The Tale of Mariposa
“Oh, you’ll never make it,” they had said. “It’s too hard. Swimming upstream will kill you. Just let the Water Fall. Stay down here in the rocks with us.”
Mariposa raised her arms and, in a final act of surrender, let the water lift her … seaweed tugged at her hair and pulled her down. But as she felt her ample hips rise, the weeds snapped and let go, causing her to scrape her knees against the agate stones. Water rushed all around, tossing her hair into a tangle of rainbows. She held her breath, but the water rushed in. It filled her lungs and soon breathing became unnecessary. Oysters gave up their pearls and one by one they clung to her. Hues left their colors and teased the pearls into iridescence. Her body gave way to glistening scales and a glorious tail that reflected sunlight, then moonlight, and later on, her own radiant light.
Minnows flicked past. “Beware, Beware!” but Mariposa didn’t listen. She knew that minnows never had anything good to say. She squinched her eyes shut against the force of the falls, and pressed on.
Water lilies flew past. As their petals fell like kisses on her cheek, Mariposa heard the best advice: “Open your eyes!”
Mariposa opened her eyes to a chiaroscuro of color, a swirling of symphonic water music. This was no Handel! This song was for the climber only. She rested, and let the music lift her for a time.
The falls became more insistent, but Mariposa pressed on. Weeks turned into months, and then years. Mariposa’s arms grew tired. Her tail was tattered as the water continued to bear down. Gills replaced lungs, scales covered her skin, and her hair turned green. Some of the pearls had lodged into her back and grown into her skin. It hurt, and she would scratch at them. The pain made the upward swim awkward and difficult.
A rogue dolphin passed by, swimming around her with joy and amusement. “Why do you struggle so?” With great love he told her that change was the only way to stay alive in the Falls. “Stop fighting. Stop resisting. Lean into this change.”
Mariposa nodded and tried not to resist. She stopped scratching at the pearls in her skin. She relaxed and let the water transform her into what she once was, what she was now, and mold her into what she would someday become. The pearls in her back started to grow and fan out behind her, like wings. The wings made it easier to swim. The pearls attached to her tail and soon it melded into one glistening jewel. The terrain changed and the water rushed over jagged rocks. The bejeweled tail glanced off the rocks, unharmed. It made the swim harder, but the tail, like armor, protected her from the crush of granite.
Like her tail, Mariposa’s hair began to change; some days it was green, then red, then blue. Soon it reflected all the colors of the water, the rocks, and the patches of sky that she could see from time to time through the roiling of the water above. Once relaxed, the force of the Falls no longer crushed her ribs. Swimming became less arduous and she was able to enjoy the delights of the journey. She saw a school of Koi swimming past; some were ahead of her, some behind her, and some had died in the attempt. The water absorbed the dead ones, turning them into air bubbles. Mariposa gasped and the bubbles entered her body: “Keep going, let us help you,” they whispered.
Shafts of light appeared from above, and Mariposa could see how it played and danced with the foam from the Falls. Could this be the top; the end of the journey? Light mixed with foam and then a new kind of warmth washed around her. She saw creatures riding the tops of the waves. Water Dragons! And soon her wings were above the water, transparent, as clear as the cleanest spring water. As they dried they reflected her journey: she could see the agate stones, the minnows, the water lilies, the koi, and the dolphin. They were all swirling around in her wings, telling her story. She rose, light as air, and from the waves emerged a glistening, glowing new being. A glorious Water Dragon. And in that warm light, Mariposa WAS.
And here is what you need to know about Water Dragons:
They are hard to see. They are not very big. They don’t have to be. There are probably Water Dragons all around you, but you may not have noticed them because they do not make a big noise. They keep their wings to themselves. If you ever meet one, count yourself lucky, because they have learned the wisdom of the Falls. They are happy in their own company. They sparkle of their own accord. They do not need to be entertained.
This is all I know of them. I have met a few in my time and was told the secret to rising in the Falls. Water Dragons will always share their knowledge (you just have to ask the right questions.) I’ve been swimming a long time. When I become one myself, I will tell you more.
Still riding the Falls.