RTZNL RTZNLOnce, there was a dust named Yab-ok. Her mother often told her, "The others call you, Yab-ok, but I call you Aya for you are a princess and my source of Joy."
Yab-ok liked being called Aya, but the others insisted on calling her Yab-ok for they claimed she was nothing but a dust. So it remained that she was known all over as Yab-ok.
One day she found herself surrounded by white crystalline sand. The sand looked at Yab-ok with distaste.
"Go away!" they shouted. "You are so dirty and messy. You don't belong with us."
Yab-ok was so shocked. She was dumbfounded. All she could do was to cry silently.
At last, a passing wind took pity of the smarting dust and carried her away.
Yab-ok then found herself deposited on a place where pebbles abound. But the pebbles eyed her evilly.
"Where did that frail dust come from?" said one of them.
"She's so thin it seems she had not eaten for eons. Poor dust." said another.
"Why, she undermines our image as the hardiest of the creatures. Let's drive her away!"
Mercifully, a breeze lifted Yab-ok towards the sea. And the sound of the sea muffled the shouts of the pebbles and the harrowing cry of the distraught Yab-ok.
But barely had Yab-ok escaped the pebbles when the sea rose in uproar against her.
"You, dirty dust! Go away! You only pollute my beautiful liquid face. I always lost my heavenly blue shade when you touch me. Go away!"
The sea was hot with rage and she blew on Yab-ok, and the latter was carried up by the strong, hot, breathe of the sea.
"Ouch! This rising air is hot." she moaned. "It's moist and makes me feel sticky all over."
Yab-ok was forced to endure her situation.
Then a great eagle came and rode on the thermal, which is nothing but a rising column of warm air, the same column of rising air on which Yab-ok rode.
"Oh, here comes the king of the birds. I must hide. Otherwise it would also drive me away and I have nowhere to go now." Yab-ok tried to hide away.
But no one can hide from the king's keen eyes. "Aha! What do we have here? Hello!"
"H…hello, your majesty." the dust timidly answered. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. If you so desire I will disembark. Sorry for disturbing."
The dust prepared to jump off the thermal.
"Oh no, you don't have to jump off. There's enough space for both of us here and this thermal can carry us pretty well."
"Really?" Yab-ok could hardly believe her ears. "Thank you, your majesty. Thank you!"
"Oh, that's nothing. Soaring the sky is such a great fun to be done alone. In fact, I'm glad of your company."
"Thanks for your kindness." Yab-ok was so grateful for the king.
"Don't say it. Spending time with great creatures like you is a pleasure." the eagle replied.
"Me? Great? Surely your majesty, you're joking. There's nothing great with a humble dust.”
"My lord, I am not a princess, I'm simply a dust and no one wanted me. Anywhere the wind carry me, I am not welcome. The sand drove me away for I am not as white and crystalline as they are. The pebbles drove me away for I am not as hardy as they are. And the sea didn't want me near her for I smear her beautiful face."
"My friend, they only see the present. But you will find out, when the time comes, what is so great about you."
"I have only one advice. Ride the wind and be patient. Ultimately, you will find your destiny." And with that the king flew off the thermal and dove for an unseen prey.
"Ride the wind... be patient... and you will find your destiny? What did the king of the birds mean?" Yab-ok was overwhelmed by the eagle's word.
After a while, Yab-ok was thrown into the turmoil of a towering thundercloud and suddenly she was surrounded by darkness.
Yab-ok trembled with fright. It was a new experience. She was being tossed upward in a frightening speed by a whirling wind. She felt like being in a middle of a storm. In fact she was.
Lightning flashed around her. She shuddered. Yab-ok was sure she would be burned any moment, though she was drenched all over.
But as she went higher, it grew colder and she was freezing. Ice formed around her and she shivered uncontrollably.
Higher and higher she went in a dizzying flight. She was then covered with more and more ice until she was numbed and heavy.
Then, ever slowly the poor dust fell, and the lower she fell, the heavier she became. She was plunging at a frightening speed.
"Ah, this is my end. The king was wrong. I failed to find my destiny, unless my fate is to fall mightily."
The dejected dust prepared for an inevitable end. But suddenly she saw a curious thing – the wide grin of the sea. It seemed to beckon on her, but she couldn’t believe the smile was for her.
"There must be someone behind me, and it was for that creature that the sea was smiling."
She wanted to look back and see the creature at her back for which the sea was smiling. She was so stiff, however, that she failed to see who it was.
Then, she also saw the sand and the pebbles smiling.
"Wow! That creature behind me is surely wonderful. Everybody seems to welcome it."
A strong wind blew the dust inland, and a little while later Yab-ok saw an alp. And as the wind carried her near the towering peak, she heard its booming voice.
"Welcome, my beautiful one! Come and sit on me, your humble throne."
Yab-ok was confused. A sudden toss of the wind enabled her to turn around and see that no one was behind her.
"Are you talking to me, my lord?" she diffidently asked the giant.
"Yes, beautiful princess." answered the mountain.
"You call me beautiful? I'm not. I'm a poor and ugly dust; and surely not a princess."
"O, my dear! Look at yourself. You are dazzlingly beautiful."
At last, Yab-ok fell on the mountaintop. Then, she had a glimpse of herself. And she had the surprise of her life! Gone was the dirty dust. She was covered with frozen water. The harrowing experience she had transformed her.
What she saw was a dazzling and immaculate snow!
Yab-ok couldn't contain her joy and she heard the resounding voice of the breeze saying,
"Hail Aya, the beautiful snow princess!"
And that's the legend of Aya, the humble dust who lived dazzlingly beautiful ever after.
