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once upon a time, on a remote, yet fairly large and populated island, there lived a young traveler. independent from the day she was born, she would hike down the island's roads, carrying only a backpack with her few possessions in it, and following the sun, which never set. sometimes she would pass by interesting villages, and she would stop to take part in their whims. sometimes she would even come upon other travelers or creatures who would walk with her a ways, until they had to turn off to reach their destinations. whenever she got lonely (which was not uncommon), she looked up and ahead, hoping that the sun would lead her to a new companion, which it would do periodically.
one particularly warm day, when the girl's backpack felt especially heavy, the sun led her to an inviting shady grove. glad for a cooler environment, she followed it to the edge of a lake peeking out from behind some brush. the rest of the lake was hidden by the brush, but the girl could see that there was moving water behind it, as the edge of the lake rippled slightly.
after taking a drink, she sat down to rest for a just few minutes under a great big evergreen oak tree whose roots formed a perfect spot for sitting. out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement: a badger digging up from its sett to enjoy the summer weather. a deer lay nearby, just listening and watching her with its large, kind eyes. the strange voices of the various wood creatures made a peaceful and soporific lull...
the traveler soon realized she had been sitting for longer than she had intended, and headed back to the road. she traveled all throughout the next few days. (a day began each time she woke up from sleep.)
but eventually she found herself back by the grove. without objecting, she again entered and took a drink (the water seemed to taste just a tiny bit deeper somehow--or maybe it was her imagination) and sat in the shade of the great big oak tree, whose roots seemed to welcome her just a tad more cozily (unless it was her imagination). as she put her head back, the girl noticed that she could see the sun a little clearer when the trees' leaves sheltered her eyes from its overwhelming brightness. she also noticed some shiny glints on the oak tree.
she got up to take a closer look. they looked like... yes, indeed they were... small pieces of gold? the girl had, on a few occasions, encountered such things, but these had a subtle and mysterious luster to them which she could not explain. then she remembered that she had also seen glints around the lake, so she went over to examine them again. sure enough, she found more treasures, though slightly different in appearance.
"Hmm... maybe some pirate of long ago abandoned his treasure here?" she wondered aloud. she looked up. although the tree and the lake said nothing, they gave her the impression that the treasure must have come from something far older and more mystical than a passing rapscallion.
then she saw what was causing the pieces to shine so brilliantly. as she held them, she noticed mirrorlike facets on each, which caught and reflected the sun's brilliance. picking up a few of them, she left in awe and wonder.
the sun led the young traveler back to the grove more and more often. each time the girl came back, the lake and the tree and the badger and even the deer welcomed her more and more (and she was sure it wasn't just her imagination!). sometime she would even climb the big oak tree or dip her feet in the lake or splash in it. and when she was around, the badger would come up from its burrow and affectionately butt against her. and the deer, which had been friendly yet distant at first, would often come around and gently nuzzle the girl's hair.
at one point or another, almost all of the creatures she met (plus the lake and the oak tree) had small (and sometimes not-so-small) treasures to offer her. the once-foreign harmonies of the grove had grown so familiar to her that she came to call it her home. in fact, if ever any voice was missing, the harmony was very obviously incomplete. but most of the time she came home to the grove, all of its inhabitants were there. she became infused into the whole scene.
when she did go out, she almost never carried her backpack around anymore. she had no need to be weighed down by it, especially when she had such a paradise to call home. though she still traveled moderate distances, she had finally found a place that would always be there upon her return.
she did, however, carry a few of the bits of gold that all of her new friends had given her. every time she set out on the road, the sun seemed closer and brighter, though it was also easier to make out. when she would encounter other travelers and road creatures, she began noticing some that looked lonely or ragged or weary. knowing the feeling well, she offered them some of her treasures, which shone of her beloved sun and reminded her of her dear friends. some rejected the gifts, suspicious of her intentions, but some accepted. though very few saw the same reflections in them that the girl did, they still thanked her for them and went on with a slightly lighter step.
"Ahh... if only I could make them see the brightness and beauty that I see in those treasures!" the girl sighed one day, as she returned her hands to her pockets to feel the missing gold which she had gladly just given away. to her surprise, she not only felt it replaced there, but another like it! it was then that she discovered that her treasure multiplied as she gave it. she had sensed before that it was unlike other gold in more ways than its shape and reflection, but now she knew for sure that it was no less than supernatural.
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