50, 24

In this simple sprawling lake, the world begins. Foliage springs from the earth, mice hide among the roots, owls wait patiently for dark, the pure blue of the sky is mimicked on the water’s surface. Eagles infinitely chase songbirds during the day. At night, owls race the stars while macaws admire the world. Macaws do not fly at night so as not to interrupt the owls. They pace around the lake and watch the mayflies at their end. This does not make the macaws any happier, but the mayflies shouldn’t be alone at night. The macaws wonder: why something so pure and small must live for only one day? They live for about 18,249 more days than the mayflies, why is this?

When the world flips and keys to kingdoms are exchanged, the macaws circle the lake looking for answers. They ask themselves “Why must the mayflies’ lives be so short? Some creatures seem to never die, why can’t the mayflies be one of them?” The mice see the mayflies often, yet do not know why. The fish share the lake with the mayflies, yet do not know why. The branches where the mayflies play do not know why. Every macaw is searching for the answer, except one macaw who can’t fly. For a short time the mayflies can’t fly either. The grounded macaw paces the lake watching mayflies learning to fly. Before they take off, the macaw asks each one, “Why is your life so short?”

The mayflies laugh and keep flying, except for one. One mayfly lands next to the macaw, and the macaw asks the question. Instead of laughing, the mayfly sits and speaks. It tells the macaw how a life’s length doesn’t define it. Like how bright the moon shines changes each night, yet it’s still beautiful. Even though the mayfly has never seen it, it knows the trees work hard to grow leaves and branches, then lose them all, then do it all again. The macaw asks the mayfly “Do you wish your life were longer like the mine? You would have so much more time to see the moon and the seasons.”

The mayfly replies “No. One day is enough to see the world’s beauty. For an orchid is only beautiful because its petals fall and become soil. The end of something shouldn’t be sad, because it's always the start of something new.”

The mayfly continues, “It might not be something new for you, but it is for someone else. When I die with the moon and the macaws watching me, my body will break down into soil, and who knows what happens after that? It’s not for us to see.” The mayfly turns to the macaw before it leaves and asks, “When you lose a feather, do you ponder if it should have stayed, or do you let it fall to the ground?”

The macaw stares at the mayfly and asks, “Where do you get all these ideas?”

The mayfly laughs like the others and tells the macaw, “Every living thing knows it, it just takes a lifetime to learn.” The mayfly simply leaves to join the others flying in the sunlight.

The macaw keeps pacing about the lake, asking this question. “Should I tell the rest when they return at night or let them learn it in their life?” After thinking about it, and the mayflies growing weaker throughout the afternoon, the macaw chooses not to tell. “All that matters is that someone, somewhere knows it.” Now that night is approaching, the macaw walks back to the place where the mayflies rest. Soon the moon returns to take the mayflies with it.