One day I came upon two paths.
One was familiar but rough, filled with quicksand and traps and without the possibility that I would ever get free, but at the end there might be the most beautiful tree in the world, with branches of gold and leaves of emerald, and a sap that's an ambrosia fit for the gods. Or there might not. There is an equal chance. Along the way of this path, the scenery is exquisite and breathtaking, and it is something that I would never forget, if I actually make it.
Then there is the other path. It is simple and plain, without much danger, and it's nice to stroll along. The ground is soft, with lots of room to wander and explore. At the end of this path is a cottage with a garden, and nothing more.


So I stood there, waiting, listening, watching for some clue as to which I should take...


I must have stood there for an entire day, just watching, but then I started to go down the easier path and I looked around and thought about it, and it was nice. But it just wasn't right for me. So I turned around and took the other. Now I've found myself in a dense thicket and I can't see anything, and it feels like I'm sinking deep into something, and there's no one around...

And I fell.

And I fell for days, and blackness consumed everything, and I was alone.
I stretched my arms out into the darkness, trying hopelessly to grasp at anything solid, anything that would give me a direction to travel, anything that would take away this blindness that seemed to have come over me.

I searched blindly for the longest time, just walking in any direction, just praying that I wouldn't be alone forever. Finally, my hands brushed against something cold and hard that felt like stone. I felt around it, trying to imagine what it was. I felt what seemed like a belt, and then a stomach and a chest, and then arms. And as I reached higher, the statue seemed to get warmer and warmer. Then I reached up and touched the face, and I felt lips and a nose, and the statue felt even warmer. Then I reached up and touched the eyes.

When I felt the eyes of the statue, everything changed...
Unknown "Kookie" Purring - 16 years, 10 months, 22 days ago