Lonely
The road is long. On the lonely road I walk. Inside there is an ache. I am alone on the road searching for the capsules. Black and white Magpies circle overhead following my every move. A pair detached themselves from the flock and flew down in concentric circles till they landed gently on the road ahead. I hurried to where they stood. The capsule,on its side looked none the worse for wear. I picked up the capsule,unscrewed the top and looked inside. The fragrance reached my nostrils and memories of an aching love pained my heart. The persistant calls of my overhead friends shook me out of my reverie. Along the winding section of the road,a man on crutches hobbled towards me. I stood my ground and waited for him to reach me. "Please sir, I intoned. Help me to find six capsules, so that I can get off this road. He looked me in the eye and said; "Be true to yourself." "I cannot be but myself," I replied. He shook his head and carried on down the road. I watched his retreating figure, turned to my feathered friends and said; "Maybe I asked the wrong question." "Schreee," they answered.
I carried on walking and gazed upon the landscape. I must find the other capsules. Once I find all the capsules, the memory of who I am and how to get off this road will come to me. I will then be re-united with my one true love. I willingly took this quest to find the capsules, but the memory of the why decieves me. I slowed my walk and pondered my next move. Behind me, I could hear the sound of running feet. I turned round and a group of runners, both men and women, rushed past me. "Stop!" I shouted. They carried on with their running, looked back as one and said; "We have no time." "Schreee." "Schreee." I looked up. My feathered friends, as one, flew ahead and settled in the middle of the road. I walked towards them. The second capsule lay on the road, dislodged by the runners from its hiding place. I eagerly unscrewed the capsule and the memories of a deep timeless friendship filled my being. It was slowly coming to me; I now knew the face of my true love and who my friend was. I also knew why my other friends, the Magpies,followed me on my journey. I stood where I was and thought about those things that I now knew. The load on my mind felt lighter now. My friends gradually flew from the middle of the road. I followed their example and walked ahead. In the distance I could see two people. As they came closer, I saw that they were a pair,male and female. They were holding hands and the light of love shone brightly from their eyes. My eyes misted over and hot tears of loneliness ran down my cheeks. "Why are you crying?" they asked. "Once, I had this love like yours. The memory of it has just come to me. Travelling a road without love is a lonely journey," I wailed. "It does not have to be like that. There are lots of things to keep you from being lonely. The most significant is your state of mind," They said. I digested what they said and thought at length. "Thank you," I said. "You are welcome," they replied. I made my leave and strode out briskly. I noticed that the sun would soon be over the horizon. I scanned the sides of the road in the hope of finding another capsule before nightfall. In the middle distance, my friends settled on a heavily leafed tree. I made my way to the tree and sat down as the magic of twilight infused the landscape. I wiggled my bottom to get into a comfortable position. I felt a firm object behind me, turned round and there stood the third capsule. I unscrewed the capsule and the memories of eternal wisdom came flooding back to me. Sunrise. A cacophony of noise awoke me from my slumbers. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, stretched, yawned and stood up. The road beckoned to me and I started to walk. My friends followed me high overhead. Afigure with something on its head was coming towards me. At fifty yards I could see it was a woman carrying a basket of fruits on her head. I approached her and said; "Please help me, have you seen any capsules on your travels?" She stopped and put the basket on the ground. She put her hand in the basket and handed me a capsule.
"Where did you get it from?" I asked "It was given to me at the start of my journey. I was told to give it to the first person that asked for it," she replied. "Thank you,thank you!" I cried. I opened the fourth capsule and the memories of why I was on this road came flooding back to me and filled me with hope. My spirits soared. I now understood why I was on this road. I was not the only one. There were other travelers,traveling their own lonely roads. The reason why I was on this road is; "Schreee." "Schreee." "Schreee." The incessant noise of my overhead friends alerted me. They flew down at head height and glided along the road. They then stopped and formed a circle. I ran to where they were. In the circle stood a capsule. I unscrewed the fifth capsule and the memories of home and where I truly belong came flooding into my awareness. Wave upon wave of loneliness rippled through my being. My lips quavered. I dropped to the ground, curled into a ball and a primal scream escaped my lips. Memories of home and unconditional love filled every cell of my body. My feathered friends crowded round me and gently massaged my body with their feathers. I relaxed and drifted off into a very deep sleep. The road is long and I am weary. The thought of giving up is constantly on my mind. After the memories of home, everything else pales into insignificance. My feathered friends know of this. They are keeping a special eye out for me. They are flying closer to me now. I swept the road with my gaze. Up one side and down the other. On the down sweep my eyes rested on the capsule,half buried on the side of the road. I unscrewed the sixth capsule and the memories of my place in the universe came to light. The knowledge of the perfection that is the universe gave me strength. I stepped out jauntily, a spring in my step. Now I only need to find the capsule of who I am, then I can take my leave of this lonely road. 24258210 Homeward bound
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