-
In Word and in Dream
2003-12-23 6:30 pm
It must have been midnight when i first met the old man. At least it felt like midnight, but now i know that the meeting place, a slightly downhill dirt road, curving ever slightly to the left toward a not-too-distant village, was a place outside of time.I can't readily recall features of his face, only that he was an elderly black man, the same one that other travellers have gratefully encountered at some point of their paths. But at the time, and until it was pointed out to me, i did not realize who he was. He offered to teach me, told me to approach, and as i did 9angrily for some reason) i demanded that he take me to the woman who would tell me who i belong to. We walked together to the woman's house, and she greeted us with outstretched arms. I cannot recall what transpired there. Afterward, however, i found myself walking down the road to teh village, with the old man walking behind me, guiding me towards a tight rectangular courtyard surrounded by connected houses. I walked into the center of the court, the old man remaining behind me, and others still. I recognized that i was here for a purpose, ans so found myself walking toward the last door on the right. The door was open. Within stood a women wearing a drab colored dress, facing me stiffly, her unblinking eyes peering vacantly forward. I knew she was dead, and I subesquently felt a sense of dull dread, a quiet exhiliration at the sight of a restless soul, but remained unafraid. I walked back to the people waiting at the center of the courtyard.
"How many are there?" i asked the old man.
"Behind every door", he replied.
I knew what i had to do. I stepped away from them, a few steps ahead, raised my arms into the air, and proceeded to lay the dead to rest.
all we need sometimes is the slightest of nudges
�
�
Sign My Guestbook!powered by SignMyGuestbook.com
