"The Discovery"

Part 1

 

(As told by Queen Sapphire to her young adopted son Sky.)

 

"A very long time ago, long before your father and I were born, snails grew to be enormous, even larger than us. Their great spiral shells grew to be as big around as the Home Tree. Yes, the very tree in which you are sitting right now.

 

"The heat of the sun drove the snails underground during the summer, and one day a Snail Lord named Ebony ventured into a limestone cave to escape the heat. He crept to the very back of the little cave where the shadows were deepest, and discovered a secret passage.

 

"When Ebony entered the passage, something very special happened. His shell began to glow. You see, in those days a snail's shell would glow to help him see in the darkness, for they spent much more time in the dark than we do now. Each shell was different from the next, and his shell's glow was in the shape of a fern leaf that wound around and around.

 

"Ebony's glow filled the tunnel. He followed the passageway until he reached a large cavern. And what do you suppose he saw? Crystals! Thousands upon thousands of crystals. It was the most amazing sight he had ever beheld. Forests of crystals sprouted from the floor and clusters of every size hung down from the ceiling.

 

"What do you suppose he said when he saw such a sight? He said, 'This is mine.' And his cavern it would have been, had there not been for one thing...he was not alone."