Excerpted Inspirations #150Linda Odhner, with photos by Liz KufsOct 21, 20240 min readUpdated: Feb 10
![[Asked by the Starling and his Fledgling, newborn Annabel Banks tells the story of her origin.] Annabel moved her hands inside the blanket. “I am earth and air and fire and water,” she said softly. “I come from the Dark where all things have their beginning.” “Ah, such dark!” said the Starling softly, bending his head to his breast. “It was dark in the egg too,” the Fledgling cheeped. “I come from the sea and its tides,” Annabel went on, “I come from the sky and its stars, I come from the sun and its brightness –” “Ah, so bright!” said the Starling, nodding. “And I come from the forests of earth.” As if in a dream, Mary Poppins rocked the cradle – to-and-fro, to-and-fro with a steady swinging movement. “Yes?” whispered the Fledgling. “Slowly I moved at first,” said Annabel, “always sleeping and dreaming. I remembered all I had been and thought of all I shall be. And when I had dreamed my dream I awoke and came swiftly.” She paused for a moment, her blue eyes full of memories. “And then?” prompted the Fledgling. “I heard the stars singing as I came and I felt warm wings about me. I passed the beasts of the jungle and came through the dark deep waters. It was a long journey.” Annabel was silent. The Fledgling stared at her with his bright inquisitive eyes. Mary Poppins’s hand lay quietly on the side of the cradle. She had stopped rocking. “A long journey indeed!” said the Starling softly, lifting his head from his breast. P. L. Travers, Mary Poppins Comes Back (1935), pp. 236-237](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6feacf_3adf9cfe616f4d9c8da3c5c46ef1b636~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_2383,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/6feacf_3adf9cfe616f4d9c8da3c5c46ef1b636~mv2.jpg)
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