The Blue Flower

The parents were abed and sleeping. The clock on the wall ticked loudly and lazily, as if ithad time to spare. Outside the rattling windows there was a restless, whispering wind. Theroom grew light, and dark, and wondrous light again, as the moon played hide-and-seekthrough the clouds. The boy, wide-awake and quiet in his bed, was thinking of the Strangerand his stories."It was not what he told me about the treasures," he said to himself, "that was not thething which filled me with so strange a longing. I am not greedy for riches. But the BlueFlower is what I long for. I can think of nothing else. Never have I felt so before. It seems asif I had been dreaming until now-or as if I had just slept over into a new world."Who cared for flowers in the old world where I used to live? I never heard of anyonewhose whole heart was set upon finding a flower. But now I cannot even tell all that I feel-sometimes as happy as if I were enchanted. But when the flower fades from me, when Icannot see it in my mind, then it is like being very thirsty and all alone. That is what theother people could not understand."Once upon a time, they say, the animals and the trees and the flowers used to talk topeople. It seems to me, every minute, as if they were just going to begin again. When I lookat them I can see what they want to say. There must be a great many words that I do notknow; if I knew more of them perhaps I could understand things better. I used to love todance, but now I like better to think after the music."Gradually the boy lost himself in sweet fancies, and suddenly he found himself again, inthe charmed land of sleep. He wandered in far countries, rich and strange; he traversedwild waters with incredible swiftness; marvellous creatures appeared and vanished; helived with all sorts of men, in battles, in whirling crowds, in lonely huts. He was cast intoprison. He fell into dire distress and want. All experiences seemed to be sharpened to anedge. He felt them keenly, yet they did not harm him. He died and came alive again; heloved to the height of passion, and then was parted forever from his beloved. At last, toward morning, as the dawn was stealing near, his soul grew calm, and the picturesshowed more clear and firm.It seemed as if he were walking alone through the deep woods. Seldom the daylightshimmered through the green veil. Soon he came to a rocky gorge in the mountains. Underthe mossy stones in the bed of the stream, he heard the water secretly tinkling downward, ever downward, as he climbed upward.The forest grew thinner and lighter. He came to a fair meadow on the slope of themountain. Beyond the meadow was a high cliff, and in the face of the cliff an opening likethe entrance to a path. Dark was the way, but smooth, and he followed easily on till he camenear to a vast cavern from which a flood of radiance streamed to meet hi