Chapter Text
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The myths of old tell of a celestial who once saw the moon reflected on the night sea.
The serenity captivated the celestial's heart, and a single tear dropped into the ocean.
As the teardrop descended to the seafloor, it slowly formed into a wondrous pearl.
The Pearl’s radiance quickly captured the attention of many, and soon, a city was built around it.
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Now myths, as wondrous as they may be, have a tendency to be falsified. Sometimes they are simply stories, made to light up your face in awe of the quests of heroes and battles of monarchies, and sometimes even actions of the divine celestials, such as this one and many, many others.
Although the majority of myths are indeed nothing more than stories, there are some, dotted across books of legends, that actually happen to be true. No lies, no exaggerations, just truths. Plain and clear. Rare, and almost impossible to spot as they seem just as imaginative as the others, but if you just look a little bit deeper, a little bit further in, you can see that everything lines up. Everything makes sense and it is clear as daylight that those specific clusters of words written in books made for stories were infact, not stories at all.
The tale of our dear city Sugarteara just so happens to be one of them.
PART ONE : THE RISE
That night was the one that coined possibly the most vivid and spectacular memory I’ve ever had. Night of the pearl, we called it, later on. It ended up becoming the biggest holiday in Sugartearan history, and for good reason. It was the night the city was built, after all. The night the jewel of the sea was born from the hands of the benevolent being above, crafted to be as pure and lustrous as the Sea herself.
With an event so wonderful, it’s only natural to remember and relish every moment of it. So that’s what I did.
It started the way all nights go, the sun leaves the sky and the sea rises. Every cookie in the open ocean knows that fighting against the call of the moon is almost impossible, so we rise with the Sea herself. I was on my way as well, riding on top of my dear friend the Great Ray, with the other rays at a distance behind us. We were slightly behind on the rush to the surface, as we had spent most of the day near the depths. But even then, we didn’t need to rush much. Even the towering coral reefs that lay a good twenty meters below the surface had a good view of the moonlight. It wasn’t so bright for nothing.
So a little bit further into the night, we reached the coral reefs. They towered, colourful, vivid, massive pillars brimming with nooks and crannies where thousands of Sea creatures lived and thrived, almost as if they had a bustling city of their own before the Cookies came along. But we floated past that and instead reached the top, a wide sort of plain, like a seabed but not quite that, dotted with corals rising along the edges like they were protecting the area, a bit like a fence. They shimmered in the moonlight, and small fish came to rest on the branches, also to watch the full moon glimmering across the waves. Even the smallest fish couldn’t help but be entranced by the light, it seemed.
We settled into the strangely large area that acted as a roof to the towering reef pillars, and watched. The other rays came along, accompanied by some of the reef creatures. The plain somehow managed to fit in all of us, and there was still so much space left. The moon was in its brightest and happiest state, the full moon, but even then it seemed slightly different to normal. It was normally full of entrancing light anyhow but this... it was just more. More calm. More serene. More ... lustrous. Like a pearl, but in the sky instead of the sea.
When a full moon rises, especially one as powerful as this, even the reclusive corals have a reason to reach up. Slowly, gradually, but surely. Look away for a minute, look back, and suddenly they are slightly taller than you remember. For these corals, reaching out means they can bask in the moonlight a little more. Gain a little more vibrance. A little more splendour.
And of course, high above the surface, stood our Sea, tall as any mountain and resting, tranquil, in her true nymphic form. And it was in this moment, that a rare surge of emotion seemed to go through her, and while she remained unmoving, the ocean did not. Everything swayed and spun from the tremor, and it felt as if the pillars that felt so sturdy a minute ago would collapse at any second.
But they didn’t. The ocean stopped swirling eventually, and soon, the night went back to normal. We had come here to rest, so that was what we were going to do. So one by one every creature on the strange roof of the pillars slowly nodded off, and soon, I was the only one awake. I wanted to take in the moonlight just a little more before I slept, so I sat up and looked just a little harder, before a sensation of tiredness washed over me.
But just as I was closing my eyes, I felt something strange was happening. I snapped them open, and then shut them again to process what I saw. The moon had become brighter. Much brighter. So I forced them open again, and waited. The moon was getting brighter, and brighter, almost blinding, shining with a thousand shades of yellow, pink, blue, red, almost reflecting the reef below me. But the strangest thing is that it seemed to be falling. The moon could not fall, so what was this?
Closer and nearer it fell, burning, blinding, but beautiful. Around this time I realised that this was not the moon, but an actual pearl. The most lustrous pearl I had ever seen, almost otherworldly with its shimmer. Perhaps it was.
The pearl landed with a soft plop onto the ground in front of me, where I would’ve been if I didn’t move backwards after seeing it falling, and it promptly began to lose its shape. Swirling, manipulating its own pure material from the shape of a flame, to a teardrop, to flattening itself onto the ground like liquid, all the while shining with what seemed to be the power of the moon itself. I stared, my eyes were practically burning but I didn’t know how to look away, so I only opened them slightly.
By now, the rays and the fishes had also opened their eyes. But they weren’t the only ones surrounding the area. Curious cookies from all across the ocean, some I recognised, most I didn’t, climbed up the corals and came closer too, all of them also hypnotised by the spectacle. I looked up. The Sea didn’t seem to have noticed anything falling from the surface, but again, she was as still as a mountain and tall as one too, so it was almost impossible to tell anyhow. A small group had gathered around the pearl, which now having settled into its proper shape did truly resemble to moon, but also something else. Something much more unlikely, but it seemed to tick off all the boxes....
Yet another myth. Tears of the sea were said to provide sacred power, and everlasting prosperity to all who seek it. The last time a Tear of the Sea had been spotted was many centuries ago, long enough so that people assumed it never existed at all. Besides, it was all too good to be true, when the ocean itself was built on the resourcefulness of its residents. That’s how kingdoms and high cities were formed. Using hard work and the ocean's provisions. A pearl, gifting infinite abundance? To practically all ocean dwellers, that sounded like the myth to top off all myths, something so inherently impossible that it circled back to everyday conversations as a joke, a hypothetical that could never happen, one which only a small child could truly believe. One of the more outrageous stories found in books of alleged truths.
And yet, a voice yelled over the chatter of the crowd I was now in, claiming that this pearl, couldn’t be anything but a Tear of The Sea. Others started to agree with them, and people started to talk, even louder yet again. So we all stood there, chattering confusedly, wondering what on earth this thing was, and what we should do with it.
“I don’t know what you all are thinking! Tear of the Sea? Impossible! This just seems like a weird pearl... of sorts.”
“But look at it! You think any pearl could’ve done what it just did now?? This thing has a life of its own, I tell you!”
“Come on guys! The Sea has blessed us! Let’s do what we do best and try to make something out of it!"
“HAHA! THE SEA!?!? BLESSING US?? Oh boy you are hilarious! If it really is the, what’s it called? Tear of the Sea, then we should make a city with it!”
The entire crowd stared at the lone cookie who yelled that.
“A city?” A couple of us repeated, including myself.
The last time a Tear of the Sea had been spotted, it had fallen to the seabed, instead of the reefs. The deep sea dwellers back then didn’t have much of a need for the abundance at first, but in the stories, they built a small temple for the pearl, a gazebo where cookies could ask for things. Small things, at first, such as luck, or protection, and maybe a bit of food for when there wasn’t enough to go around for everyone. But slowly, they grew greedy. The temple gazebo grew to a small town, and then a city, and then they asked so much of the pearl that the city had grown to a whole continent’s length, and even the seabed itself couldn’t hold the weight of the riches. The Continent of the Pearl sunk into the ocean floor. A cautionary tale, told to little cookies to not be so greedy and to stay resourceful no matter what. Everyone in this part of ocean and maybe even beyond, knew of the tale.
But they were from the deep, and weren’t so aware of, well, practically anything to do with our Sea. The inky black waters where they lived were not her domain. It makes sense, that they asked so much, even if it were an exaggerated myth. Even if the Continent of the Pearl was only the size of a fairly large city.
Besides, if this really was the Tear of the Sea then wouldn’t it be useful to make a city surrounding it? If it truly gave infinite abundance then surely it could give a home, a proper one, to us open ocean wanderers? I’d never really thought of myself actually living in a city, but.....
I’m guessing the others wanted homes a little more desperately. And honestly, I would’ve agreed with them, if it weren’t for the rays. I’d been with them my entire life, and they all practically were my home.
It wasn’t long until people were testing out the pearl, checking to see if maybe, just maybe the item of legends was really before them.
“The last Tear of the Sea could turn sand into gold! If this one is anything like it then it should do something similar!”
A cookie who looked like a construction worker had a couple of sand bricks to test that out. He threw them in front of the pearl, and everyone braced themselves for what could happen. The pearl, which seemed to have cooled down now, in both brightness and temperature, quickly blazed yet again, covering the offered sand bricks in the same blinding sheen. The anticipation was extreme, as all we could do was watch, watch with focused eyes, spectating the pearl and speculating the future. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, the sheen of the bricks seemed to be gone, converted into wisps of smoke, rising above and immediately disintegrating after leaving the protection of the pearl. Left in its place were bricks, but not of sand...
“SUGAR CRYSTAL!??!” the crowd yelled in unison. But these was no regular sugar crystals. They shone, an iridescent blue, not like the sea at daylight, but even more vibrant. People rushed to it, a kid managed to nab one of the bricks and was turning it in his hand while it scintillated shades of not only blue, but yellow like the sun, and lime green for the areas in-between. The same construction worker was pulling out more sand bricks from his massive duffel bag, and threw even more of them in front of the pearl, before they were promptly snatched by another stranger.
“No!” they nagged. “This is the pearl of ABUNDANCE. Just ask for more bricks to build the city, you ninny!”
“Or you could just ask the pearl to build the city, here and now!” another voice chirped in.
People glared at the source of the voice, but slowly a wave of understanding washed over their faces. It wasn’t long until another agreed, then another, and soon, they were debating on who should ask the pearl for the city in the first place, or if it was too much to ask of this newly formed divinity, when it had taken a couple of whole of minutes just to form a few bricks.
By now I had moved away from the pearl to be with the rest of the rays and help my eyes recover, something which I was slowly starting to regret the longer i spent away. This was all too chaotic, but I was also incredibly excited for what was to come, for my future. I’d know what living in a city is like, have a permanent place to stay, and it was directly on top of the wonderful reef pillars. The reef could be a part of our life! How wonderful would that be!
I had hesitated at first, when they first talked of the pearl being a Tear of the Sea. Who wouldn’t have? A place of infinite abundance not only sounded impossible, but there was no guarantee the idea wouldn’t end in shambles. Wandering was nice and it was the way of life I had always known, but staring at the pearl, I could see something so strange yet hypnotic and dazzling and full of LIFE, that every second I stared, I felt even more sure that a year of wandering, no, a whole lifetime of wandering would never compare to these moments, these moments with the Tear of the Sea. Never.
In the time I had managed to collect my thoughts, there was an agreement among the crowd. They had chosen the one to speak to the pearl. I couldn’t see so much of the figure, due to being directly behind them, but what I could see is that they were tall and had a strange sort of robe on them, trailing across the sand. They whispered a small prayer in front of the pearl, which in the time that everyone was busy with themselves, had been steadily growing, and now was almost twice my size. And on cue, the pearl began to shine, as it blazed with an iridescent sheen, this time blanketing the entire coral reef.
It stayed like that for what seemed like ages. All of us standing in the light, almost entranced, waiting restlessly for the spectacle to close and the city to be revealed. I wasn’t expecting much, but that was fine. The pearl could give us materials to shape the city to our liking, no? We’ll have a home, a community, all watched over by the gift of the Sea.
I wondered what it would be like, living in a city fashioned by a piece of The Almighty Sea?
Soon, the light surrounding the pillars began to fade, slowly revealing a glimpse of a city. The floors below us were covered in the same crystal bricks that once were made of sand, and the you could see the distinct silhouette of the city itself, despite being revealed so slowly. The outer edge of the city’s structure, which we happened to be standing on, was soon littered with stalls, shops, homes, and buildings that seemed to resemble the shapes of seamounts. There were gardens across the pathway to the inner city, which was still being formed, as the fading of light seemed to be going from the lower, outer city to the tall, pointier buildings above.
There was one building that had caught my eye, however. It was the last to be revealed as the centrepiece of this newfound civilisation, grand and resting on top of all the other buildings, above all the roads and houses and shops. The pearl clearly mean for this building to be above all else. Its roof was a series of turrets, points, windows, and at the very top there was a pointed pole reaching high upwards, almost trying to reach the moon itself. Its door, at the very bottom of the colossal structure was a series of steps intertwining with other, similar buildings, smaller but just as pointy. To make up for its size, it had intricate patterns all across its walls, statues decorating the entrance, and a window near which seemed to extend into a massive balcony, clearly meant for speaking to the city. But just as the building’s formation was coming to a close, I glimpsed something that made me realise why this one structure was so important. The last area of it to form was this room in the center, and while it was a bit hard to see with the entire city emitting such a bright shine, I did notice that it was some sort of prayer room, as I recognised the grand shimmer of the pearl even from so far away. It was the last room to close, before the walls fell in place and I couldn’t see that wondrous pearl anymore.
But the city was so grand and expansive, i quickly lost myself staring at the meticulous details of all the structures, basking in its teal blue, glistering glory and forgot about the pearl, even if only for a small while.
I was snapped back into reality by something dropping in front of me. A sugar crystal in the shape of a tear, but it was cracked to the point of almost breaking. Perhaps I could ask the pearl to fix it? Or would that be too much, right after it had fashioned a whole city? I grabbed it. I thought I could try fixing it myself, and then return it to wherever it came from. Although looking at the massive city, finding the source for this little crystal would be quite hard.
“So what should we name this place?”
I looked up. A cookie had emerged from the balcony, and I recognised them as the one who asked for the city. It made sense they’d be up there.
“Attention citizens! I ask again: what should we name this place?”
A variety of names were suggested, so I tried to come up with one myself. It was asked, after all. The place itself was made of sugar crystals, and I looked down at the crystal teardrop I held in my fin. A sugar tear.
Hmm. ... Sugar.. Tear.... Sugartear.....
“Sugarteara!”
Yes. That rolled off the tongue very nicely. Sugarteara sounded like the perfect name for a place such as this. Others I heard chattering behind me seemed to agree. Eventually enough people were saying the name that even the cookie at the balcony heard.
“Okay! It is decided then!”
The crowd turned silent quickly enough.
“Welcome, citizens, to the grand city of Sugarteara!!!”
Applause rang across the crowd, and I could not stop myself from beaming. I stared at the sugar tear, and despite its cracks, it seemed to be beaming at me back.
Sugarteara. A name I knew I would cherish.