これから皆さんを、歴史の旅に案内しようと思う。今から数千年前、ペリドットと呼ばれる魔法の生き物がこの世界に現れた時から始まった歴史だ。彼らがどこから来たのか、誰も知らない。それを推測することに意味はないだろう。重要なことは、彼らの絆と優しさなのだから。人々が彼らの存在を噂し始めたのはユニコーンや妖精よりも昔のことで、ペリドットもユニコーンや妖精と同じように、空想の存在に過ぎないと考えられてきた。

はるか昔、今のようになる以前の世界には、のっぺりとした大地に素朴な木々が生え、素朴な鳥たちがいるだけだった。船も学校もなく、考えを書き留めるための羽ペンさえもなかった。この世界には、岩と土と草の他には、ほとんど何もなかったのだ。木はたくさんあった。そして湖も。海はこの素朴な土地を取り囲んではいたが、はるか彼方にあった。鹿と狼は地面の土や草の上を別々に歩き回っては食べ物を探し、夜になると雑木林に帰っていった。

紫の生き物と人間の距離は、日々少しずつ縮まっていった。1週間が過ぎる頃には、キーは明らかに成長し、体も大きくなっていた。そして人間は考えた。もうすぐキーがもっと大きな仕事を手伝ってくれるだろうと…

来る日も来る日も世話をし続けたおかげで、幼かった紫の生き物はすっかり成長し、一人前になった。どんどん責任感が強くなるペリドットを、人間は頼もしく思っていた。これなら、もう1匹でも生きていけるだろう。そして、もしかしたら…

紫色のペリドットのキーがひげを生やした友達にお別れを告げてから数ヶ月が経った。悲しみはほかの人たちにも次々と広がったが、それは一時的なものだった。人間たちは、自分もあのひげを生やした男と同じだということを理解していたのだ。いつか…たぶんそう遠くない未来に、自分のペリドットも去っていってしまうのだろう。ペリドットが持つ強い動物の本能を抑え込める者など一人もいない。人間たちは、少なくとも心の中では受け入れた。自分の手を離れたペリドットが戻ることはないけれど、記憶には残り続ける。幸せな時間は、思い出しさえすればそこにあるのだ。

オロは黄色い体に白い手足を持つペリドットで、多くの人にとって困った存在だった。遊び心にあふれたオロは、よく人間やペリドットを困惑させるいたずらや悪ふざけを編み出していた。もちろん、笑う人間もいた。それどころか、時には爆笑も起きた。くすくす笑いもあったかもしれない。1週間ほど続く含み笑いも。しかし、楽しさのあまりに皆が声を揃えて笑うことはまずなかった。笑った人たちはいたずらをされた相手ではなかった。そして、一度いたずらをされた人が再びオロと一緒に笑うことは決してなかった。

Vida sported six pronged feathers in the proximity of what would be a Peridot’s tail. The plumage was sprawling and aquatic. Their colors possessed a certain depth of blue, only to be matched by the depth of blue of Vida’s caboose. Their ears and hind legs were turquoise and lithe. Their chest and front legs were white as snow … which, at the time of their birth, Vida had yet to see. Their face was a mixture of blue and gray, maudlin colors that did not reflect Vida’s mood or spirit. This was a vibrant, plucky companion. No human keeper had seen such a unique Peridot, for up to that point, diversity of the species remained confined to a few colors, a few tails, and a few ruffles around one’s head. Vida’s magnetism charmed many a human, some of whom hoped that their next Peridot would be as beautiful as, if not more so than, Vida.

Everyone admired Vida for their selflessness, and other Peridots strived to be like them. But when Vida became a teenager, the idolatry came to an end. While their gesture to create “Little Kingdoms for One and All” impacted Peridots and their keepers profoundly, Vida stumbled through life just like every other Peridot. They were no less clumsy, no less awkward, no less unknowing, and no less in need of companionship.

No one had seen anything like it. Peridots had now traveled the earth for dozens of years, expanded the reaches of their original land, made friends with thousands of humans. Yet no one – be it a human or Peridot – had ever come across anything like Anza.

After years away, the Purple One returned to visit the campgrounds which they once called home. The campgrounds comprised more humans than Kee remembered. More Peridots too. Lots more. The grounds themselves were now home to two schools, a Tawnis’s sanatorium (a veritable herald’s square with a primitively fashioned stage) and a cobbler’s shop, where humans would barter rare fruits and veg for sturdier sandals. Huts were aplenty and sheltered families of up to four people and two Peridots. Snug, yes. And cozy. To Kee, this was no mere village, but a little world, where everyone had a purpose and a place and somewhere to make friends.

Anza, now a teenager, stared wistfully at the hut deep into the forest. Humans had last seen the old man with the white beard harvesting acorns, but some claimed he did not return. Where Anza lived, there were now more humans than Peridots – vastly more in fact. After the Drought of Engura, many humans ventured forth in search of more fertile soil and took their Peridots with them. Those who stayed behind were older, had already raised Peridots, but no longer had any of their own to tend to. The desire was there, but … Peridots were elsewhere. What these people needed, Anza felt, were more Peridots. Alas, there was little Anza could do in that regard. In fact, there was little Anza could do in general. Except to wait.

At the same moment that Anza departed to their habitat, Kee returned to the forest. Like Anza before them, they scoured the land high and low for the old man with the white beard. When their search yielded sorrowful stares from others, Kee sat upon a tree stump, tearful, submerged in the memories of sweetness and bitter-sweetness of their beloved keeper.

Humans and Peridots were no strangers to storms. Over the years, they adopted resilience and quick-mindedness on where to take shelter, on how to preserve food, and on how to watch out for everyone. But sometimes, rare events occurred that were catastrophic and, on one or two occasions, cataclysmic. Sometimes, a catastrophic event would presage a cataclysmic one. The following was such an event.

A rumbling from the ground rattled from their slumber a red-bodied Peridot with spikes across its tergum and head. Retto was hot-tempered and did not like to be woken up by anyone or anything. Retto, and only Retto, was in control of their eight hours of shut-eye. With fresh eyes, Retto noticed there was no one to charge at or frown at with a menacing stare. Retto chalked it up to the wind and rested their head upon a raised stone to sleep some more.

Retto and the others found the new world a thrilling one. Peridots ranged in deeper colors and some had sinuous bodies and longer appendages than Retto was familiar with. One even neared the height of a human! Is it the food, Retto thought? Everyone ate the same onions, tomatoes, pears, and kelp, so it couldn’t have been the food. Hmm, what could it be?