The Journey

The Journey The journey had been long, the path had been narrow, the afternoon was shortening and my destination crept closer. I walked on. The path still strolled ahead of me and no matter how fast I travelled - that fact never altered. I moved off now as clouds bundled above, an acting audience to my every step, perhaps comparing my journey, and what was to come, to past travellers? The path now smoothed around a corner and hills suddenly reared to mountains, mountains that soared and towered like gigantic, muscled creatures. And there, sitting at the base of these verdant giants, sat the house, alone and seemingly lonely! The path now was bored and wandered off as I ambled on towards my destination while the house winked with lucent whiteness and a spark of red - offered a door. I drew closer distracted as I noted smoke like a long, thin, grey snake slithering out of a little finger of chimney. I watched entertained as it twisted, thinned and slithered on then close behind another serpent of smoke slowly wriggled upwards and wafted away. My thoughts now turned to trying to sense the house, sense its emotion, sense its mood when suddenly the spark of red…. scraped slowly open and a worn shoe with woollen hand edged into view! They both stopped as if hesitating, knowing their place, allowing the mountains to move closer, to loom down... and a distant memory now shivered my spine. Ian Souter