“look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you—” (p.261)

I don't think there would be a better way for Ultima to die. She is with Antonio, passing on her final jewel of spiritual wisdom, the last lesson she has to give to Tony.  She devoted the end of her life to the development of Tony’s. Ultima was the ultimate teacher and friend for Antonio. In some ways, she reminds me of the giving tree. She gives him comfort, companionship, wisdom, strength, and (even in her last moment) she gives him her blessing. 

The other character that Ultima correlates with is coincidentally also from a children's book. However, this connection is a lot more literal, and there are very few factors that differentiate these characters...well aside from the fact that the wise ‘Ultima’character is a young prince from outer space. In Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger’s novella “The Little Prince”, the young extraterrestrial enlightens an old man about handling life and death. The two characters become very attached, and when the little prince is about to ‘return to the stars’ (die) he prepares the man for life after his death. The little prince says, “In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night.” The similarities to this reassurance with Ultima’s are uncanny, probably because it is a common trend to give loved ones things, ideas, or even places to hold onto once they return to the stars, and sing with the owls.