Ariel was a beautiful child with black hair in pigtails. And so it came to pass that on her twelfth birthday she was led into the Greatroom where her father sat in a fine chair in front of a dwindling fire of smoky, fragrant logs. He smiled when she came in and pointed to another chair near his own, for when a child was twelve summers old they must learn the truth of The Land of Null and the ways of Null. Her father, whose name was Edard, spoke with careful and measured words.
"Today is your birthday, Ariel, and it is time for you to learn our ways. It is important that you learn these things from your father and from no one else."
"And what will happen if one is left without a father?"
"In such a circumstance," he said softly, "one is to learn these things from the mother, "but it is not as good."
"And if there is no mother?" Ariel cried.
"Those that have reached your age an have no mother or father are outcasts, and they must wander the Land of Null in ignorance. These unfortunate persons walk around and lament. They look to the sky and shake their fist as they lament, and as they accuse, for they are ignorant of the truth. Sometimes these persons become violent in their silent rage, and we must be careful to avoid them and their ways.""
"Can they not learn the truth from other men, or from other women?"
"No, Ariel, that is not possible," Edard replied sadly. "The truth can only be spoken by your father, for the words have been put there by the Borning. The words of men are false, and you should never listen to them, nor the words inside books, for books are the greatest source of mistruth in our Land and must never be learned. Our truths are passed on in this way that they be not corrupted and used by false men."
Ariel recoiled in fear, for she was not ready to learn the truth just yet. Edard saw her fear and tried to comfort her.
"Do not be frightened, Ariel," he told her. "Life is wonderful when you are brought to the Borning. "You must be happy in your new life, and you must dream, for our purpose is to dream. When we are brought to wonderful places we must acknowledge such beauty that we may have new dreams. Yes, it is from the places and wonders of our dreams that the Borning become manifest. You are now part of this mystery, and you should never be afraid."
"But I have heard that we are on an island," Ariel said, "and that we may never leave."
"That is not true," Edard responded with certainty. "No one really knows the size of The Land of Null. To some, The Land of Null is an island, but to others it is the size of a great continent, and to a few, it is the size of only a small room. The Land of Null is old . . .much older than even the limits of time, and none yet has come to its far reaches. None may enter The Land of Null without invitation and none may leave The Land of Null without purpose. There are no doors to lead one into The Land of Null, and there are no doors that may shut it out. When I first visited The Land of Null I was not yet born, but I remember it still."