Tales from the Tavern

Waters of Time

Witness to suffering and sadness, to joys and triumphs, to defeat and victory, the river of time flows through the eras, never ending.

Its waters drift lazily among gently waving reeds, its smooth surface a pooling mirror of peace. Throughout the accompanying world, love and happiness fill hearts. Light and goodwill run strong among the people. Hate is not present. It is the paragon of life and hope. But goodness cannot last forever, for there is always evil, even if it lies hidden.

The current quickens. Cliffs appear on the banks, constricting the waters into foaming rapids, forcing them to smash against jagged rocks that bar the flow. And in the world that is carried in the river, violence reigns. Rebellion thrives in every nation. Men fight men, destroying their friends, their brothers, their fathers. Darkness sweeps the realms. A grand monarch falls and chaos takes his place.

The waters flow ever on. Months pass into years, and the flows leave the rapids. The riverbed widens and mellowness begins to invade. But it does not take over. The current still moves swiftly, if not at breakneck speed. And rocks still litter the path.

Order gains a foothold in the world. Kingdoms rise. Soldiers leave the fighting life and return to farms, return to restore the bloodied soil. A hero from the battles claims the responsibility of lordship with the full support of a people behind him. With a strong government in place, order comes even more rapidly.

Laziness returns to the river. Slowly it widens its banks, creeping outward until it becomes a small lake. As the waters glide lethargically through the mere, comfort, tranquility, and contentment capture the world. They drift further out from the center until the peaceful surface covers a great expanse. All the people are allied under one banner and grow complacent in their security, fearing nothing. But serenity cannot last forever.

Small ripples appear in the clear surface of time. Outspoken radicals begin to raise their voice, crying out against the government. Their heresy is quickly silenced, but the feeling spreads and dissent grows until one of the rebels gains a following and organizes an armed uprising. Though the rebellion is quickly quelled, it weakens the government, priming it for a fall.

The lake narrows back to the mouth of a river. Its pace quickens, and though it remains smooth, there is a feeling of impending doom that fills the world. And it is realized. Suddenly, the smooth surface is broken, chopped off and the river falls with a roar, cascading over an endless cliff.

Chaos springs on the world. Monsters and demons appear from darkened, smoky skies falling with wrath upon the peaceful nation. They quickly conquered the world, killing and destroying all that they could find.

The waters of time thunder into a sea of rocks at the bottom of the cliff, bashing and breaking anything left until there is nothing in the world. Order and peace, civilization and knowledge are ended, seemingly for an eternity. Not even the demons are left. Only destruction and a few torn survivors, who climb wearily from shelter to look upon a broken land, remain.

Escaping the rocky pool, the current caries time into a wide lake, as large as an ocean but stiller than glass. It has no exit, yet time does not end; it never will. Instead, it vaporizes, rising to form a blanket of clouds that are ferried to new destinations by the gentle breeze.

Rain begins to drip from the grayness above. It falls to the ground to form drops that ease their way into rivulets that gradually form a bubbling stream. The people find others and gradually join together, first creating tribes, and then nations that grow into great civilizations, beginning again at ages long past. Finally the streams join together to create a flowing river once more, a river that carries on the cycle of passing time.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. What did you think about the concept of time as a river? Let me know with a comment! Please vote and share. Thanks again! :)