“Should I’ve let her go? Should I’ve called out one last time?” It had been days on the mountain now. Twisting roads had given way to an uphill climb. A scorching sun beat down on the mountain side. It had been days now since he had left the crossroad. Uncertainty had crept into his mind. Should I’ve called out one last time?
As he looked at the valley below, 'the beautiful road' went on and on. There was no one to be seen there now. The only thing that felt good now was the gentle breeze and the sound of the stream. He picked a spot right next to the stream under a large tree and rested there for a while. He thought about the beautiful by-gone days. Of joy, of bliss, of the smiles and beautiful times.
How had it come to this? Why had things transpired this way? If everything happened for a reason he certainly didn't see one now. He had accepted fate at the crossroads and had begun a new journey with nothing else but hope. But as it is with hope: it is uncertain. And that uncertainty had now consumed him. Sadness and regret now filled him. He knew not which way to take. The surrounds too looked dull and sad.
The stream had been with him all through his journey. She did not like what she saw now. A person holding on to what he had, not prepared to treat every moment as a new one. A person, thinking about what could have been, uncertain, under confident. She feared for him now. She had seen many a journey men, but had for some reason grown a level of affection for him, she had previously not known. Precisely why, she was very worried.
She had to help him. But how could she. She knew from past experiences that the journey men couldn't hear her. She prayed for him, she prayed for a way to help him. As days past he grew more and more uncertain. He started wandering from the path set for him. He seemed aimless. And then one day her prayers were answered.
As usual 'he' was resting under a tree next to the stream. A young calf approached the stream. It seemed thirsty yet hesitant. It wasn’t very strong and was perhaps afraid of being flown away with the flow of the stream. But the water in the stream was not deep at all, neither did it flow rapidly. But the calf seemed to be very afraid. Perhaps this was because of some previous bad experience with flowing water. It went nearer and then came back again. This carried on for a while. He watched the calf and couldn’t help but feel sad for it. It was so ‘uncertain’ and so unsure about what would happen if it took the next step, that it was ready to bear the pain of thirst. But finally instinct took over. Thirst got the better of the calf. It mustered enough courage to get close to the water. And then it drank from the stream. As it did so, he could see how happy it was. It had conquered its demons. It had made it past the uncertainty.
It had been so difficult for the calf to muster up all that courage, but it did. He knew he too would have to, and without the push of instinct. He had not had her in his life all the time. There had been uncertainty before and there would be uncertainty in the future. But there was no reason to be sad. There was no reason to lose confidence. The days of past had been wonderful, but that is what they were - 'the days of past'. A new future awaited him; uncertain, sure but intriguing. He drank from the cool waters of the stream and as he did so he felt refreshed and energized like never before. He took to his path again, and carried on along the stream, singing and humming along his way.
The stream was happy now. He had overcome his uncertainty; he had accepted it. There was never anything wrong with being uncertain, she knew. Uncertainty was there for a reason. It was there to inspire and to create intrigue, not to sadden and dishearten.
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