STORYTIME…. about how the Aldebaran got its name and its distinctive blue feet… er, I mean blue hull. 

In a sea long ago, in an ocean far far away, there was a lonely seabird. Her name was Tara. She was a lonely because she had lost her tribe during one their trans-oceanic migrations. It was no fault of the tribe. Tara was bored during their 10.000 mile flight, the sky had been grey and dull for days, and had decided to take a little detour.

Tara was, after all, an easily distracted young bird. She saw a fantastic green island way down below: amidst the endless blue sea, it looked like a garden of bliss! an Eden with waterfalls and ponds, countless fruit trees blossoming! she had to take a peak.  “It will be no problem to catch up with those slow-pokes,” she thought naughtily, eyeing the flock of birds, thousands thick, before swooping down for a quick lookie-look.

Tara went gliding through the island trees and down into the lakes, which shimmered with mineral green. She bathed and flapped her wings wildly; then ate a bunch of Breadfruit (more than momma-bird would care to know). In that moment, the troubles of bird migration seemed so far away…

“Oh-Oh! My flock! It’s Time To Go!” Tara suddenly yelped, realizing much time had gone by.

Luckily, she was full of gust, and flew like the wind in the direction of the flock, just a speck of black in the distance, the horizon itself an undefined grey plaster of clouds. Quite shockingly, upon arrival she found it was not them!  This was a different flock; they were mean and ugly sea-gulls, and not entirely hospitable. She retreated rapidly a short ways. Sobered by the crisis, she got her bearings and reckoned, with a sinking feeling, that she’d gone south instead of north!  Oh the Breadfruit had played tricks upon her instincts of direction. Plus, the grey-dull sky was terribly similar for all 360 degrees.

Her conundrum: whether to blindly head north in the correct direction of her flock, hoping that she’d be more astute in navigation, or whether she should retreat to that garden island and live bountifully. It was tempting but not altogether without risk. She was scared. What would Tara do?