Vigneshvijaykk

“A few generations ago—four, if we count through our family—when Ivy’s great-grandmother was about my age, Maple Grove did not exist.

“Our ancestors, the people who founded Maple Grove, lived in Pearl City. It was a beautiful place. Cultured, sophisticated, artistic, commercial—everything you could imagine.

“Sadly, things can go wrong in beautiful places too.

“The chief of the city was a woman named Narcissa, after the flower. One day, a trader returned from an overseas voyage and gave her a mirror.

“It is something like a plate covered in frozen water. You can see yourself in it as clearly as you see another person. Oh, how I would love to have one.

“Anyway, Narcissa fell in love with what she saw and became very happy.

“As the days passed, she no longer felt drawn to men. She withdrew into a world of her own. She kept working on her appearance and became more attractive with each passing day. Men longed to sleep with her, but none of them impressed her.

“Then she met a man named Laurel. An appropriate name for him, as you will see.

“Laurel was so mesmerised by her beauty that he stopped trying to attract her through his own appearance or abilities. Instead, he found ways to show her how beautiful she was.

“He praised her in words and songs. He painted her portrait. He celebrated everything about her.

“That made Narcissa obsessed with him. No one else could make her feel what Laurel made her feel through his words, music, paintings and praise.

“They fell in love.

“They loved each other so deeply that Laurel promised he would never sleep with another woman again. Narcissa arranged a celebration in the city to announce his gift to her.

“She wanted the world to know that she was so pleasing that one man had chosen never to desire another woman’s company.

“Naturally, this inspired men and women across the city. Many tried to imitate them, though not everyone could live up to such a promise.

“The women who succeeded often lived prosperous lives. They had one man who devoted all his effort to pleasing them, while they remained free to love other men.

“Then another woman offered an even more balanced arrangement. She promised the same loyalty to any man who offered it to her.

“‘You commit to me, and I will commit to you.’

“This mutual agreement appealed to more men, and it gradually became a subculture within Pearl City.

“Decades passed, and these bonded couples discovered something important.

“Children benefited from a man’s support as much as they benefited from a mother’s care. When a father devoted his attention to his own children, it made a difference.

“Women whose children had involved fathers often became more successful. This created competition among other women. They also wanted their children to receive the special attention of one man.

“The idea of one man and one woman raising their children together became increasingly popular.

“These families became admired and influential within the city. Ceremonies were held to celebrate their commitments and the births of their children. Pearl City seemed more cheerful because of it.

“Eventually, however, things began to go wrong.

“People started betraying their partners. They would sometimes sleep with strangers to relieve their desires, and the problem became increasingly common.

“Married people began to believe that betrayal occurred because half the city still rejected marriage. Those people continued to have several partners, and the married citizens believed they were encouraging disloyalty.

“The cultural divide became a serious conflict when the chief of Pearl City also married and sympathised with the people who supported marriage.

“The chief created a law.

“‘Anyone who sleeps with another person before marriage will be punished. Anyone who sleeps with someone other than their committed partner after marriage will also be punished.’

“The law led to a revolution, and many people lost their lives.

“A large group was arrested and sentenced to death the following day. But during the night, sympathetic guards helped them escape and advised them to go into exile.

“The prisoners conspired together, took a ship and sailed south towards Poseidon’s Prison.

“Those waters are notorious for destroying ships and washing survivors ashore near a dangerous forest.

“Our ancestors suffered the same fate.

“The ship was wrecked. They were thrown ashore and forced to fight their way through the forest. Many died during the journey.

“The survivors eventually crossed a mountain and reached the land where we now live.

“They admired the maple trees and named the settlement Maple Grove.

“They built bamboo fences to protect themselves from the forests to the west and north. Later, they extended the fencing around the entire settlement, leaving gates in the east and south.

“The southern gate leads to the river. The eastern gate leads into the safer forest. The river runs around that forest after descending from the waterfall in the mountains to the north-east.

“And that, my dear siblings, is the great history of Maple Grove.”

**

“Sounds as though the women of Pearl City went mad and everything went south,” Coconut remarked.

Ivy smiled.

“It would seem that way after hearing Rabbit’s version. It was entertaining, but she left quite a lot open to interpretation.”

The siblings straightened, preparing to hear their mother retell the story.

“I heard this directly from my great-grandmother,” Ivy began. “Sadly, I no longer remember her name. But she was fond of me, and she spoke to me often.

“Narcissa was not as vain as she sounds in Rabbit’s version. She was insecure about her appearance because she noticed how freely men praised other women while their praise for her often felt restrained.

“She feared that they admired her only because she held power.

“When Laurel brought her the mirror, she studied herself closely and began correcting what she believed were flaws. That attention naturally made her more attractive.

“Laurel, meanwhile, was genuinely charmed by her. He was an expressive man and found many ways to show how deeply he adored her.

“Through his affection, he managed to heal wounds she had carried for most of her life.

“When Narcissa asked him whether he still desired other women, he confessed that he did not.

“She could not believe him.

“She had fallen exclusively in love with Laurel in a way she had never loved anyone before. But she could not accept that he might feel exactly the same.

“His devotion made her suspicious rather than secure.

“So she began seeing other men to test whether Laurel’s feelings would change.

“They did not.

“Sadly, both for them and for history, Laurel’s health failed. He died and became remembered as a symbol of true love—a romantic figure.”

Ivy paused when she noticed Trekker’s expression.

“Does that sound familiar, son?” she asked gently.

Trekker nodded.

Rabbit and Coconut remained quiet.

“So that was how it began. Many women in Pearl City became fascinated by Narcissa’s experience of what they believed to be true love. They wanted the same for themselves.

“Not all of them, of course. But many did.

“One-sided expectations often create resentment, however. The few men willing to offer that kind of commitment struggled to keep their promises.

“They began asking themselves, ‘Why should I pretend and suffer without receiving anything in return? For what joy?’

“That was when some women began offering exclusivity in return.

“The arrangement became more acceptable to men, and the number of bonded couples grew.”

“Sounds more like imprisonment than romance,” Coconut said. “Romance should involve doing something meaningful for the person you love. Bringing rare meat, perhaps, or beautiful flowers.”

Ivy continued.

“These relationships changed how people lived. The couples had children and raised them together.

“Until then, mothers had raised their children while men participated only occasionally, much as they do here in Maple Grove.

“But committed men spent more time with their lovers and their children. This often produced individuals who were considered more capable—or at least people believed it did.”

“I felt something similar when I saw Luna’s siblings,” Rabbit said. “They seem more loved, honestly. With all due respect to you, Mother.”

She offered Ivy a disarming smile.

Ivy smiled back.

“I don’t disagree. But the ethics and politics behind all this are too complicated to settle in one conversation.

“What began as a curious personal choice eventually placed power in the hands of people who wanted to control everyone else’s private lives.

“That is how revolutions begin.

“The married were not wrong. The unmarried were not wrong. Men were not wrong, and women were not wrong.

“People discovered something they valued and became desperate to protect it. In doing so, they forgot the limits of life and the importance of freedom and personal boundaries.

“They imposed their beliefs upon others and created an ugly conflict.

“I do not want the three of you to remember this history in a way that makes you admire or condemn any entire group of people.”

“Mother, we live in Maple Grove,” Rabbit said. “We are literally against marriage culture.”

“No, Rabbit. We choose to practise an open culture. That does not mean we oppose marriage.”

“So if I wanted to marry someone, would you accept it?” Trekker asked. “As my mother? And as my chief?”

Ivy smiled.

“I know why you’re asking that question, son. And I’m certain we will never need to discover the answer.”

Rabbit and Coconut laughed.

“Everything you hate about me, Trekker, Luna embodies,” Ivy continued. “You would not survive a day as her lover.”

The laughter disappeared.

“Take my advice. Forget women like Lily and Luna. Find someone who is not already battling demons inside her own mind.”

Her voice became quieter.

“Demons do not leave people alone, no matter how old they become.”

A heavy silence settled over the hut.

Ivy stood and returned to her stitching without another word.

The siblings understood the dismissal and left quietly.