This story is the last in a three part series about pearl myths and legends. If you haven’t already, read Part 1 and Part 2 first.
Katya befriended a sea captain of a Roman ship. One day, he invited her to accompany him on a journey to the south with the Roman leader, Mark Antony. They arrived at a sandy shore dotted with large, triangular stone structures. A procession coming towards them caught Katya’s eyes. A beautiful woman with black hair, adorned in pearls, and with a peculiar nose was carried on a golden chair. “Welcome to Egypt,” Cleopatra said.
That night Katya attended a ball Cleopatra was holding in honor of Mark Antony. The palace was buzzing with excitement. Cleopatra promised to prepare the most expensive meal ever tasted. Katya has seen many cuisines during her travels, but nothing prepared her for what she saw that night. Cleopatra took her place at the table opposite Antony. The room was silent, and all eyes were on her. She motioned for her slave to bring her a glass of wine. Without a word, she removed one of her precious pearl earrings and dropped it into the glass. Before everybody’s eyes the pearl dissolved, and Cleopatra drank the pearly wine in one swig.
Katya was devastated. How can anybody drink a precious gem like that? She couldn’t come to terms with the great loss, so she decided to move on from Egypt. She caught a ship that promised to take her to a Polynesian island far, far away in the middle of the ocean. After many moons at sea, they finally set foot on land.
The islanders were a lovely people and she enjoyed every moment of her time there. She befriended their princess, Bora Bora. One day the princess was visited by Oro, the god of peace and fertility, on the back of a rainbow. Oro brought a magical oyster with him to earth, called The Ufi. That night Oro opened the oyster and was amazed to find a lustrous black pearl inside the mollusk. So overcome with the beauty of the pearl and his love for the princess, he gave the pearl to Bora Bora as a token of his love.
While Katya could appreciate the scene playing out in front of her, it reminded her how she had traveled far and wide for many years, and still she didn’t possess a pearl of her own. She was lonely. She knew a pearl would fill that void. It was time to resume her quest again.
Next, Katya traveled to a land called Japan. The ship docked near an enchanted forest and she decided to spend the night there. She found a small clearing beside a stream and set up camp. The next morning she was woken by a soft sobbing. She sat up alarmed, searching for whoever made the sound when she realized it was coming from her. She has been dreaming about all the pearls she saw, but how it was always just out of her reach.
Katya heard a faint rustle of leaves on the other side of the clearing. A little creature was flying towards her. The creature looked just like a girl – but she was so small. “What are you?” Katya exclaimed.
“I’m a nymph”, the creature told Katya. “Why are you crying? It’s such a beautiful forest; you should be happy.”
Katya gave the little nymph an account of her adventures and how she longed to hold a pearl, but how it kept eluding her. The little nymph was so taken with Katya’s story, she started to cry herself. Katya felt dreadful. The last thing she wanted was to be the cause for someone else’s tears. But then, one of the nymph’s tears rolled to the ground and landed on the soft forest floor with a thud. What a strange sound for a tear, Katya thought. And then a glint on the ground caught her eye. She bent down to see and there it lay: A beautiful, lustrous pearl!
“It’s yours,” the nymph said between her sobs. “You are worthy to be the guardian. Protect and cherish the pearl and you will live a happy and fulfilled live for the rest of your days”.
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This fictional story is based on true myths and legends. Yes, we all wish we could meet Katya, but please – she doesn’t exist. Stop bugging us with requests on her whereabouts.
