The end was approaching. A long night was about to permanently descend on the land of the Hollow Crane and no one knew. No one except Argon and Sophie. They saw the signs and when they tried to warn the others, they were condemned for heresy. So they waited.
The river wound through Hollow Crane, bringing life and offering passage. But no one had taken to the water to leave the Hollow in an Age. Stories had been passed down of visitors that came down the river, who traded with the People of the Crane, and of the few who left with the strangers...none ever returned.
The legends spoke of Demons beyond the mountains, a world of monsters and death that swallowed and destroyed any who entered it. The People of the Crane were protected by their deities Sunce, Mjesec, Rijeka, and Planina. The divine family watched over Hollow Crane offering protection, giving life, and providing the means to survive.
Argon and Sophie had a child, born on the 13th night of the 13th moon in the Age of the Serpent. She was a happy baby, full of life and joy and she was going to die with everyone else. The Age of the Serpent was waning and after the final eclipse, Hollow Crane would be no more.
On the fifth morning of the setting moon, Argon started working on the craft. Sophie came up with the idea, one last ditch effort to save their daughter, and together the couple collected, prepared, and stored the supplies that they would need. The time had come for them to build the vessel to shelter Hope from the end of the world. They kept the project secret. To leave the Hollow was forbidden and they had already been labeled as heretics. They knew the world was coming to an end and wanted their daughter to survive.
Following the shape of the coconuts that float down the river and recalling the stories of the crafts that carried the visitors, Sophie and Argon used reeds, bamboo sticks, tree sap, and old coconuts to fashion a bed for Hope, one that would float down the river and protect her from the world. The project took weeks to complete and by the night of the final eclipse it was ready.
With tears in their eyes, they placed their precious daughter in their creation. Wrapped in a blanket made by her mother, Hope cooed and smiled at her parents, not understanding that this faint memory of two kind, tear-streaked faces is all she would have of them. A strong wind came down from the hills and a low rumble crept up through the ground, growing louder and louder. Argon looked at Sophie and she understood that it was time. Taking in a deep breath, they each kissed their daughter one final time, closing and securing the lid to her water carriage. They placed the egg-shaped vessel into the waters of the river and watched as their daughter floated from Hollow Crane.
In the center of Hollow Crane, the earth opened and blackness fell. The People of the Crane were no more. Save the last child, floating away...
Author's Note: This story is loosely based on the story of Karna from Mahabharata Episode 9 - Son of the Sun. What struck me about this part of the Mahabharata was how it mirrored elements from the story of Moses in the Old Testament. So for kicks I Googled "Mahabharata baby in basket" and found two pieces that talk specifically about Moses, Karna, and a character I was not familiar with, Sargon (Basket Cases: Moses, Sargon, and Karna and Moses, Sargon & Karna: Babies in a Basket). Did you know there's another character in popular culture that shares a similar origin story? The story of Superman also follows this same archetype. I am extremely fascinated with these archetypes and motifs that are shared by so many different cultures.
The first name that I came up with for this story was Hollow Crane. I used Hollow to describe the area these people called home. It's a forest behind a mountain, bordered by a river. For the parents, Argon was a take on Aragorn from Lord of the Rings and I just like the name Sophie. With their daughter I picked Hope for fairly obvious reasons. The four deities are the Croatian words for sun, moon, river, and mountain. I basically Googled "moon in other languages" and ended up on Croatian and just went with it.
Bibliography: Mahabharata Episode 9 - Son of the Sun by Epified