Moving forward, exploring my personal myth a bit more, using a setting that matches my experiences, I came up with a first draft.
TALES FROM THE PEARL RIVER
”The Bird Who Flew to the Pearl River Garden’‘
A 20-slide narrative of migration, meeting, and memory
Slide 1: Title Slide
Image: Wide shot of the Pearl River Garden – still water, trees, and silence.
“Tales from the Pearl River – The Bird Who Flew to the Garden”
A quiet place. A gentle breeze. Where past and present meet.
Slide 2: The Nest
Image : A branch, high up, with soft light – symbolic of a safe place.
There was once a bird who lived in a nest high on a quiet mountain.
In the nest were two chicks, waiting each day for his return.
Slide 3: The Daily Flight
Image: A sunrise over rooftops or open sky.
Each morning, the bird flew out to find food, stories, and sun.
But the valley began to feel empty. Something was missing.
Slide 4: The Storm
Image: Blurred motion, dark sky, leaves whipping — a metaphorical “storm” photo.
One day, a storm came — not just wind and rain, but a storm inside.
And the bird, caught in it, flew farther than ever before.
Slide 5: The Garden Beyond the Mountains
Image: Entering the Pearl River Garden. A stone path, a gate, or a pond.
When the clouds cleared, the bird had landed in a strange, peaceful garden.
A lake of stillness. And beneath it — something moved.
Slide 6: The Koi Appear
Image: Koi fish, golden and red, swimming in clusters.
Golden fish swirled below the surface. Curious. Calm.
They had never seen a bird like him.
Slide 7: The First Glance
Image: A koi fish close-up near the surface; a reflection of sky.
One fish rose to the surface, drawn by the shadow in the sky.
The bird paused. They saw each other.
Slide 8: A Language Divided
Image: Rippling water separating reflection and real form.
But they could not speak. The sky and water would not allow it.
Only the eyes did the speaking.
Slide 9: The Anemone’s Memory (flashback)
Image: Coral-like forms, natural textures, dreamlike overlay.
“I once loved an anemone,” the fish said later.
“I brought her gifts of coral every day… until I had to leave.”
Slide 10: The Bird Listens
Image: The bird perched near the pond’s edge — or feather details.
The bird listened. In silence. In sorrow. In recognition.
He too had something he’d left behind.
Slide 11: The Dolphin, or another local bird, appears
Image: A photo of a figure between elements — a bridge, a shadow, a split image.
A dolphin arrived — or something like it/ a local bird.
A being who lived in both worlds — air and water, East and West.
He became their translator.
Slide 12: The Shared Story
Image: Three shapes — bird, fish, dolphin — in balance visually.
Each shared their stories. Of nests and reefs. Of longing and joy.
And for a while, the garden held them all.
Slide 13: The Time God Image: A sundial, a clock, or a long shadow.
But nothing stops the god of time, not even myth.
“We do not defeat time,” the dolphin/sea bird said. “We only trick it with memory.”
Slide 14: Fleeting Touch
Image: Ripples from a drop. Wings touching water. Abrush of colour.
For one moment, the bird and fish touched.
Not with wings or fins — but with soul.
Slide 15: The Call to Return
Image: The mountain nest, faint in the distance — or a skyline silhouette.
The bird heard the wind calling again.
He had chicks. A nest. A storm still waiting.
Slide 16: The Fish Watches
Image: The fish below, gazing upward as the bird rises.
The fish rose one last time.
They stared at each other — not as strangers, but as something gentler.
Slide 17: The Goodbye Unspoken
Image: Empty surface of water. The bird’s reflection fading.
No words. No promises. Just a goodbye neither dared say.
Slide 18: The Dolphin /Seabird smiles
Image: A calm gaze, soft light, symbolic figure.
The dolphin/seabird watched it all. He had seen it before.
Connections made across impossible lines — brief, but real.
Slide 19: The Garden Remains
Image: Return to the Pearl River Garden, peaceful, untouched.
The garden did not speak. But it remembered.
It held the story in its still water and whispering leaves.
Slide 20: The Bird Remembers
Image: The bird flying, distant, sky bright.
The bird flies on. Changed. Remembering not just the garden —
but the eyes that met his, across water, in silence, in truth.
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