the ice elves
the blue fairies
we are the elves who missed the boat
we are the elves all of whose ancestors drowned in the Flood
yes, according to other people's stories
Noah came to plead with our ancestors
Ham did
Shem too
even Japheth reluctantly begged our ancestors to come
but they were busy hosting a party
or preparing a garage sale
we don't know
no one lived to explain
but wait, some of you might insist
how can we be if our ancestors all drowned?
exactly what we retort!
but our tormentors laugh and have an explanation
even before the Flood elves and fairies interbred
and every generation since the Flood throwbacks have emerged
and the rest of the fairies and elves have recognized them
raised them with pity til they were old enough
them left them to find each other
and so, the elves who missed the boat
now number at least a million
anywhere you look you can probably find one
although no one has ever made that study
I prefer our countermyth
that we were the Unspoiled
the ones nobody pampered
who had to swim for forty days and nights
or weave a raft from spindrift and seaweed
and sit or stand very carefully indeed
find food in rainfall or in the sea around us
or birds too curious for their own good
remember those birds who never came back to Noah?
they fed hungry elves
and those of us who managed to survive
rekindled our tribe
we may not have any special blessing
but we live proud
unpampered still
unblessed maybe too but still Unspoiled
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