Horizon.

... because you see it there, but the question is: What lies beyond it?

Beyond the horizon..

You stand, motionless, at the edge of the sea. It stretches leagues ahead and across. You're alone. You glance down at your small, just-enough-to-fit-one-person boat. And you start thinking, is it enough? You've seen cruise ships, ocean liners, speedboats, sailboats, yachts, fancy boats of all kinds. And you can't help but wonder if your humble, wooden boat is enough to carry you beyond.. Beyond the horizon.

But then you remember, you start remembering, the things that you've gotten through with that simple, wooden boat. The storms you've survived, the seas you've conquered. Everyone said that you were crazy, that you'd be ripped apart. And yet here you are, standing, at the edge of another sea waiting to be conquered, a living contradiction. You remember hearing stories of cruise ships, ocean liners, speedboats, sailboats, yachts, and fancy boats of all kinds, being tossed about mercilessly in the storms, like the little toy ships you used to play with in the jacuzzi all those years ago. And you smile to yourself. Sometimes, it's not about the quality of the vessel, it's about the skill of the driver. And you know you've got what it takes to go beyond.. Beyond the horizon.

You have this doubt, though, this nagging, little doubt, somewhere in your recesses of your mind. It is always the same, before you undertake another epic voyage. What if you don't come back? What if you survive, but become a changed person? Would it be for the better, or for the worse? What if you discover things beyond the horizon, that make you turn your back on everything you've known prior to your journey? You're not afraid to take the journey, hell no, you're not afraid of that. What you are afraid of is not knowing where the seas will take you. What you're afraid of is the uncertainty of what is to come. What you're afraid of, is what lies ahead of you, beyond.. Beyond the horizon.

But then, there is not much ahead of you that could be worse than what is behind you. A lover, now happily married, whom fate cruelly decided your joined destiny would never be; parents, long dead and cold in their graves, snatched from you when you were just six; friends, never really true, never standing by you, proud, sneering, haughty. And that is what propels you to go on, every single time. That is what makes you steer your little wooden boat straight and true, heading for freedom, for inner peace, for a new lease on life, for salvation, beyond.. Beyond the horizon.

You take a breath of the fresh, sea air. You welcome the calming breeze it carries. You put one foot into the boat, knowing that once you are in, you can never come back. You close your eyes. Your mind is calm now. You know what you are going to do, what you have to do. You take another deep breath, and the rest of your body follows your foot into the boat. You give the boat a little push, and the waves carry it out to the sea. And as you sit there, looking at the horizon, the sun just peeps over the mountains, and everything is bathed in a beautiful, soft, light. The darkness of the night is coming to an end, for the sunshine is come. You take heart, for now, there is a glimmer of hope at the end of the long, dark, journey. And you smile to yourself as you take up the oars and row, with the dexterity of one who has spent his whole life roaming the seas. You row towards freedom, towards inner peace, towards a new lease on life, towards salvation, beyond..


Beyond the horizon.

TheEnd
-Caitlin K.-

P.s - I would really, REALLY appreciate comments on this story. Click the little "Comments" link just below this post (or click HERE), and erm, say what you thought of it! Or what you thought it meant, anything. If you'd rather, you can do it anonymously, so yeap! Comments, please and thank you! =)

But what do I say, when I'm all choked up that you're okay?