Taroo

What does this mean for you? More than a survivor of life’s trials and tribulations, your unassailable commitment to the people and things you deeply care about, makes you a victor in your pursuit of pure joy and undying love. Being in nature makes your heart sing, and you’re definitely always the one found meandering through the meadow and getting lost without a plan in a dense forest. Just humming your own tune and feeling the air go through you. 

For Taroo, growing up was no picnic. He was young when his entire village perished in a raid by a warring tribe. Alone in the world and raising himself in a dense woodland, he had to endure the loss of his family and the crushing loneliness while staying alive. With spritely forest creatures as his only companions and the endless silent sky as his canopy, he somehow has learned to default to trust and graciously surrender to life’s mysteries. Even the harsh lessons somehow always seem kind, because the voice inside tells him that he will always find a way to thrive. 

Alida, on the other hand, is a carefree princess of a mighty Indian chief. Her days are filled with lighthearted fun and neverending socializing that seem only repetitive and unsatisfying. The only way she can find some calm and quiet is on her long walks in the woods, and even then there is always a posse she will need to strategically shake loose. After all, she is the pride and joy of her father, the chief who can never let his guard down amidst all the tribe rivalry.

One day, on her usual route through the piney glens she came upon a dazzling pond, just tucked away from her usual line of sight. The subdued glimmer from the pond’s surface is such a drastic contrast to the rushing waterfall that feeds it by the mountainside. She found a new quiet she never knew by the pond. She was startled by footsteps when she broke her trance. There’s an Indian boy gathering fruits in the distance. He seemed to have noticed her just as she’s noticed him. And he’s now the one caught in a trance of her beauty.

Being a humble child of the wise woodland, Taroo knows the only way to disarm Alida would be to be truthful. He bares his heart and tells her his story as Alida listened intently to learn about her courageous new friend. The forest’s gifts are indeed limitless as the two become deeply captivated by this chance encounter, even with the revelation that Taroo is from the enemy tribe.  

They know in order to preserve their friendship, they must guard this secret and come up with a plan to keep meeting without causing any suspicion. So they make a pact to gather at the pool. With the Great Spirits as their secret keeper, they will continue to keep their meetings short and sweet.

Sadly, even with the protective nurturing of the woodland spirits, someone discovered their secret and soon Alida’s father became aware of their forbidden love. The chief ordered Alida to never go back to the pond. To further hinder and break this bond, the chief arranged a wedding for Alida to marry a tribesperson of his choosing. The trees wept as Alida fell deeper into despair and her misspoken destiny. She asked Silence for help, “O powerful Silence, will you allow me to be with Taroo and please let us never be lonely without each other’s love?!” The all-pervading Silence listened and sighed a silent sigh, then transformed Alida into a gorgeous red flower full of vibrancy and allure.

Completely unaware of both his and Alida’s new fate, Taroo waited patiently each day by the pond. His gaze grew more distant by the day yet his heart glowed with the same intensity for her return. As every morning dew and evening breeze as his witness, he faithfully expected her to be back in his life. As the same canopy of stars reappeared each night, what used to be a sense of calm turned into the piercing loss that Taroo has known all too well and had hoped he will never feel again, if only he had Alida by his side.

One night while gazing upon the heartbroken Taroo, Full Moon stopped along its sweep across the sky and said, “Move on, little one with the strongest of wills and the purest of hearts. Alida cannot and will not return. She has been returned back to nature as a blossoming flower.” Taroo could hear his heart broken into a million pieces and scattering across the pond. Full Moon shone a loving ray upon Taroo and whispered gently as she’s always done in his dreams, “Your tenacity in love will now turn into wings, so fly away, Colibri, find your way to your true love among the field of hibiscus.” Taroo morphed into a bird and in his newfound courage, his wings made a fluttering sound as he flew away in search of Alida.

The next day, the Indians saw a strange winged-jewel bird darting from flower to flower, sweetly yet precisely like an arrow. The fluttering hum of its wings was heard by everyone in amusement as it stopped over all the flowers it passed, kissing their delicate petals. Unaware that this was the spirit of Taroo, they decided to call the bird that made music from its wings a hummingbird.

Although it’s known by most ornithologists that hummingbirds are strangely more interested in red hibiscus than other flowers, few of them know that it could be Taroo still looking for Alida. Just because he hasn’t found her yet won’t ever stopped him from fluttering his wings tirelessly. His heart tells him that one day a red blossom will be his lost Alida, where Silence rests nearby, under the Full Moon light.

The road to love could be paved with distractions, but we know that’s not your problem, dear Taroo. But remember that just because you can commit yourself to flutter endlessly, it doesn’t always mean nectar is to be found. Sometimes a migration might just be the road to take for you to liberate and move on!