A young man decided to paddle his canoe down a dark river into the center of the earth. He knew it was dangerous and uncertain, but he believed that if he kept going, he would come out to the light on the other side of the world.
He paddled and paddled for days and nights and weeks of nights and days, and the river kept rushing farther and farther into the earth, and the tunnel kept taking him deeper and deeper and farther and farther, until he was farther into the darkness than anyone had ever been before. By this time, he was terrified. He stopped paddling, because he realized that it didn't matter if he paddled or not--he was rushing downward at a great speed and the canoe was out of his control. Terrified, he held on to the canoe with both hands and prayed to be spared.
Finally, the canoe slowed. The rushing of the water quieted. The canoe leveled out. It no longer rushed headlong into the blackness but glided silently forward. There was still no light.
"I must be almost through the tunnel," the young man thought. He waited. He wasn't sure how many days and nights passed, or if only a few hours passed. He prayed, "Oh God, let me find my way out of this darkness. I don't care if I see the other side of the world anymore, I just want out of this darkness."
There was no answer. The young man floated silently, borne steadily away by the underground stream. Then the young man understood.
"The only way out of the darkness is to make it to the other side of the world," the young man said to himself. "There is no other way out."
He realized he was at the mercy of the underground stream. There was nothing he could do except sit in the canoe and wait. He felt a kind of despair, and also, a kind of relief. Either he would or he wouldn't make it out, either he would or he wouldn't see the light again. This was none of his business somehow. The stream had taken over.
The young man rested in the bottom of the canoe with his hands under his head, feeling the current rushing around him, bearing him farther and farther into places unknown. He looked hard at the darkness and saw nothing. He closed his eyes and saw nothing. He opened his eyes and closed them and saw nothing whether his eyes were open or closed.
He rested.
The water rushed on through the tunnel. The canoe rode the current. The young man slept.
Finally, the canoe slowed. The rushing of the water quieted. The canoe leveled out. It no longer rushed headlong into the blackness but glided silently forward. There was still no light.
"I must be almost through the tunnel," the young man thought. He waited. He wasn't sure how many days and nights passed, or if only a few hours passed. He prayed, "Oh God, let me find my way out of this darkness. I don't care if I see the other side of the world anymore, I just want out of this darkness."
There was no answer. The young man floated silently, borne steadily away by the underground stream. Then the young man understood.
"The only way out of the darkness is to make it to the other side of the world," the young man said to himself. "There is no other way out."
He realized he was at the mercy of the underground stream. There was nothing he could do except sit in the canoe and wait. He felt a kind of despair, and also, a kind of relief. Either he would or he wouldn't make it out, either he would or he wouldn't see the light again. This was none of his business somehow. The stream had taken over.
The young man rested in the bottom of the canoe with his hands under his head, feeling the current rushing around him, bearing him farther and farther into places unknown. He looked hard at the darkness and saw nothing. He closed his eyes and saw nothing. He opened his eyes and closed them and saw nothing whether his eyes were open or closed.
He rested.
The water rushed on through the tunnel. The canoe rode the current. The young man slept.
I like that it had an indefinite end.
ReplyDeleteIt sure does! :) I don't know how it ends yet. I think he makes it out the other end though, whatever that means. But I don't know how. I like writing stories!
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