The walk is long, my steps are small. Short and laid back, like there is all the time in the world.. and all the opportunities yet to come. The path is clear. Smooth and slightly spongy, as if it’s saying: Yes, walk on. You’re legs won’t tire… not while I’m this light to each step of yours. Like I’m treading on water.
The sky is vast. Open and endless, glorious in it’s nakedness. Not a cloud to be seen, not a storm to be predicted. It’s entire body thrown out against the horizon beckoning me to come. Come and discover what is yet to be discovered. I walk towards it. I look forward. There it is, there’s the horizon. I look sideways; but it is there too. I look back; and there. And there and there. I whirl around thinking to myself, well then, where are you beckoning me when it is from all sides? There is all of you everywhere Horizon, but there is only one of me.
The path is indeed smooth and perfect and it points in only one direction so I follow the path. Horizon, you shall have to wait. I walk on. My steps, small. I feel light. Light and bouncy. As if, if I walk any quicker I’ll lose control of my own body, as if I’ll then be whisked away with the care-less wind. I am my own, nobody else’s. I shall walk slow. I want my being to remain my own. I whip my hair around, relishing the feel of my open hair beat against my neck, my face, my eyes. I am indeed my own.
The sun then rises high in the endless void of nothingness. Where are the clouds? Sky, where are your clouds? I ignore the sun, for I am curious. I get no reply. Just that resounding silence thrown back in my face by the The Endless Void itself. I look towards the sun, and am blinded. Go away, sun. You hurt my eyes and without my eyes I cannot see. The sun ignores me and continues to release wave after wave of that blinding shimmer. Fine. I will look for shelter.
I walk backwards, back where I came from. I retrace my steps and walk away from the sun, turn my back to it. Turn my back to that gorgeous sunlight that spreads more good than bad. I do not know this. I do not care. It’s getting in my eyes!
I skip. One leg forward then another. At the same pace I was at, when I was walking. My hair whips from side to side and I am happy. I see a little smudge at the faraway horizon. What is that? I increase my pace just a tad. Is that a house? or a ship coasting the faraway waters? Or is that another darker version of the ghastly sun? I stop skipping and start to walk. Faster. Faster. I am jogging. Now, I’m running. I’m curious. I’m always curious. What is that?
I am sprinting, and still that speck does not get any bigger. Why is it not getting any closer? I have covered many miles and still it rushes further away from me. I run. I keep running. The sun moves high in the sky, right atop me and still I run. Sweat trickles down my forehead, into my eyes, down my neck, and still I keep running. My limbs start to ache, my muscles start to scream, and still I keep running.
It does not get any closer.
And it never will.
Yet, I keep on running. I run and run and run, until I myself… am no more.
