[This is a translation of an ongoing novel]
Long, long ago, when the clouds were still very young, our Island was not so lonely. In those days, we, the Sky People, lived hand in hand with the Angels. Ah, if only you could have seen them, little one! They had wings of pure light, and when they laughed, rainbows were born. We lived in peace, dancing on the wind, knowing no cares.
But far below, in the dark and filthy Abyss, lived other people—the Earth People. They walked on solid ground, their feet caked with mud, and their hearts filled with envy. They looked up at our shining home and hated us for our lightness.
'Why do they soar while we crawl?' they hissed.
And so, the Earth People built terrible machines and ladders to reach the heavens. They attacked us, wishing to chain our islands to their dirty soil. Thus began the Great War of the Winds. The Angels shielded us with their wings, and we took up spears made of lightning. The battle was fearsome, but the Sky does not tolerate filth. Together with the Angels, we cast the invaders down, destroying every last one of them. Dust to dust, stone to stone.
But the Earth People had a patroness—the wicked and ancient Goddess of the Earth. Seeing the demise of her servants, she howled with such fury that the mountains below cracked asunder. She could not reach us, but she cursed our protectors.
'If you love the sky so much, let it choke you!' she rasped the terrible Curse of Heaviness.
In an instant, the Angels' beautiful wings became heavier than lead. The light within them was extinguished. Unable to bear this burden, they fell dead, crumbling into gray ash. We were left all alone, defenseless before the gaping Abyss, ready to swallow us whole.
Our island tilted. We wept with fear, feeling ourselves fall.
And then She appeared. Our Mother, our Celestial Lady. She was as soft as the morning mist, yet her hands were harder than diamond. She caught our falling island and said:
'I will hold you, as long as your hearts remain light.'
We swore eternal loyalty to Her. We renounced everything that drags one down. But there were fools among us... Those who secretly wept for the Goddess of the Earth, those who hid stones in their bosoms. Their hearts were too heavy for the Sky. To save the island, we had to give them to the Abyss they so worshiped. We threw them from the Edge, and the island soared upward once more.
Remember this, child: The Sky loves only the light. Be obedient, honor the Goddess, and never, do you hear me, never look down with longing. Otherwise, Heaviness will take you too.