I’ve Seen My Future — and yet I Still Fear It
The landscape came alive momentarily as the soft breeze made its way once again through the tall, lush grass. On both sides, as far as the eye could see, the vast clearing erupted into a sea of green, its waves rising and falling as each blade of grass recognized the wind’s authority. And just as suddenly as it had started, it was over; the motionless expanse showing no trace of the spectacle that had unfolded.
You take no note of this, however, as your eyes are set ahead, where far in the distance the rich vegetation gives way to a sprawling treeline that heralds the great forest beyond. Shoulder to shoulder and row upon row the trees stand, as sentries challenging all who would enter — You.
To your eyes, the forest might as well have been a solid mass of impenetrable green and brown. How could you possibly hope to enter, you think to yourself. You haven’t moved an inch and yet apprehension gnaws at you. As you edge closer, you try to think of every viable strategy and every possible outcome. Doubt starts to creep in. A thousand questions are whirring in your head. Perhaps you should turn back.
Step by uneasy step you near the imposing treeline and as you do so, the forest appears to ever so slightly have a change of heart. The closer you get to its edge, the more the trees seem to part. At first, revealing cracks in the seemingly unrelenting structure, but soon narrow passages between the trees are discernable and eventually paths wide enough that you could stroll through with arms outstretched.
As you come to a standstill before the once looming bulwark, you look back to where you had started, all the way across the grassy field. Where it had seemed as though to enter the forest could be no more than mere fancy. And yet here you are.
And to think you were contemplating turning around. How silly of you.
You turn your gaze ahead now and into this new landscape as your eyes adjust to the canopied dimness. One step and you’re inside, having already forgotten about the field and the treeline. For there are more pressing matters at hand.
How could you possibly hope to make your way through the unyielding entanglement of trees before you? As you edge forward, you try to think of every viable strategy and every possible outcome. Doubt starts to creep in. A thousand questions are whirring in your head. Perhaps, you should turn back…
© Omar Sharaki 2020