The first word is ACCURSED and the second one is ACKNOWLEDGE. We adore this last word, because it gives us an owl and the edge of a precipice. And our story doesn’t need anything more.
The edge of the precipice is the end of childhood. The children that overcome the rite will be acknowledged as adults. They only have to descend that precipice. But there is a tree close to the edge. On that tree there is an owl that never sleeps. If the owl acknowledges the presence of those children, it curses them with a smile. And even if they manage to descend to the bottom of the precipice, those children will never be treated like adults.
This story doesn’t have a main character. That would be acknowledging him and putting a curse on him. And we don’t want to carry that guilt. So, we will just say that the owl will smile at some children, and others will be ignored. We will just say that some children will run, while the owl’s attention is on someone else, and others will return the owl’s smile, turning their backs on that precipice that they never wanted to descend in the first place.
Do you want to know why I curse them? I do it because someone cursed me for them. I am an owl. I should be flying up there, with darkness and starlight vying to color my feathers. But I am bound to this tree, to this precipice. My feathers are the color of bark, the color of dirt. And no matter how many times I shed them, the curse takes hold of me over and over again. All because someone believed that those children needed external validation, to see themselves as adults and begin to act like it.
Child! Child! Child! Turn around and don’t come near the edge of this precipice again. You are hereby acknowledged. You are a child, and one you shall remain. Thrice have I hooted this curse and it shall not be denied.
I’m ready. I’m standing on the edge, ready to begin my descent. The Owl hasn’t seen me. I can finally leave my childhood behind. I can finally take ownership of myself. And find my way through the darkness at the bottom of the abyss, without blaming anyone else for every step I take.
Someone broke the Owl’s wings. Someone took the sky away from It. And now we are all the Owl has left. Children that cannot be allowed to fly, that cannot even be allowed to climb down this precipice. Without Its wings, the Owl is nothing more than the child It once was. And that is all we will ever be.
1: When I grow up, I want to become an All-Seeing Owl too. I’m not interested in climbing down the precipice. I will stay close to this tree. And I will beg the Owl to teach me how to curse children, just like It does. With a smile. With the best intentions. For their own good.
2: The Owl didn’t acknowledge me. Why? Did I do something wrong? I don’t want to go down there. I don’t want to grow up. I want to stay here, and keep being a child. I want to have the Owl’s blessing, to keep being a child, just like everyone else.
3: I’ve always wanted to look into the abyss. To become a monster, like everyone else. To leave my childhood behind, and walk among the monsters that shape the world. Soon I will be down there. I cannot wait. I have to start sharpening my claws.
1: Hello! Hello! Hello, Owl! Thank you for letting me stay. So, so much. From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank you enough. I would have made a horrible adult.
2: I can already feel the Owl’s Curse taking hold of me. A moment ago I had a clear image in my mind, more vivid than any dream. I knew the kind of adult I wanted to become, the kind of change I wanted to make in the world. But now that image is gone. The Owl has stolen it from me, and left a pair of wings in its place. I see myself flying. In an empty sky. My mind is full once again, full of childish dreams, that won’t take me anywhere.
3: I will wait here a little bit more. I still have time. The precipice won’t go anywhere. The Owl is bound to look my way. It must have been an oversight. Everyone is allowed one of those once in a lifetime. The Owl will see me. It will. And I will forgive It. I will. Because I am not one of those children that hold grudges and never let them go.