Long ago, there lived a prince without a castle. He often wondered about it. But, he never forgot who he was: a prince deserving of a home with kingly attributes.

One day (actually in the middle of the night), a bird flew in through his hut window and started chirping like his nest was on fire. The incessant cry of the bird woke the prince. Startled, he tried to comfort the bird by giving it food crumbs. To his surprise the bird did not stop, instead it danced on the crumbs and continued its cawing.

Without luck the prince tried to shoo the bird away, until he saw a tiny roll of paper tied to the bird's leg. He thought it must be the cause of the commotion. Someone had sent the bird with a message for him.

After a little hassle trying to settle the bird down and untie the message, he opened a scroll the size of a leaf. When he read the message, his surprise doubled. Who was thinking about him? And to suggest a trip across the plains and over the mountains to the ocean, and then across the ocean to an island?

The message exactly read his mind. It said, "Stay where you are and die alone. Seek the land to the west, over the distant range, and embark on a ship for passage to an island, where you will find your love of life." Signed, Your Mom.

​You see, he had grown up as the king's son. His father, the king, had his castle invaded by marauders, who tortured him to death. The prince had escaped but only because his mother had helped him do so. She must have escaped a different route.

Now, his real journey in life, a long quest ahead, was about to begin. She was alive and calling him.


7:48 AM, Saturday, October 24, 2026.