You know those time-lapse videos that show the passage of time: in seconds, day turns into night, the starry sky rotates, a flower sprouts from a seed, blooms, and withers, clouds race by, seasons fly past...
The novella "Hello, Island" is like one of those time-lapse clips. An island in the ocean is the main character of this book. Through its eyes, we see how life on Earth changes. The climate warms and then grows colder. Some species of animals and plants die out while others appear. The coastal waters teem with life. Birds arrive on the island to build nests and raise their chicks. Icebergs drift by, tornadoes sweep across, and the ocean waters shift. And one day, the waves wash a person ashore... A little more time will pass, and the air will be pierced by a steamship's whistle, airplane trails will stripe the sky, and a lighthouse will crown the island's peak...
Yet, this book is not a brief history of planet Earth, but a fairy tale, so there is room here for fictional creatures and events that never actually happened. The book is wonderful: lyrical, philosophical, and filled with vivid imagery. The vastness of our world fits under the cover of this small volume, and the breath of eternity emanates from its pages.
The final words from another very good book come to mind:
"Everything will pass. Suffering, pain, blood, hunger, and pestilence. The sword will vanish, but the stars will remain, long after the shadows of our bodies and our deeds have faded from the earth. There is not a single person who does not know this. So why do we not want to turn our gaze toward them? Why?"
"Hello, Island" by Anna Nikolskaya for primary school age.
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