Maarika naasis koju pärast aastaid kestnud õppimist välismaal.

Maarika returned home after years of studying abroad.

Saaremaa küla kutsus teda nagu vanad sõbrad, keda ta polnud ammu näinud.

The village in Saaremaa called to her like old friends she hadn't seen in a long time.

Kevad oli käes, maa ärkas talveunest.

Spring had arrived, and the land was waking from its winter slumber.

Õhk oli täis sulavärskust ja esimesi õitsvaid lilleõisi.

The air was full of the freshness of melting and the first blooming flowers.

Maarika teadis, et ta peab välja selgitama, miks linnud ja väikesed loomad põldudelt kadusid.

Maarika knew she had to find out why the birds and small animals had disappeared from the fields.

Maarika astus vanaema ehitatud kiviseintega talu juurde.

Maarika walked to the farm with stone walls built by her grandmother.

Tema silmad vaatasid üle seljandike, kuhu vanade talude katused nagu šokolaaditahvlid laotusid.

Her eyes gazed over the ridges, where the roofs of the old farmhouses spread out like chocolate bars.

Ta mõtles lapsepõlvele, kui looduse ime oli kõikjal tema ümber.

She thought of her childhood when the miracle of nature surrounded her everywhere.

Nüüd olid maastikul tühjus ja vaikus tungiv.

Now, the landscape was filled with emptiness and a haunting silence.

Kohalikud ei olnud Maarikaga rahul.

The locals were not pleased with Maarika.

Kuidagi ei suutnud Triinu ja Juhan mõista, miks Maarika üldse loodust uurima hakkas.

Somehow, Triinu and Juhan couldn't understand why Maarika had started to study nature at all.

"Loodus on ettevaatlik," ütles Juhan, vana jahimees, kelle hääles kajas kergelt põlgus linna inimeste ambitsioonide vastu.

"Nature is cautious," said Juhan, an old hunter, whose voice echoed with a slight disdain for the ambitions of city people.

Triinu, küla parim kuduja, oli sedapidi, et inimeste hüved piisasid, kui ajada oma asju segamata.

Triinu, the village's best weaver, was of the mind that people had enough if they minded their own business without interference.

"Pole paremat kui vanad kombed," sõnas ta tihti.

"There is nothing better than the old ways," she often said.

Maarika kogus andmeid, jalutades läbi lillerohtu ja puude, pani tähele igat väiksematki loovarjundust.

Maarika collected data, walking through wildflowers and trees, noting every smallest shade of life.

Kogukond oli kahtlustav.

The community was suspicious.

Iga kord, kui ta ilmus, vaatasid silmad tema suunas, varjates mineviku uudishimu.

Every time she appeared, eyes watched her direction, hiding the curiosity of the past.

Õhtupoolikul kerkis äike, kevadise ilma jetik, ja Maarika leidis end varjupaigast külamaja verandil, kus Juhan ja Triinu kokku olid tulnud.

In the afternoon, a storm rose, a jetstream of spring weather, and Maarika found herself taking shelter on the veranda of the village house, where Juhan and Triinu had gathered.

Juhan sõnas rabatud häälel: "Seal metsas käivad kuuldused.

Juhan said in an astonished voice, "There are rumors in the forest.

Vanade salapärandite järgi, usuvad mõned, et seal toimetab midagi muud."

According to the old legends, some believe that something else operates there."

Maarika tõstis pead.

Maarika lifted her head.

Ta tundis ära nõia, millest küla vanemad aeg-ajalt rääkisid, kuid ta teadis, et seal oli midagi muud taga.

She recognized the witch the village elders occasionally talked about, but she knew there was something else behind it.

Vähem kui päev pärast seda otsustas ta hämariku ajal välja minna.

Less than a day after that, she decided to go out during twilight.

Ta rändas küla kõrval olevale lagendikule, kus seisis väike hütt.

She traveled to the clearing next to the village, where there stood a small hut.

Lähenedes märkas ta seal inimesi, salaja mette vedamas ja mulda lükkamas.

Approaching it, she noticed people secretly pouring honey and turning soil.

Maarika teadis, et nad kavatsevad midagi kahjulikku teha.

Maarika knew they intended to do something harmful.

Ta astus välja ja nõudis selgitust.

She stepped out and demanded an explanation.

"Tahate reeta oma koduõue," korte Maarika selgelt.

"You want to betray your own backyard," Maarika clearly insisted.

Raili all vaikne rahulolu pöördus äksiks, kuid tema sõnad surid, kui Maarika pidev ja sirge pilgu väisas rahvaga.

The quiet satisfaction beneath Raili turned to rage, but her words died when Maarika's steady and direct gaze met the group.

"Me peame kaitsma seda, mis on," nentis ta.

"We must protect what is ours," she stated.

Hiljem, kui saart päike valgustas, kogunes kogu küla Maarika ümber.

Later, when the island was illuminated by the sun, the entire village gathered around Maarika.

Juhan ja Triinu mõistsid nüüd, et Maarika oli siin tõelise hüve nimel ja hakkasid teda toetama.

Juhan and Triinu now understood that Maarika was here for a true benefit and started to support her.

Nad otsustasid koos taastada lagendikud ja metsad, mille eest Maarika tahtis seista.

They decided together to restore the clearings and forests, for which Maarika wanted to stand up.

Maarika leidis oma koha juurte kirjas ja tunnetas, et tema eesmärk oli teostunud.

Maarika found her place rooted in writing and felt that her goal was accomplished.

Ta oli valmis kasutama nii teadust kui ka traditsiooni, et Saaremaa säiliks ja püsiks.

She was ready to use both science and tradition so that Saaremaa would be preserved and continue.

Nii levis legend tüdrukust, kellest sai saarerahva osa, aidates luua silla vana ja uue vahel, kindlustades tulevikku.

Thus spread the legend of the girl who became a part of the island's folk, helping to build a bridge between the old and the new, ensuring the future.