadder. Again, she was beginning to cry, and was wipingher eyes with her tunic when she saw a cocoon on a nearby branch andsuddenly realized a small miracle was about to happen. Hope continuedto watch in utter amazement as the silken sac began to break apart beforeher eyes, slowly at first, and then faster, as if that which was inside wanteddesperately to be free. In just a moment longer, the once imprisonedcreature who fought so hurriedly to be freed from its restraints revealedits wondrous transformation from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.

"Ooh!" Said Hope, as she picked up the butterfly in her handsgently so as not to hurt it. The butterfly was still quite young and wasequally as curious about the person it beheld. "No little one, I am notyour mother, but I will be your friend."

The young butterfly seemed to ponder this a moment and, sensingno threat from this strange being, climbed to her shoulder and continuedto dry itself before it attempted to fly. Hope saw the myriad colors on itswings: red and blue, yellow and orange, green and purple.

"You are a living rainbow!" Hope exclaimed.

The butterfly's maiden flight was wobbly at first, but then the lovelycreature became more confident. The butterfly circled her head once asif to thank her and flew away. The miracle of life never ceased to amazeher, and she could not help thinking this was an omen. This minormiracle gave Hope strength in the belief that all living things had apurpose, even a talentless muse. As Hope continued her hurried stridehome, she failed to notice a spider inspecting the shell from which thebutterfly had just emerged and realizing, had it been there just momentsearlier, it would have dined extremely well. For now, though, it had tobe satisfied to wait another day.

Hope realized that it was getting late, for the sun was already settingand if she did not arrive on time the other muses would be extremelyworried for her safety. She arrived home and was surprised to find noone there to greet her, so she went to her room. As Hope was placingthe herbs she had collected for Flora in separate containers, she noticeda note written on parchment in Clio's script. The note said,

"Dear sister, when you are through with your task, please meet usin Nia's observatory. It is extremely important."

"Nia's observatory," said Hope. Nia is the muse of astronomy;although her true name is Urania, it was simpler to call her Nia. Thelast time Hope and the others went to the observatory, Nia had pointedout a new galaxy being born. Maybe this time, she thought, she wouldsee some falling stars. Hope so enjoyed the way they became brighterand brighter before flickering out. To Hope, it was as if each one wascelebrating its own independence in life. Hope arrived and immediatelysaw her sisters sitting within the open cylindrical columns. Hope huggedeach one as she made her way to her seat.

"Sisters," Hope said, "I apologize for being so late. I was enjoyingthe scenery and was picking these herbs for Flora and lost track of thetime. Are these not the finest specimens of plant hood you have everseen?" Hope passed the vials down to her sister.

Flora stared at the collection of herbs and then lowered her eyes,saying sadly,

"Thank you, Hope; as always you place others' needs before yourown."

Hope felt that something was terribly wrong by the way everyonereacted to Flora's statement.

"Is something the matter? Am I in trouble?" Hope asked.

"Child," Clio said, "I am afraid we have some bad news."

"Clio, stop being so melodramatic," said Thalia. "You are scaringher," she scolded.

"I agree," said Nia, the muse of astronomy.

"Forgive me sisters," Clio said, "But as you are all aware, the wordsare not so easily forthcoming. Hope, although you have chosen to keepsilent about your problem, we are family and are quite aware of whattroubles you."

"You are?" Asked Hope meekly. "Then you realize I have no specialtalent," she said mournfully.

"You are very much mistaken," Delphi said adamantly. "Eventhough your talent is shielded from me, have no misunderstanding asto what the future brings."

Hope suddenly looked into the eyes of her sister of prophecy and foronce could see a glimmer of hope as Delphi continued,

"Everything and everyone has a purpose in life, child, although itmay not always be so easily understood."

Hope remembered the butterfly moments ago, when she wasgathering herbs for Flora.

"What am I to do?" She cried.

"Delphi has foreseen that the only way for you to find your talent,and secure your destiny, is for you to leave the island," Clio statedflatly.

"Leave the island, but why? This is my home," said Hope.

"Gilded walls and marble floors do not a home make," said Clio."It is the love one shares with others. Remember, little sister; the futureis built on the foundations of the past."

"I am sorry, but it is the only way," said Clio.

"When must I leave?" Asked Hope.

"Tomorrow at dawn," Clio replied.

An eerie silence fell, as if the inhabitants of the island knewsomething monumental was taking place, and its outcome could affecttheir existence as they knew it. Hope felt restless and could not eventhink about sleeping. Try as she might, all she could do was look at theconstellations in the sky. The cascading waterfall in her room, with itsglistening water that reflected the moonlit sky in an iridescent blue,had soothed her so often in her short life, but could not do so tonight.Hope's mind was wandering. In all her life, never had she felt so aloneand afraid as she did this night. She knew that, had there truly beenanother way, her sisters would have found it, but their assurance wasstill no less comforting. Hope could not help feeling responsible for thisproblem. Being a child, even an immortal one, she held the childishbelief that if she had not been born, things would be better. Unknownto Hope, mortal children also felt at times that this was true. If theywere an embarrassment to their family, for instance, they believed thatlife would be much simpler had they not been born or if, suddenly,they simply ceased to exist. This last thought made Hope more humanthen she would ever know. The last thought was never expressed by hersisters. Being a child, however, she could only see the negativity of thesituation.