All the lovely things you are to me

Our wistful little star was far too high
A teardrop kissed your lips and so did I
Now when I remember spring, all the joy that love can bring
I will be remembering the shadow of your smile.

The life of a Gelkandar is half the length of a human life. They regenerate rather than experience death, yet they are replaced by a different Gelkandar. Every human has an experience roughly halfway through life, often identified today as a midlife crisis, when this takes place. When Gelyu was assigned to be Simon’s new Gelkandar, she had a rebellious adolescent spirit looking for adventure and was disappointed to find herself joined to a reclusive artist living deep in the woods. Simon’s experience was just the opposite, as he was filled with her youthful energy and lust for life. He felt born again to a world of possibilities and his wood vessels reflected this newfound joy. Just as she was growing fond of Simon, and enjoying their interaction, Gelyu fell under the influence of those who sought to shift The Balance for their own purposes. She was shown the Tree of Light, growing surrounded by thorns and bushes deep in the woods and led Simon to it. He began to work with wood from this tree, inadvertently creating upsetting The Balance and bringing attention to Gelyu’s misstep. She was taken from him and replaced with a new Gelkandar, but all Simon could feel was the loss of his muse.

Though humans often come to love their Gelkandar, following the whispering within them, very rarely in history has a human fallen in love with one. His heart, which had been filled with the budding possibilities and renewed spirit of Spring, now seemed a barren Winter tree and Simon felt he’d lost the best part of himself.