The Abyss

I had this idea in my head, but without also presenting my stream of consciousness at the time with this idea, it would have sounded random. So I began to write a story around this idea. But in this process, the story got bigger and bigger and I found myself diverging from my idea. Needless to say I was not pleased with this. But I resolved to finish the story for the sake of completeness. So if you wish, and I would, please just scroll down to the paragraph with the asterisks around it and read that section. Honestly it is the only section that counts. It may not may make the most sense, but you have the rest of the story to refer to if you really are itching to know how that section fits it. I swear, the lengths we go to convey an idea.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away: there lived two strangers. Each lived a great distance away from the other. Every so often the time came for one of these strangers, we'll call her Deanna, to travel. The reason for her journey was related to her work as a doctor. In this land modern medicine hadn't yet been discovered, and most medicine was derived from plants. Deanna had been completing her annual inventory of the various medicines that she kept stocked. This year she was shocked to find that her supply of Dromalia flowers(an acute remedy for infections that plagued wounds) had been ruined due to a water leak in her cellar, where she kept her most rare and vital medicine. This was especially troubling because the Dromalia flower did not grow in the area in which Deanna lived. In fact the journey was so arduous that she had only twice completed the journey. Several failed attempts forced her to make the most out of trip, collecting the absolute amount of Dromalia as well as any other plants that she might find on the way that would be of use. Before water damage had destroyed Deanna's supply, there was enough of the flower to last nearly 5 years. Now she had nothing, and had no choice but to gather more to ensure that any infections would be treated before spreading and causing complications. So Deanna set out, traveling light for speed and not for surplus.

The other character in our story is a girl by the name of Chamry. Chamry set out on a trip of her own, a few days before Deanna departed. However Chamry's reason for leaving the comfort of home was not as directed as Deanna's. To be more accurate, Chamry ran away from home. Despite being a model child and at that being very loved among her other 5 siblings, she became restless. Chamry's life thus far had consisted of a warm and happy existence in which she was safe from harm and every form of vice and evil.

Recently Chamry had begun to feel this security suffocating her. She intuitively felt that shielding her from the world was actually hurting her and not helping. Chamry needed to experience something real, anything. So without warning she packed a small satchel with provisions and walked out the front door. This was a bold and daring step, however it was almost certainly a stupid one. Due to the heavy pampering from her loving parents, Chamry had learn little to nothing about survival in nature. She knew nothing about her surroundings, nothing. Just a little ways from her home, the landscape looked completely foreign. She had no idea of what animals lived in the forest, what plants she could eat, where to make good shelter, again nothing. To her credit she was a fast learner and a determined being.

After a week of aimless wandering, Chamry began to gain her bearings and now traveled west, following the sun into the horizon. After only a couple of days on this path, the world around Chamry changed dramatically. She found herself in a barren land. There was scarcely any vegetation in sight. The air felt thin, as if she was at an elevation much higher than her home. It wasn't long before Chamry came to a vast chasm, an abyss in the earth. It was not only very deep but it seemed to extent across the entire land. Under different circumstances Chamry probably would have simply found another route on her rambling journey. But something stirred within her to cross this gap, this break in the world. Chamry began walking along the edge of this huge canyon and suddenly became aware that she wasn't alone. Looking across the divide, she would see a woman, older than her also looking across.

***

As Deanna looked out in front of her she spotted someone who shared her plight. Apparently this girl that she could see across the way also needed to cross. Why, Deanna did not know, to a point the why didn't matter. What mattered was that both were in a discouraging position. You see there was no visible or imaginative way of crossing in sight. It was too wide for bridges to have been built, there were no trees or vines to possibly use to either traveler's advantage. The walls of the canyon were sheer, and no way to get down.

*So there they were: two strangers separated by a vast gap and no way to get over. But still each desperately wanted to get across. No, they needed to get to the other side. But they had no idea where to even start. Neither had been in such a situation before. There was no turning back however. Neither would be deterred from this challenge. With timidity and little hope, the two strangers began talking. They found a spot where the gap was small enough to hear the other. Through this they learned about the other: how they had came to this place and from where. More importantly they learned why the other needed to get over to the other side. Now don't be fooled this was a slow process, and at times it was not easy. From an outside perspective it did not turn out well for them. For after all their effort they did not find a way across and both were sent home empty handed. However if we able to ask them about how the journey had end up, I imagine both would have been ecstatic. Something much more valuable than their own selfish(however noble) motives were after was gained. For once they were not centered and they became devoted to someone else. For once they were foiled in their plan that they had been pursuing. It was then that the two strangers felt alive and felt free.*

So Deanna did not come home with the medicine, but she consorted with doctors from towns on the way home and eventually found a comparable substitute for her herb that she was after. And Chamry returned to her family, and for the first time she accepted and cherished the love that her parents showed her. She also learned to find adventure in her life, while still being under her parents protection.

In a way, both Chamry and Deanna did get across the abyss. Both got what they wanted, they just didn't know what they were searching for.