It was quiet. Almost peaceful. The trickling of the water that ran down the river. The clear dew that shone on the surface of the forest floor. I looked around me and above me was the blinding light. Where had I gone wrong? I was happy, determined and ambitious. Just like everyone else. Where have I gone wrong? I remember charging ahead from the rest in the clearing. Charging into the forest. All was fine. When I entered the forest I found that it was not so simple. There were many roads that could be taken. Many of the people I stood with at the start took their own roads-and I was left behind. Some walked towards the small light lit by the lakeside. Some climb steep mountains. Some who wandered around and soon settled on the picturesque view that they chanced upon. When they embarked on their paths I had only realized that I was alone. So I chose the river filled with vitality, a long river leading to the bright light in the unknown. The tall trees that towered over it as if guarding this small path. The mist obscured the destination but even so I walked blindly on. It was tiring and a long journey but still I carried on.
Little by little I realized that the water was slowly rising. But I didn't mind. I carried on. At some point the water reached my knees. Then my waist. At some point I realized I chose the wrong road. But when I turned around and looked around I found the mist had long turned into thick fog blocking me from retreating. What I found to be alluring and mysterious and turned into fear and dread. All I could see around me was smothered and had left me blind with only the obscured light behind me. How long have I been walking this path?
Finally. The light that was obscured from me was gradually being unveiled. Slowly I tried to make my way towards it. However as i got closer i found that the water had already risen to my neck. My arms are heavy. Stuck to my sides. Glancing at my destination in front of me I desperately tried to raise my arms-as if to grab hold onto the light that shone in front of me but the more I struggled I found that the water would rise higher and higher. Until it almost covered my face. I raised my head high above the water desperately gasping for air when the sky started to rain above as if a corpse laid in a tomb and was slowly being covered by dirt. The river started to bubble and became violent thrashing me in the waves side to side. My head pushed under and thrown towards the surface.
My eyes struggled to see above the water. Sometimes closed sometimes open- the waves pushing me under making them sting but desperately stubborn to see what had been finally revealed. Many times I would lose consciousness only to wake up to an earth shattering slam against my guts the waves inhaled choking me . When I had given up everything stopped. Everything. If not for the hazy eyes from being constantly thrown under water, droplets dripping from my clothes and the violent coughs loud enough to wake the corpse from the grave I would have thought it was a dream. When my vision finally came to me I could see the protruding light in front of me.
My hands free from my sides could reach out to it but before grabbing it I felt that i could no longer move. Taunting me a flicker of the light brushed against my fingers before exploding into a ball of light. My eyes tightly shut could not stop the light from fading. What felt like aeons to people felt like seconds as the journey led me to have infinite patience. When I felt the light fading I opened my eyes, preparing for the still shining light to be blinding. However, I was wrong. What shocked me was not the blinding light but the lack of light. The mighty explosion of light had blown away the fog, filling me with dread and despair.
I saw the boundless sea before me. I clenched my outstretched hands in the air but when I did I felt something strong and heavy in my palms and like a switch I started seeing things I didn't see before. In front of me were many giant chains blocking me from the boundless sea filled with opportunity and treasures. When I tried to strugg;e past them I felt that I could not move any of my limbs. That was when I saw it. Chains locking me in place. The tall trees turned into tall pillars. Pillars of hell. And their tall branches that were in fact chains that stopped me from the path to return. Unknowingly I had walked to my own doom.
While everyone had walked on the path they chose and reached the peak I had chosen to walk the path of a prisoner. A path chosen by others for me and I walked it without question. Forever following the path with no end until death rolled around and showed me the truth. Living the lie that had been carefully prepared by me. Slowly the water rose to wash me away, under the water I no longer resisted watching another figure walking the same path with the flowers planted beneath the pillars with it's colour glowing a glaring bright red before I closed my eyes to eternal sleep.