Journey to Rainbow Island

by Christie Hsiao

  All of the people wore grave, solemn expressions. They didn’t speak or even acknowledge one another. Despair, hopelessness, and gloom seemed to pervade the entire city. Yu-ning was disheartened that there could be such desolation among a community of so many people. She looked at every person beseechingly, as if imploring him or her to return her gaze, but no one made eye contact; no one smiled.

  Yu-ning felt desperate, so she stopped momentarily and closed her eyes, and cried to One, “Why do they walk alone? Where are their friends and family? Why is there no color in this place?”

  People continued to race by, the pace brisk and unabated. Yu-ning just stood in the middle, as if caught in the vortex of the storm. The droning vibration of the city and all its sounds caused her to lose her footing as she tried to find a place to step out of the way. “Everyone, please, why are you going so fast? Please slow down. Please talk to me.” One by one, she tried to reach those passing by.

  “Hello?” Yu-ning said to a woman dressed in a black skirt and dark hat. The woman didn’t even blink as she continued on past Yu-ning with a stern expression. “Hello . . . ?” Yu-ning said to a man all in grey. He also jetted by without looking at her.

  Sniffling, she stood dejected on the high curb along the street. As she stared out at the sea of faces amidst the dreary rain, she felt dizzy and overwhelmed. She took a deep, shaky breath and continued walking down the dark street, moving with the cacophonous drone of rapid footsteps and the loud sounds of a crowded city.

  Without warning, she heard a loud whirring sound behind her. She spun around to see a man standing on a flat, circular disk, holding onto some sort of steering wheel, flying toward her about three feet off the ground. She hit the deck hard as the flying disc flew over her, barely missing her head.

  “Get out of the street, little girl!” shouted the man as he raced by. “Or else you’ll get killed by a whirlicon!”

  She stood up slowly, both amazed and terrified by what she had just seen. “How can he fly like that?” Yu-ning wondered to herself. As she dusted herself off, she could see other discs flying about the city, racing in every direction. She looked on in fascination. She could see glowing blue stones secured underneath each of the discs, dull blue light trailing from behind. She continued walking, staying out of the center of the road, blending in with the foot traffic hugging both sides of the busy street.

  She searched the sky for signs of Suparna, but the cloud cover was still thick, making it difficult to see. At that moment, she heard One’s voice in her mind—his words were like beams of light searing through a storm cloud. “Yu-ning, show the people the light,” he said in a gentle tone. “There is always light at the center. Don’t ever forget this. Trust and believe. There is always light at the center.”

  As she took in his words, her eyes were drawn to a bright, clean light emanating from the center of the city—piercing through the rain and smoke. “The light! It’s coming from the center of the city. It’s coming from that single tall tower at the center!”

  As she moved forward briskly, she began to make out the upper stories of a tall glass tower, shining bright golden light from every archway and window. As Yu-ning fixed her gaze on the luminous light, she noticed that it shined straight up into the sky. Not only did the light shine up into the stormy sky, but the tower extended all the way up into the clouds and disappeared. Her eyes kept going up and up as the structure continued growing taller into the sky. It was as if it were reflecting the light of a thousand suns.

  This display reminded her of Suparna’s words about her pink crystal heart. Yu-ning looped her finger around the silk thread of her necklace and pulled it out from under her shirt, raising the pink gemstone before her. As she did, beams of light raced toward her from the tower, converging on the pink crystal heart. It was as if the pink crystal was a lightning rod that drew thousands of separate beams into one location.

  The effect of so many light beams racing toward Yu-ning forced her to close her eyes and turn her head away, holding the crystal heart in front of her. There was a low humming sound, and the pink heart began to vibrate. Yu-ning opened her eyes, staring in amazement at the pink crystal.

  She thought her mind was playing tricks on her: all the beams of light were hitting the center of the pink crystal heart, and the gem, acting as a prism, was reflecting a beautiful, shining pink path that spread before her. It was like a shimmering carpet, leading in the direction of the light tower. It took Yu-ning’s breath away: it looked just as lovely and brilliant as the beloved rainbow from Rainbow Island, only smaller and all pink.

  As she walked, she looked down and laughed gleefully. Bright, sparkling pink lights were casting their rays as if from a prism. The further the path extended, the more shadow it chased away. All the streets, alleys, corners, and buildings sparkled with light. Even the raindrops reflected the lights of the pink pathway, causing the air to be filled with millions of falling pink diamond raindrops. Yu-ning picked up her pace and followed the beams of light flowing from the tower. The lights, bejeweled and glistening, led toward the majestic tower at the center of the city.

  “It’s a light tower to heaven. It’s a cathedral of light.”

  She heard One’s voice whisper to her, “It is the anteroom of heaven.”

  “The anteroom of heaven,” she repeated, bedazzled and inspired.

  “Look, everyone, the building at the center of your city is full of beautiful light. It’s a light tower to heaven!” she said excitedly. To her amazement, many people began to walk toward her slowly, and some even began to follow her.

  But one man stepped forward and said, “It’s not a tower to heaven, silly girl. It’s just a plain glass tower. My uncle lives in that tower, and there’s nothing magical about it.” Other onlookers, however, were mesmerized, both by the diamond lights flowing from the tower toward Yu-ning and by the pink pathway flowing out of the little girl’s pink crystal.

  “I’ve lived in the Grey City my entire life, and I’ve never seen the tower look like this—shining so bright, with such beautiful lights!” marveled a dark-haired woman in her midthirties.

  On either side of the pink pathway, the city droned on in a cloud of delusion and misery. Whirlicons buzzed by, and most of the pedestrians didn’t give her a second glance. Yu-ning sighed woefully, but the pink lights inspired her and gave her courage. As she turned around, she now saw that about fifty people were following her.

  A woman, slim and pale, said, “I know a lawyer who has offices in the tower, and have visited him there on several occasions. The tower has never been lit up like this, though. What is happening?”

  “This crystal heart not only reflects light, it reflects love,” Yu-ning responded. “Where I come from, our desire is to help everyone find the love that is locked inside them and set it free. The light you are seeing is strong because it is powered by love. Follow me to the Tower of Light, and we will see what the source is!”

  “What is this bright shining thing?” a man said as he brought his whirlicon to a halt and stepped off of it. He removed the small blue stone from under the floating disc, placed it in his pocket, left the whirlicon behind, and joined Yu-ning. He was looking under his feet at the pink path as it extended out, connecting him to crowds of others. Those enveloped by the soft rays of pink light were drawn onto the path by some inexplicable force. Whirlicon after whirlicon slowed to a stop.

  Yu-ning looked in the distance and noticed that some people still walked briskly along, oblivious to the light. And further off, whirlicons continued to race by. She noticed no pink around them. She and her followers tried to flag them down, but they wouldn’t listen. Yu-ning shouted out, “All of you, please join us. We’re going to the Tower of Light at the center. Your whole city can be full of light; you just have to believe.”

  One man paused and asked inquisitively, “What light tower?”

  Yu-ning sighed gratefully and put her small hand in the man’s much larger hand. “Look, sir; look at the grou
nd beneath our feet, then follow that light.” The man looked down to see a beautiful pink glow transform the ground beneath him. He looked up and saw the path stretch ahead, and the glow of light spread in all directions.

  He gasped as the light of recognition emanating from him flowed out and reached several people around him. Yu-ning and the man looked at each other and smiled broadly as others walked toward them. The man was stupefied, and every feature softened on his face.

  “Hey, look, do you see the light?” Yu-ning said to a woman who ignored her and walked away quickly. But as the woman rushed away, she looked up and came to an abrupt stop.

  “What is it?” she asked, standing still, looking disoriented and confused.

  “It is light. Follow us; it only gets brighter,” Yu-ning said, leading the woman onto the pink path. The woman sighed deeply as she saw the ground transform beneath her. Yu-ning squeezed her hand tightly and smiled, before trying to gather more people from the grey heart of the city.

  One by one, more people drifted over in a daze, like a scattering sea of stars amidst a sea of darkness. They saw the pinkish tinge in the air flowing around them, and they followed it toward the source at the center. They were not sure what it was, but its force was magnetic.

  Yu-ning noticed an elderly man standing in the middle of the street, entranced by the pink path. A speeding whirlicon raced down the street directly toward the man and tried to go around him—but it was too late. The old man was lying in the middle of the street, blocking the path of a man who looked like a banker. The banker just stood there, doing nothing.

  “Oh no!” Yu-ning said, running toward the old man. “Are you all right?” Yu-ning knelt down next to him. He was not moving, and the banker was just standing there, impatiently trying to find a way to leave. He watched Yu-ning as she leaned over the elderly man, her pink crystal necklace touching his chest. A rainbow stream of color flowed into his body, and the old man slowly opened his eyes.

  The banker looked as if he had seen a ghost and dropped his satchel. He quickly took off his jacket, folded it, and helped Yu-ning place it under the old man’s head. Despite the rain, all the people were coming forward to offer their coats and umbrellas. News of the miracle was spreading through the crowd, and soon everyone was repeating the story to his neighbor.

  “This little girl has magical powers.”

  “It’s a miracle.”

  Yu-ning and the banker helped the elderly man to his feet as others from the crowd leaned in to support them. The elderly man stood smiling; he softly thanked everyone. The crowd became very quiet, as no one had ever experienced the kind of compassion, support, and warmth flowing among all of them.

  “What are those flying things, anyway?” said Yu-ning, still upset about nearly being run over herself.

  “They are whirlicons. They are powered by brillantium—gems that we mine here on Gracia, which produce their own source of propulsive energy,” said the banker.

  “Well, they are very dangerous,” Yu-ning retorted, unimpressed by magic rocks that can cause discs to fly into people.

  As the elderly man dusted himself off, all those gathered looked at one another and then at a sea of pink light flowing beneath their feet. Everyone gazed in amazement at the path, which was emanating a spectacular pink glow in all directions through their once dark and dismal city.

  They saw a beam of light in the distance shooting up to the sky. “That is the Tower of Light; you can all see it now!” Yu-ning called out as they continued on the pink path. “You failed to see that the light in your city has been blocked because you forgot what the light looks like. Now you all see, because you believe!”

  There was a sense of reverence, humility, and peace as the growing crowd reflected on Yu-ning’s words. Many were sharing the same insights with one another:

  “We didn’t see each other. We didn’t see ourselves.”

  “It’s within us. It has always been within us.”

  Some were waiting to see more—waiting for some kind of proof that this magical light could impact their lives in a positive way. As the crowd moved closer to the center and turned a corner in the direction of the tower, a sacred silence filled the air.

  The crowd was in awe as they looked at the spectacular sight before them. They had reached the Tower of Light, its grandeur thrusting upward into the dark clouds above, bathed in the most heavenly light they had ever seen. Other people, who either refused to see or were not able to see, looked at the mesmerized crowd as if they were crazy. For most people in the city, the tower was void of any light.

  Yu-ning’s legs were tired and her left shoulder ached, but she was relieved to have reached the base of the tower. As she gazed heavenward, it seemed as if the tower was growing higher by the second. The entrance had a large archway with massive, thick doors made of frosted glass. The massive doors swung outward, and a guard stepped forward.

  At that moment, a man’s voice bellowed down from the sky. Yu-ning looked away from the guard upward to the top of the tower and saw a man’s head—a small speck extending from a balcony thousands of feet up, it seemed. But how could she hear him when he was so far away? Or see him, for that matter?

  His upper body leaned out to wave to her. “Come up!” he shouted to Yu-ning from the balcony.

  Yu-ning was thrilled. “Me?” she replied, pointing to herself, still not comprehending how she could see him and hear him from what must be thousands of feet above her.

  “Yes, are you Yu-ning?” It was as if he was right next to her, his voice clear and strong.

  “Yes, I am Yu-ning!”

  “Then come on up, we’re waiting for you! And bring your new friends with you.”

  It was the kindest greeting she had received since arriving in the Grey City.

  Seven

  Tower

  “ALL RIGHT! I’M COMING,” she shouted up at the man peering down from thousands of feet above her.

  As people looked on, most of them were smiling, but others looked confused, defensive, and even scared. Yu-ning and the crowd stood outside the great tower, just staring up at its beauty. “Everyone,” Yu-ning yelled out to the crowd, “I am going inside, and once there, I am traveling to the top to meet the man who lives there. You are all free to join me—it is your choice.”

  Yu-ning turned toward the entryway below the front gate, ready to approach the guard who stood stock-still next to the main entrance. Before she could approach the guard, however, she noticed a teenage boy crouching next to the entrance of the tower. His face and clothes were dirty, and in his hands was a wooden bowl containing a few copper coins.

  “Are you all right?” she asked tenderly.

  “Spare some coins?” he replied feebly, looking depressed and sickly.

  “Coins?” she asked curiously.

  “Money,” the teenage boy repeated. “Spare any coins,” he said, without looking up.

  “I don’t have any money, but I have an apple from my island. Here,” she said, extending the apple toward him. It was her last apple. “Where do you live?” She put the apple in his hand. He looked confused, not knowing whether to accept it or not.

  “I don’t have a home,” he said, taking the apple and biting into it. It was the first thing he had eaten in two days. As he chewed, he looked at her with a vacant stare.

  “Then you can come with me back to my home. I live on Rainbow Island. It is the most beautiful place in the world. I’ll take you there, but first I’m going inside this tower.”

  “That is the tallest tower in the world,” the boy said in a monotone.

  “It is the anteroom of heaven!” said Yu-ning, with great enthusiasm. “Look at all the brilliant lights above us,” she exclaimed as she continued to hold her pink crystal in front of her, the pink colors now shooting skyward.

  “What lights?” said the boy in a dejected and forlorn manner. “I don’t see any bright lights. It just looks like any ordinary tower, only taller.”

  Yu-ning looked at
him with sorrowful eyes. “My name is Yu-ning,” she said. “This is a lonely place. I can be your friend if you need a friend.”

  The boy just stared at her sadly. “My name is Julian.”

  Yu-ning smiled. “Julian, can you see the light?”

  “I told you I don’t see any lights,” Julian replied dryly.

  “No, if you look with your heart, you will see them.” He looked at her as if she was speaking nonsense, but she continued, “I’m going all the way to the top of the tower. An important man is waiting for me there. He has wisdom to share—he is a great teacher. Come with me, Julian,” she said persuasively.

  Julian shrugged her off. “I don’t know what light you are talking about. Many people live and work in this tower, but from what I know, no one lives at the top, because it keeps growing higher. Why don’t you go back home to your parents? And stop bothering me with this nonsense,” Julian snapped, looking very weary.

  “Then you will come when you are ready,” said Yu-ning. “The door is always open. Finish your apple and then you will see.” She walked back toward the main gate, turning back one last time to smile at Julian. He was staring down at the apple. Quietly, most of the crowd followed behind her at a distance. She didn’t notice that Julian had risen slowly and had also followed her, staying at the back of the crowd.

  “Hello.” Yu-ning smiled at the gate guard, who ignored her. She walked through the massive glass doors and entered an enormous atrium in the center of the tower. The glass rose hundreds of feet, forming a vast hall with the next floor of the tower perched far overhead. The color inside was bright, in stark contrast to the grey outside. The light was shining into the clear windows through intricate designs etched into the glass. It illuminated the entire space with textured shadows, as the colors danced and refracted off every surface.