The Painful Path

“Crack!”

Oh, come on. My shoulders droop in defeat. My arms swaying lazily at my sides. I look right and see nothing but trees. To the left, more trees and a dark figure creeping alongside me in the dense woods. The creeping shadow is quite small, but that doesn't mean it's harmless. In this hot climate small could mean deadly. I stop in the road to see if this thing is following me, or I'm super paranoid and delirious from this treacherous walk. It stops.

I sag even more. I hardly care anymore. My hair is sticking to the back of my neck, making me itch, and sweat is dripping into my eyes. Please be a wild panther and just put me out of my misery.

“Crash!” A brown blur shoots out of the bushes straight towards me. Then past me and into the adjacent line of endless trees.

A deer. I take a deep breath and push on until. Oh. My. Gosh! No… is it? I think it is. A sparkling, sprinkling, stunning stream moves just in the distance. This is it! My dreams have come true. I try to lick my dry lips in anticipation of the delicious water, but there's no saliva. I'm so close.

My steps quicken as I move toward the glittery haven, but the closer I get, the further it goes away toward the open sky between the rows of green and brown.

I squint my eyes and stand still as I focus on the shimmery puddles, but they're not puddles at all. Subtle waves of heat come from the hot tarmac. Ugh! A stupid mirage. Of course they are.

I wipe my brow with my sleeve and keep going.

When I asked that man a while ago which road was the clearest with no obstacles, he said this way. This is the simplest walk, no obstacles, he said. I see no end to this road, but I'll stick it out. No way am I wandering into those woods.

Every so often an unwelcoming path appears on either side of me, all overcome with vines, branches and long grass. Who knows what is hiding deep in them? I could get cut up by thorns or trap my foot in a stump and break my leg, or worse, get bitten by a snake!

No, I will take my chances on the open road, thank you very much.

The sun is rising again. Peaking over the unreachable tip of the road. Nothing has changed. I could keep going on this open road and hope that something good comes along, or I could give up and let the vultures pick at my body. Give them a nice meal at least. Though my blood may have dried up by then.

I turn to look at one of the rugged paths to my left and connect my hands behind my head. Okay, enough is enough. I have to change direction now, or I might be doomed to tread this endless trail forever.

I grab the vines in front of me, and they break away easily. Crackling and falling to the ground. I pause to look at them scattered at my feet, my mouth wide open, then I push forward through the branches and leaves. I hear a buzz behind my ear and flap around frantically until it's quiet. Just a short time after, I hear a sound like a loud running tap. I push the last vine out of my way, and a smile starts to tug at my chapped lips.

A waterfall reflecting a small rainbow in its mist pours into a river of crystal clear liquid, just metres away. I can't believe my eyes, so I rub them and blink a few times.

A man is sitting on a rock near the river, barbequing meat on a small grill. It's... It's the guy! I hurry over to speak to him.

“Excuse me…” My words come out barely a whisper. I try again. “Excuse me, sir.” The man turns to face me and grins.

“Oh, hello,” he says, “you finally ventured off the road.”

“Uhh… yea… Why did you say the best way to go was that long, awful, endless road?”

The man laughs softly and flips his food over on the grill. “Well, I never said it was the best road, son,” he puts down his tongs and wipes his hands on his jeans. “You asked for the clearest road. One where you could see where you were going.”

I gaze at him quizzically.

“If you’d have told me about the river…”

“Would you have gone to the river and braved the overgrown paths when we spoke?” The man tosses some meat on bread and hands it to me.”

Honestly, I wouldn't have. Heck, I was walking for hours, days even, and it never occurred to me that the best way was through the hidden paths closed in with overgrowth and spider webs.

I glance at the man as he chuckles.

“Ya know, sometimes the path that scares you the most, once you come face to face with its challenges, you find they're not that scary after all.” I nod while chewing on a bite of the sandwich. It's so delicious my eyes nearly roll out of my head.

“Yea… I guess you're right.”

“Drink some water, and maybe have a wash, I can smell you from here,” I sniff at my armpit and frown. “Then go and explore. You'll find where you need to be at the right time.”

I smile and put my face in the cool liquid and slurp big gulps of it down me. Bliss. I leave the relics of water on my face, enjoying it's coolness.

“So, what way should I go now then?” No response. I spin around in a slow 360 to find nothing but nature and grease sizzling on the grill. No man in sight.

I shrug and fill my bottle with water and walk toward the deep, dense woods. The road nearby is clear and endless, but as I've found today, the risky road, filled with obstacles, can actually end up being full of pleasant surprises.