Time

Akiane always painted her own visionary or biographical stories she encountered, but there was one exception. One summer while teaching young children at her studio she got inspired to adapt and illustrate an ancient fable about six beings: Happiness, Knowledge, Love, Sadness, Wealth and Vanity on a square tile…

Living on a remote island within a close proximity from each other the six beings got to know each other quite well, but one day they discovered that their island started sinking. One by one, they built small boats and left, except for Love. Love did not want to abandon her beloved home. Only when the island was completely flooded, Love standing up to her knees in water decided to ask for help. Wealth was passing by in her boat when Love asked, “Wealth, can you take me with you?”

Wealth answered, “Sorry, Love, I can’t. There’s a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There’s no place here for both of us in here. We’ll both sink.”

Next Love asked Vanity who was sailing by, but Vanity also refused. “I can’t help you, Love. You are all soaking wet and might damage my boat.”

Sadness was rowing her boat nearby, so Love asked her, “Sadness, please, take me along with you.”

“Oh, Love, I’m so sad that right now I need to be by myself!” Sadness replied in a gloomy voice.

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so preoccupied with her own elated thoughts that she did not even hear when Love called her. Suddenly, Love heard someone’s voice, “Come, Love, I’ll take you.”  She turned her head and saw an elder with a tattered head scarf she had not seen before. An overjoyed Love jumped into the boat. When Love landed on a dry land, she was greeted by Knowledge who had been the first to land there a while ago.  The elder smiled, climbed out of the boat and went her own way without saying good-bye.

“Who helped me?” Love asked Knowledge.

“It was Time,” Knowledge answered.

“Time?” Love was surprised. “Why time?”

“Because only Time is able to know how valuable Love is,” the Knowledge answered.