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When a small island gathers around a story

A Quiet Evening of magic at the library - Booklaunch : Macic Rulin

There are evenings on Vis that feel different.

Not louder. Not bigger.
Just… deeper.

I experienced one of those evenings at the Gradska knjižnica i čitaonica Vis, where locals gathered for the launch of a children’s book called Macić Rulin. What could easily have been a simple book presentation became something else entirely. A shared moment of culture, identity, and quiet pride. And at the center of it all stood Vesna.

A few days earlier, I met Vesna at a photo exhibition held in the town museum. The kind of place where conversations don’t need to be rushed. There was something grounded about her presence. Not performative. Not trying to impress. Just… real. When she invited me to the book launch, it didn’t feel like promotion. It felt like an invitation into something meaningful.

The book: Macić Rulin

Macić Rulin is not just a children’s book. It is part imagination, part local soul. Created within a community-driven initiative on Vis, the book carries a deeper purpose. It was developed through a collaborative project supporting children and individuals with developmental challenges, bringing together creativity, care, and inclusion.

What the story feels like

At its heart, Macić Rulin invites you into a world that feels both ancient and childlike at the same time. It introduces a small figure. A macić.
Not quite human. Not quite spirit. Something that belongs to the quiet corners of imagination, where folklore still breathes. You can almost picture him before he is even described fully.

Small steps. Soft presence. A red hat slightly too big. Eyes that notice things others walk past. Rulin carries a lantern. Not a bright, blazing light. But a warm, flickering glow. The kind that doesn’t erase the darkness, but gently pushes it back. This is not a story about conquering the world. It’s about moving through it.

Rulin doesn’t rush. He doesn’t fight. He doesn’t need to be seen. He simply walks. Through narrow paths. Through shadows. Through moments that feel uncertain, but never truly empty. And the lantern becomes more than an object. It becomes a rhythm. A reminder that you don’t need to see everything ahead. Only the next step.

As the story unfolds, you begin to feel what it’s really about: Not magic in the loud sense. But in the quiet, persistent sense. The kind children understand instinctively. And adults slowly remember.

This is a story about: Finding your way when the path is unclear. Holding onto courage, even when it feels small. Trusting that light exists, even when it’s only enough for one step at a time.
And maybe It’s about seeing the world not as something to control… but something to move through with curiosity, softness, and care.

The people behind it

The book is written by Anela Borčić, head of the primary school at Vis – with illustrations by Natalija Borčić, Anelas daughter – and brought to life through a network of local contributors, educators, and cultural voices.

Vesna’s role as moderator tied it all together. Not as a performer, but as a bridge between people, ideas, and meaning.

And that might be the real story here.

Not just the book.
But the collaboration behind it.

Text and images : Stian Guttorm Skaget