Of the birds of the air and fish of the sea, and the men who came.

Once upon a time there were some birds soaring and swooping over the seas of the land of the north. They knew of many people living on those lands, and they knew they had different ways of travelling and eating and hunting. Some of the birds knew of the people of what we now know as Norway, and some knew the people called Danes, and some more knew of the groups from a place called Sweden. There were groups of people who went from these countries and travelled in long boats to other countries to trade and sometimes to be fierce warriors over the people. And the birds followed them, to see what was there. Those that flew around Norway followed their people as they sailed north and west towards Greenland, and Northern Canada – they met other birds who taught them about other lands and different fish in the sea, and how to catch different gulf streams to soar and dive, and travel to wonderful new places, but also to track back home. Those that followed the Danish folk saw a wonderful new land with green fields, and cliffs, and towns and people wanting to trade. They were happy to trade and some settled, but the birds knew that they must go back, so the currents and fish streams led them eventually home with tales of all they had seen. They had seen giant fish, with spouts of water and huge back tails, that could drown men if they weren’t careful, but looked wonderful, gentle creatures from where the birds soared, and the creatures of the water looked out at the world. Some other birds followed their people to another place, east, across seas and some mountains, to a grand, ancient land, where much trade with the east happened, and a large country was evolving. The people found cities of high standing, and the birds saw Kiev become a great place, and they came back to tell the birds of Sweden what they had seen, and birds they had met. And they came and went to these new lands and saw what men were doing. The gentle giants of the sea sailed on as great leviathans, and saw the travellers come and go, and saw the birds swoop and play, and feed off the generous sea.

And a new time came, and the birds saw new objects on the water around their lands. These were on the top of the sea, not under it. And there were travellers - not traders of fur and riches, but those taking pictures and waving, and admiring the lands, and the seas, and the birds that swooped, and the giants of the sea who blew water out, and splashed their great tails, and gently swam along, while the dolphins jumped and squealed joyfully to be in such a slip stream – it saved energy, and was great fun. And the birds loved this new plaything they found on the waters, there was warm air from its spout, not like the water spout of the whale, but a warm cushion that let them float and drift without any effort just above this floating box. And the fish were easy to catch in the wake of this box, and it was fun to glide beside it and look in at the people – looking out at them. They felt sorry for the people – they could not fly and swoop and enjoy the scenery from such a height, and move onto a new lands at a whim. And the birds knew they had friends and relatives in all those lands the early people had ventured, and perhaps those people in the floating box did too, and were trying to find them.