He was looking at the ground as he walked now, noticing the little pebbles and rocks that he saw contained within the earth, like playthings scattered across a desk, or a tabletop. They were of all different shapes and sizes and colors; there was a big one next to a small one, a white one next to a grey one, a square one next to an oval one. They were all there, and they all fit in some sort of random pattern you couldn't begin to explain; even though there was no consistency between the rocks and pebbles, there were not any differences. It was still part of the ground, no matter how you looked at it. A concerned look masked his face, as he studied the ground closer. The scene before him was not familiar; and he had known this path very well. He could walk through the entire thing with his eyes closed, if asked too. He stopped in the road, his shadow stopping with him, but his companion did not notice; and neither did he. The ground here was not familiar; it was new. He looked up again, and saw that she wasn't there. He looked around, and the scenery was foreign. He had never been here before. "How could this be?" he asked of himself. "I have been following the path..." All around, the landscape began to blur. The pretty pastels and the dazzling colors all began to fade and blend, in some places turning greener, bluer; yet in others, yellower, browner. The world as he knew it began to fade; it began to melt around him, up to his very feet. It became dark. There was no sun, nor moon, to cast his shadow now. He was once again alone, yet in an alien place he could have never dreamed of. He looked closer into the darkness, and yet more darkness. He looked closer into that darkness, and found more darkness as well. He looked all around as the darkness swallowed his very being, smothering him with its cold embrace. He stood still, and took a deep breath. He breathed in, and held it, and released it slowly, seeing mist being produced from his actions. At least he knew he was alive. He closed his eyes, and took another step forward. Though darkness was there, there was a floor beneath. It gave him confidence to keep going, to keep moving forward in this unknown place. He kept walking until it was as if he was within a corridor, with two different paths to undertake. One, to his near left, shone with a faint light at a lengthy distance within. The other, though he could not see was pitch black, as the world around him. He motioned towards his left, towards the right, and saw a path. He studied it for a while, and saw that this path was familiar. He had been here before. He retraced his steps, and peered down the right passageway. There was no path here to be found, nor to be felt. He just knew it was there. He took his place again between the two choices, feeling pulled towards each by some force unknown to anyone. He knew he had to decide, and that a decision must be reached soon. He took one step forward.... And to the right.
He began his travel into the path unknown, not knowing where it was leading, not knowing where it was going. He felt a being come into being behind him, under him: his shadow. He felt a presence near him, come to life, his companion - and her own shadow. The pair walked in the shadow and darkness together, ready to face everyone and all. They knew that whatever adversary was to come upon them, they would defeat.
"And so ends one journey," said he to her, "and so begins another."
THE END
3 January 2005
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