The Forest

The Image and A Future

On the other edge of the forest lived an image.  An intuitive statue that never stood still.  It reigned over its own scrutiny and punished the torch of success.  It wandered through its side of the forest scorching its footsteps in failure.  It was plagued with grief that opened up wounds and closed them just to feel them open again under a seductive silence.  One day it found a future it didn't want.  It did everything it its power to avoid it; to ignore it.  But it was relentless  and impossible to forget.  It had no choice but to listen while it told a story.  And it reluctantly indulged a future in its words. 

"I am a prize," a future spoke out boldly.

Even though the image wasn't at all interested, it listened and waited to hear the story of a future.  It waited for a very long time but a future had nothing else to say.  The story was over.

The image couldn't understand why the story was over so quickly.  It wandered further into a future to find out why, leaving more of its footprints on the soil as it roamed.  But it found nothing else.  And it just watched a future stay perfectly still in the same place it was found without making a move and without making a sound.  The image was convinced it was only a prize.

One day, the image decided to look for another future.  It scoured the ground for clues, turning over rocks and sifting through leaves just to find even a hint of hope.  It searched up and down mountains for signs.  It waded in streams and swam through torrents.  It climbed trees to the very top and followed roots at their foundation, bound to the promise of another future.  But it found nothing.  The image was sure that it would never find another future.  And all it could think about was the prize it didn't want.

Defeated and incomplete, the image retreated.  It stepped backwards, filling footprints it made for itself a long time ago on a quest to find a future it didn't want.  The days were long and the nights were endless under stars too bright to sleep.  It thought about a prize and the untold story.  It had so many questions it wanted to ask.  And the image wondered if it would ever see it again.   

But one night, it happened.  On an unusually dark night, a future made its appearance again.  It was centered high up on a tall platform.  The image was so excited to see it and quickly emerged at the base of the tower to stare up at perfection.  

"I am so happy to see you," said the image.

A future said nothing. 

"I've been looking all over for you. Where did you go?"

A future did not answer.

"I want to hear you tell your story. And I have so many questions for you."

But a future just sat there in silence without words.

"I was afraid I was never going to see you again," said the image.  

A future sat quiet for a few moments. Then it spoke quietly.

"I was afraid I was never going to see YOU again," it said.

The image couldn't believe what it had heard.

Then a future asked a question.

"Where have you been?"

"I've been looking for you. I traced my way back through footprints just to find you. But I couldn't see you anywhere. You were no where to be found."

"You're right," a future said. "I wasn't there."

The image looked puzzled, "I don't understand?" 

"You didn't find me because you were looking for a past."

The image stood there confused, looking up at a future on the platform.

"You see, I am only a prize," it said sadly.

 A calm sadness came over the image.

"You are a wonderful prize," it said. And I am very happy we met because I haven't found a future anywhere in this forest better than you." 

"Are you a future too?"

"Sadly, I'm only a past. All day long I think about what I could have done, should have done and how many times I've failed."

"You are a remarkable past," it smiled. 

The image looked bewildered.  

A future spoke.

"You see, all day long I think about how I got here on this pedestal. And I wait. I sit here alone, waiting until a past finds me and gives me a story to tell."

The image looked down at the ground where it was standing.  The soil below was slowly beginning to soften and understand.  And the image looked up again to a beautiful future and spoke.

"Maybe we can do great things together?"

A future smiled at the image.  And the future was certain.