There is a country. People who live here don’t have to walk because they have wings, a pair of white wings. One day, a baby was born. Her wings were not snow white but rather have a little black spot. However, it didn’t bother her family at all. All her family was still happy for her coming and named her Black-Wings.
At first, Black-Wings didn’t feel that she had lots of differences between herself and others. Her family and she believed that the spot would fade when she grew up. However, as time went by, the spot on her wings did not only fade away but become more and more obvious and extended to all her wings. Finally, her wings became completely black. People with white wings around make her in strange faces at her and make fun of her. Little Black-Wings felt enormously sad, hurt and couldn’t bare those teasing and odd eyesight anymore. Therefore, she started being afraid of going out and staying at her nest all the time because she knew that the nest was the only place where people accepted that her wings were black and nobody mocks her. She knew that the nest was safe.
Although she understood that her family all treated her well and protected her and she also thought that there was really nothing to complain about, in her mind, she still wanted to fly under the sky and she still wanted to make friends, no matter whether their wings are white or black, when she looks upon the sky.
One day, Black-Wings thought that she couldn’t be protected by her family all her life. There were still lots of things she wants to try outside the nest and she had plenty of dreams that needed to be actualized. Eventually, her desires gave her the motivation and power to go out. In order to avoid others’ strange looks, Black-Wings made a pair of white wings for herself and no matter where she went, she always wore the pair of white wings over the black wings.
Although Black-Wings couldn’t fly as high as she wanted when she carried the fake wings, generally she thought that she got used to the uncomfortableness. After all, she had seen the world. After all, she had made some friends. After all, she really had done something for herself. She convinced herself that “I should be satisfied with all these; I shouldn’t be greedier. I shouldn’t ask for more. I am really happy enough, really!” However, Black-Wings never forgot the feeling of flying freely. Hence, midnight was the only chance for her to take off the fake white-wings and to fly as high as she wanted.
One usual night, however, an unusual thing happened. Black-Wings still sneaked out in the midnight and enjoyed the feeling of flying. When she was close to a phoenix tree, she found out that there was a grey-wing perched on it. She couldn’t stop her curiosity and flew by the Grey-Wings.
Then, she asked the Grey-Wings, “Hello! I am Black-Wings. Who are you?”
The Grey-Wings said, “I am a traveler.”
Black-Wings said, “May I know your name?”
The Grey-Wings said, “I don’t have a name.”
Black-Wings said, “Really? Everybody has a name.”
“For me, that’s not important,” said the Grey-Wings.
“Umm…it sounds strange but I like it. You are really special. Will you find me annoying if I keep talking with you?” said the Black-Wings.
“No. Not at all and I like you, too especially your wings. They are black,” said the Grey-Wings.
“Are you kidding me? Everyone thinks my wings are weird and teases me for that.”
“Yeah-- However, your wings are just like-- I don’t have a name. It’s weird but special.”
Black-Wings smiled and started liking the Grey-Wings because the this creature was the only stranger who didn’t mind that her wings were black and praised them.
They talked and talked from the midnight to the sunrise. During this period, the Grey-Wings told her everything about his country; every fantastic event and person he met in his journey. Nevertheless, because time for the Grey-Wings to start his journey. Before the Grey-Wings left, Black-Wings asked him final question.
Black-Wings said, ”Why do you travel?”
The Grey-Wings said, “I just want to go out to see the world and find my happiness.”
Black-Wings said, “Have you found your happiness yet?”
The Grey-Wings said “No, I don’t find my happiness yet, but I believe that I am closing in on my happiness.”
Eventually, they had to say goodbye to each other. Black-Wings saw him fly away and disappeared under the sky of early morning. Black-Wings wished the Grey-Wings a joureny of happiness from the bottom of her heart.
After the conversation, Black-Wings still carried the fake white-wings and did everything regularly like every other day. She never told anyone about the special night. However, Black-Wings often recalled everything the Grey-Wings told her. She now realized the world was bigger than she imagined, and now, she often imagined what the world looked like; she was also curious about the country that Grey-Wings came from. At the moment, she still didn’t know she has the heart of adventure. She still didn’t realize that Grey-Wings put a seed in her heart that she might find the knowledge and acceptance she desired.
Little by little, the voice from her heart became louder and louder. The voice was loud enough for her not to be able to concentrate on her routine anymore. She began to spend more and more time in her imagination and she became distracted. One night, when she flew under the moonlight, she decided following the voice from her heart. She wanted to fly higher and farther. She believed that she could fulfill all her desires and find her own happiness in the country where the Grey-Wings came from.
After making her mind, her life became happier and more active than before because she knew that every step she made all took her closer to her dream. She made the preparation for this long journey actively. Although not everything followed her schedule, finally, she prepared everything well. Before the day she left, she informed her family, her friends and everyone she cares about that she would start a long journey in the next few days. When somebody asked her when she will come back, she always answered, “When I find out my happiness”; every time, when somebody asked her what they can help for the journey, she always answered, “Just wish me luck.” As a result, she picked a pitch dark night to start her journey. She took off the fake white-wings; spread her black wings fully with a light baggage and all her loved one’s warm wishes for her. She flew into the dark; flew to the hopeful future.
She flew and flew. Although the land was far away, Black-Wings never felt tired or bored because she enjoyed the picturesque scenery she had never seen and it was also the first time that she could fly under the blue sky. It was also the first time she could see her black wings flash back the color of sunshine. All these things made her feel excited and she was almost certain that she could find her happiness in the Grey-Wings’ hometown.
After a long trip, Black-Wings arrived at the Grey-Wings’ country. There were red wings, blue wings, green wings, and orange wings… Although the Grey-Wings had told her everything about his country, Black-Wings was still shocked and amazed at seeing so many different colorful wings in one place. In addition to feeling amazed, Black-Wings felt more energetic, hopeful and confident that she was able to find her happiness in this country. She did her best involving this environment, experienced every tiny event that happened to her, tried to make some friends and satisfied her aspiration for knowledge and adventure; most importantly of all, she didn’t miss any chance to look or ask for the whereabouts of her happiness.
Time passed, and Black-Wings still didn’t find her happiness and much frustration and stress from life made her depressed, powerless and sad. She hardly could speak the language of the country; hence, she felt frustrated because she wasn’t capable of communicating with others and expressing herself well. Also, losing connection with her white-wings friends and being homesick made her more depressed. Even if sometimes she would feel a little bit better when she absorbed knowledge and experienced novelties, it really didn’t give her much help in the whole situation. One day, when she came back to her nest, she found out the pair of white wings she made before. She stared at it and, suddenly, she couldn’t help feeling sad and lonely. Then, she took them on and attempted to find some comforts and peace from it. Nevertheless, at the moment, she was astonished because her black wings didn’t fit in the white wings anymore.
At first, she felt extremely sorry for herself because she couldn’t pretend to be who she wasn’t and she also wasn’t able to find out her happiness. At that night, she really couldn’t stand those complicated emotions, sorrow, loss, and disappointment any longer. She chose the old way to relax all these and hoped that she could gain some feeling of being home by flying in the midnight. Black-Wings flew toward the moon with all her strength unconsciously and wanted to wash away all bad feelings under the moonlight. She flew as high as she could; she flew as fast as she could. Finally, she stopped at a bleak rock. She felt relaxed, free, comfortable and …happy. Moreover, the bleak rock she stood on was the moon she had always looked upon from a distance. Right at the moment, she realized that she needn’t to find the happiness anymore because all her happiness came from flying freely; all her happiness resulted from the moment of spreading her wings. Finally, Black-Wings understood that her happiness couldn’t be constructed by others; her happiness couldn’t be found in any place. She realized that, actually, all her happiness was due to her black wings; the savor of flying openly and unrestrainedly. Also, she figured out that all the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in the journey were the nutrients that made her wings stronger and allowed her wings to take her to fly anywhere she liked to go.
Currently, Black-Wings still stays in the colored-wings country. Although, sometimes she still feels frustrated, lonely, and depressed, she observes everything carefully and experiences her life attentively after realizing what her happiness is and what she truly wants to pursue. Every tiny thing around her becomes a substantial nutrient for nurturing her wings, no matter how it makes her feel. Nurturing her black wings does not only fulfill her desire of flying higher, faster and freer, but also make the preparation for those who hide their wings under a pair of fake ones. She yearns to show them how free, how confident, how comfortable they can be when they abandon their fake wings. Even though the process is unpleasant, depressing, frustrating or humiliating, they will feel it is worth trying when they can fly under the sunshine, under the moonlight, under every circumstance they long for or once dreamed of. She genuinely hopes that there are more people can fly under the sky without any pretense.