Strangely, Dracan, after talking to the sprites was beginning to enjoy their company. He wondered what they would say if he invited them to return to Latavascar with him. That is if he could find a way to repair his boat. Dracan did think though, that he would take his time, wait until he knew them better. That is if you could get to know four stars that spoke to you and called themselves sprites.
With that decision made, he wandered around the village, looking for anything that would help him to repair his boat. Some wood, old wooden boards or old doors, which he could scavenge for his boat. There was no alternative that he could see if he was going to leave this island. Though a pleasant enough place, it was not home and apart from those talking stars, it was very quiet. Walking back to the room in the village, he was confronted by one of the stars. Dracan realised, that he was slowly beginning to recognise the individual stars, by the slight change in colour between them. "The morning greets you Dracan", "It greets you also Radnan", Radnan flashed brightly, a shade of pale blue, "You see me as one, on my own with no one besides me?". "Yes" replied Dracan, "you all glow a slightly different colour when you speak to me!"
In an instant, all the sprites were before him flashing brightly, "You speak with your heart, you see us all?", asked Dalmac, the earth sprite. "Yes, I speak the truth, what I see I will tell you, Dalmac, you are a light shade of green, Radnan is blue, Olsecian is red and Zarac is white". " When you join together and are one, what I see is gold!". The sprites pulsed rapidly and brightly as if they were excited. Then, joined as one, they became a bright golden orb in the sky. Just as suddenly, they disappeared, frighteningly, Dracan felt all alone. For the first time, he felt as if he were the only being alive. That is apart from the few wild goats he had seen roaming about the island, he walked out and through the village, then, back to the small room that he now called home. Without a second thought, his mind was clearly made up. His duty to himself and his family was that he made every effort. To return to his real home in Latavascar.
Gathering his few possessions, the old cup he had found, his sailors kit, he moved out of his room. Out to where he had gathered the findings from his scavenging trip. Using some cord discovered on the beach, he tied all the wood that had found, to the one full door. Then, pulling it all after him down the village street, he made his way to the stream. Where, to his relief, he found that the bundle of wood and timber floated, not sinking as he thought it might. Holding on to the rope, he allowed it to float down the stream to the beach. Once there, he pulled it all ashore and dragged it above the high-water line where he hoped it would be safe.
Dracan started to stroll along the beach wondering what would be for the best. To bring the remains of his boat to this beach by the village. Here he had a plentiful supply of food, although it was only fruit and fresh water or, would it be easier to take his scavenged timber round the coast to where the remains of his little boat were lying at the foot of the cliffs.
While Dracan was resting on one of the small rocks, trying to reach a decision, on how to go forward. When the sprites appeared before him, "What troubles you Dracan, you are not at one with the world today!", smiling sadly, Dracan told them about his need to repair his boat and return to Shavaldhania, to his home in Latavascar. "This is a sad day for us all," said Dalmac, "We have become used to having you with us" observed Olsecian, "You are welcome, if unexpected addition to our world" Zarac mused, "We are at one with you" was all that Radnan voiced.
Dracan appreciated their thoughts and words, he then, after some consideration, asked them what they would do should he manage to repair his boat and leave the island.
"We will simply remain here on Montraghar, continue as the elders requested. To sustain the island, keep it safe", "Since you have kept the island sustained and safe, have you not thought about, at least leaving the island as individual sprites, or even together as one entity, just to see what is outside your island?" asked Dracan. "It has never been considered, where would we go? What would we do?" Radnan queried, before his eyes, the four sprites started to flash and flare as if they were talking to each other with passionate words. At times seeming as if they were angry.
One flash of light and before Dracan, there appeared one golden star, the sprites had joined as one. Flashing brightly, it spoke to Dracan with its deep sonorous voice. "Dracan, you speak to us as a kindred spirit, never in all our cycles have any being offered us. Something we have never sought nor understood. You offer us a feeling that only beings such as yourself can know. Friendship and company in life, trust and respect." after a quiet pause, the voice continued, "We apologise for intruding and entering into your mind and thoughts, when we are one, as we are now, we have many powers and skills including being able to see in to another beings mind, that we have never needed or wanted to use before. Skills and powers that we wish to offer to you but we must first see if we may, as one entity, that is, all four sprites joined as one, a golden star as you like to call us, join with you as one. When we're with the village elders for all of those cycles, there were four elders and four sprites, one elder for one sprite, now there will be four sprites for you Dracan and we do not know if all four sprites joining with you will harm you in some way, do you wish us to try to join with you?"
These words in some ways caused Dracan great concern but in other ways great excitement. "Would you try to join with me, all at the same time, as one 'golden star', or could we try one sprite at a time, Dalmac first and if that goes well, then Radnan, then Olsecian and finally Zarac until I am joined with all four of you, would that be possible? and if so, may I take some time to think it through, to make sure my mind is truly ready for such an amazing event".
"This we think would be a wise thing to do, for we too, it is an unknown for we have never done or even thought of this before, please take all the time you need, just say my name, Dalmac out aloud or just in your mind and we will return to talk some more." Dracan spent quite some time walking to and fro on the beach trying to bring some sense to the chaos he felt in his mind, what would his family think of what had happened to him, oh! The sailing accident would be forgiven and forgotten, sailors do lose out to the weather and an angry sea, some die and some survive, Dracan had survived but what of the events that had passed since he was washed ashore on Montraghar, how would they react when he talked to his family about sprites and pulsing stars that talked to him, would they think him crazy and shun him or even worse caste him out from their society but in the end gave in to what was in his heart I am what I am, I am who I am, let the future take care of itself. Taking a rest on one of the rocks near to the edge of the beach, thinking to himself, he wondered if the sprites could already hear and understand his thoughts, 'here we go he said to himself, 'Darlac' he thought, 'if you can hear me, we can talk of our joining together', this time when the stars appeared before him, all he did was smile to himself, "So be it, come let us be as one, join with me as you will"
Darlac responded, "We are pleased as it will make us whole to join with you. I will be the first, be not afraid" with that Darlac's star faded before his eyes, he felt a warmth in his mind which slowly spread through his body. In his mind Dracan heard Darlac in his head as clear as a bell "Be you well Dracan", "I feel better than I have ever felt before" was his excited reply, "That is good, it pleases all of us but before I ask Radnan, Olsecian and Zarac to join with us, you may remember that we told you that we have many powers and skills that we have not used, now is the time for us to show some of them to you, just to make your life a little more restful". "Radnan, Olsecian and Zarac, Sprites of Water, Wind and Fire, come stand by me", it seemed to Dracan that the very air above him and to his sides started to vibrate, "Dracan, you placed great faith in your little boat, the one that lies broken by the cliffs", "Yes" said Dracan "it was my pride and my joy, my pride in my grandfather who built it for me and the joy it gave me sailing it."
"Sprites of Montraghar, let us seek this little boat and bring it to this place, piece by piece" sang Darlac, the air around Dracan seemed to crackle and fizz, the space before him shimmering with radiance, then as all went still and as the shimmering faded, there, before him was his little boat floating on the silky sea, as bright, shining and exciting as the day his grandfather had given it to him. Dracan could not help himself and run as fast as he could down to the sea and the end of the beach and almost in disbelief he waded into the water and crossed the few feet to his boat and hauled himself aboard, excitedly checking from prow to stern, everything was just as he remembered the day his grandfather gave it to him. Jumping back into the sea taking a rope and its anchor with him which he stuck into the sand to make sure it did not drift away and with a big smile on his face as he walked back up the beach.
"How do I thank you Darlac, this is such a wonderful gift, I only hope that I can now live up to your standards and meet your needs." a very simple and surprising reply came from Darlac "It gives us such pleasure to see such happiness, is it now time for all of us to join with you?", "It is" replied Dracan, let us begin", so it began, firstly Radnan, followed by Olsecian and finally Zarac, an overwhelming feeling of happiness, joy and understanding filled Dracan, "I am so happy and thank you with all my heart", as there was no response to these words, Dracan asked in his mind, "Darlac, Radnan, Olsecian, Zarac are you all safe and well?", "Yes" came a laughing reply, "we are all well and content, our decision to join you has worked better than we could have hoped, it is as if we have come home, thank you for joining with us, we are forever at your service".
