The Battle of the Sea and Sky
Storyboard Text
- When time began, there was only the sky, the sea, and a single black bird. Because there was no land yet, the bird had no choice but to fly continuously through the air. She would streak across the sky, day after day, without rest. When her wings were tired, she would simply stretch them open as wide as she could, letting the wind lift and carry her for long distances. One afternoon the bird grew so tired that she could barely open her wings to glide with the wind. But there was no place to rest. Beneath her was only the rolling blue waters of the vast sea. In her heart she knew that it would be only a matter of days before she would fall into the sea and drown. “How can I use the sea and the sky to build something I can rest on?" she wondered. After thinking about it for several days, she knew exactly what to do. She set about her plan as soon as the next day broke, and swooped down to the sea.
- “The sky tells me,” she said to the sea, “that you're a worthless body of salty water. You don't do anything but make useless waves. You can't even help me fly like the sky does." “What?" the sea said, insulted. “The life in me runs deeper than the sky can ever imagine, and there is a world under my waves that is much richer than anything in the sky!" “Well,” said the bird, “the sky says you are a good-for-nothing, and that you will one day drown me.”The bird's report angered the sea. In an instant the waters turned black and began to churn, and large waves began to rise up toward the sky. Bigger and bigger the waves grew, frothy white foam forming at their crests. The deep roar of the rushing waters was as loud as thunder. Quickly the bird flew out of the way, afraid that one of the waves would snatch her out of the sky and drown her. She watched from a safe distance as the sea sent its waves higher and higher. It seemed that the sea was using all its strength to drown the sky! The sky swiftly pulled itself out of reach, rising up to the heavens. But the sea reached farther up to the sky, finally crashing into the sky with its salty wetness. Then, suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down at the sea, and rocks and boulders began to rain down from the darkening sky. The bird nervously flit from right to left, up and down, trying her best to stay out of danger's way. There were rocks flying in every direction, and her feathers were beginning to feel heavy with seawater."Oh, no! What have I done?” she said to herself. “I'm in even more danger than I was before!"
- Then, as suddenly as it all began, everything stopped. Cautiously the bird sailed through the sky, which was once again quiet, bright, and blue. Looking down at the sea, she saw formations in it that weren't there before. She flew down closer to get a better look, noticing that the sea was now much farther away from the sky. Giant rocks grouped together in clusters filled the sea, and they jutted out above the water's surface. The waves had quieted down, though they were crashing against the rocks at the edges of every cluster. Curiously she watched as the water around the formations moved toward the rocks, then away, and then back again. Then, when she was sure the sea wouldn't suddenly rise up in anger, she drifted down lower and lightly touched her feet to a rock at the highest point. The surface felt solid and secure. At last, she thought, a place to rest! From her perch she looked all around her. As far as she could see, there were rock formations rising up from the sea. Some were large, some only tiny outcrops jutting out of the water. As they grew and settled, they became the islands that form the Philippine archipelago, which even today includes more than seven thousand islands.
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