river.

there was nothing new about the river. she had spent her life near it. as a little girl, she had splashed in its water with joy only a child could attain from such a thing. every day she had played at its banks.

but people talked about the river -- about its waters and its windings, about its depth and its breadth and its magnitude -- and soon the little girl discovered that the joy she had once found in its waters had been replaced with fear. and so playing in its waters turned to walking by its banks. walking by its banks turned to watching its movements from a distance. watching its movements turned to listening to its roar less and less frequently until the roar became silence. she didn't go near the river anymore -- couldn't have found it if she had wanted to -- wasn't even really sure there was ever a river there in the first place. afterall, she had been such a small child and things are so much bigger when seen with smaller eyes. it was probably a puddle she had played in.

but people still talked about the river. they talked about its waters and its windings, about its depth and its breadth and its magnitude. and one day the girl overheard talk of its destination. curiosity began to get the better of her. where does the river lead? was her persistant thought. no one seemed to know. you couldn't walk along its banks forever -- it had cut too deeply into the earth. the only way to know where the river led was to throw yourself into it. the rumors were that it led to beautiful places...places where the joy in its water was not just child's play...and the memory of it haunted the girl. so one day, after much deliberation and debate, she stepped outside of her door and began searching for her river again.

many long, cold nights and many wrong turns were passed before the girl finally heard the sounds of the rushing water. her heart hurt with the strain of the journey behind and the fear of the journey ahead...it thundered blood through her head as the banks of the river showed themselves through the trees. here it is, she thought. its melody drew her powerfully and she knew there was nothing for her to do but jump. with hope and excitement like she hadn't felt since innocence, the girl threw herself into the river and its powerful current. and for a moment, that child-joy flooded her again. it swept through her veins like adrenaline.

where will you take me, river? she smiled, eyes closed with the dream of where she would land. the water moved swiftly about her, tight against her skin. she could feel it pulling her, drawing her from its banks. the movement of it thrilled her until she could stand the excitement no longer and she opened her eyes. with a sorrow heavier than the river could bear, she found herself caught in a swift and powerful whirlpool. she was going nowhere. the water swirled, with her in its clutches, drawing her no place but the place she had always been, and, swim as she might, she was not strong enough to escape its current. she fought for hours until finally, in exhaustion, she smiled a cynical smile. so this is where the river leads, she thought as the water washed over her.