Author Description

This tale began as a bedtime story that folklorist Tad Tuleja told his son when he was four. Blending elements of the animal fable and the quest narrative, it shows how even the smallest and humblest of creatures, if they believe in themselves, can work wonders. The story is set in a time long ago when all living things had voices. In those days some small friendly animals known as aarborgs lived in the High Desert in a place called the Fold. During a long summer without rain, a young aarborg named Hesperides walks bravely into the vast World Beyond the Desert to search for the water that the aarborgs need to survive. With the help of a tiny lizard, a sleepy owl, a fast-talking crow, and a kindly cactus, he uses a magical Water Key to fulfill his quest and bring the life-saving water back home. Along the way he learns a bittersweet lesson about the circle of life, the value of friends, and the gift of serving others.