Many years ago, the Earth was flat. She was slim, and floated in a vast ocean. A large mountain marked the centre of the Earth, which was many miles high. Around the mountain, there were four continents, Europe, Asia, Africa, and a fourth one, which at the time hadn’t been discovered by anybody from the other three continents; so hadn’t been named.
The Earth’s inhabitants were wary of travelling too far around this amazingly green and blue landmass, for fear of reaching the end of the world. The thought that many folk shared at the time that people, once they reached the end of the world, would simply fall off, was ridiculed by all of the elders and tribesmen and other great leaders of the day. They knew that whoever reached the end of the world would fall in.
Into the great ocean that surrounded everything.
They’d be lost forever should that happen.
The Sun shone in the sky during the day, and the Moon arrived in his place during the night, as they both revolved around the great mountain. Sometimes, the Sun and the Moon got their timings wrong, and appeared in the skies at the same time, which created cause for both great celebration and panic. Usually by the same people, as they knew the Sun brought new life, and the Moon brought calmness. How could they celebrate new life with a great party when the Moon was advising them to be restful and calm?
They partied anyway, but always rued the fact that they had, as the great mountain showed his displeasure by bringing rains, and strong winds… and on occasions thunderous storms with ferocious bolts of lightning were sent down upon the Earth; all because the people didn’t know what to do.
One such person decided to investigate the elders’ claims that if he reached the end of the world he’d fall in, rather than falling off. He thought he’d be careful, and when he reached the edge of the world, he would tie himself onto something. He packed some lengths of vine into a skin, and set off, on foot to find the end of the world. He wouldn’t fall off or in… he just knew it.
For days he walked.
Days turned into nights, as the flat disc continued in its revolutions around the great mountain. He partied with himself and the Sun, and rested with the Moon. When both appeared, he partied inwardly, whilst pretending to rest. He put up with the storms, and the winds, although he wondered how the great mountain could know what he was thinking.
Days turned into weeks… weeks into months… months into years, or so it felt… and yet he still walked. Ever onwards.
He passed through many villages, and told the village elders of his epic journey. The elders, like all of the others before him, ridiculed him. Of course you will fall in, they scoffed, thinking he was out of earshot.
He knew what they were thinking if they said nothing.
One day, in the warm sunshine, he became weary, and needed to rest. The Moon wasn’t visible up in the skies, but he knew that he couldn’t go on. Fearing the wrath of the great mountain, he settled down beneath a large oak tree, and slept.
The Moon was in the skies when he awoke. He opened his eyes, and instantly saw a familiar face. A friend from his own village, and surrounding them, all of the other villagers with whom he’s partied several years before.
“Am I dreaming?” asked the traveller, still weary.
“No” said his friend. “We saw you walking from the direction of the great mountain. We gathered together, in readiness to throw a huge party upon your return. We waited for you to tell us all about the end of the world, and what the great ocean is like.”
“We wanted to know if you fell in…” came a voice from one of the elders standing at the back of the crowd.
“If I’m not dreaming,” said the traveller, “then what are you all doing here? And how did you get here before me?”
“We haven’t travelled anywhere” his friend said again. “You’ve returned to us.”
“Returned?” The traveller was now even more confused. “I haven’t even reached the end of the world yet…”.
Sideview’s weekend theme this week is ‘The end of the world’. I wanted to write about how it would feel to be at the edge of a whole new paradigm. A completely new way of thinking isn’t exactly end of the world stuff per se, but when you move forth into a new way of thinking, and leave the old ways behind, that old way, and that old world, has come to an end.
Changing times are exciting times… it isn’t always bad at the end of the world.
He locked the car securely, and set off up the hill towards where he’d seen the bright neon diner sign from the main road several minutes earlier, hoping to use their phone.
The red wine was warm, sweet and sickly.
Jean cautiously approached Athena, who was cradling the baby tenderly.
