The Three Lives of Lady Bluebeard [Prologue]

The Three Lives of Lady Bluebeard

 [Prologue]

  

I was born into a village where people are sometimes seen with wings. These wings or wing-like “things” that we have sprouting from our shoulder blades are unique. No one has the exact shade of colour or shape as anyone else. Not everyone could see these wings, because of this they are called tamno, which is “talents” in our people’s tongue. Each person’s talent is different. For instance, my talent, from what I could see, has the colours of pigeon’s wings. No one else could touch them except me. I could pluck feathers from my own wings and, if I was at a loom, pass each feather through the loom like a shuttle, weaving cloths of various colours, patterns, and designs.

My brother, Toki, tells me his are like dragonfly wings with thread-like mesh. When he is working at his workshop making blueprints for furniture, his talents “unravel”; each “strand” then of his talent laid itself out on the parchment as he wills it. He then takes his writing materials and traces the designs he sees on the parchment. Once he is done, the strands retreat back to their places returning to their wing form.

My sister, Ling, is mute, but has the talent for music. When she plays the flute or the fiddle, she tunes herself to the music her talent brings out.

In our village, we try to help each other out to the extent of our abilities and talents. It is our right to use our talents as we wish, but it is our responsibility to use it for our Patron.

Patron is a tall gentleman of unusual royalty. We call him “Patron” in our dialect because he gave us our talents and supports us, encouraging us to use it in a way that he instructs us to.

            This is my story told in three parts. I call them lives, because parts of me have either been lost or dead in the process. My name is Mitsuru and here is my story.