The Quest

Far away, under the light of a new moon, a man climbs the last hundred feet up into the clouds and falls gasping onto the floor of a cavern. Hot, sweaty, out of breath, he still must travel down through the tunnels before him until he comes to the place he is looking for. It is not an easy way, but he is strong and determined, almost driven.

Something in the distance dances in the shadows. Swirling, writhing, sinuously curling around and around, luring him closer and closer until he finds himself in a room whose heat nearly suffocates him. It is here that he sits down, folds his legs and waits.

Naked and alone, he opens his heart and closes his eyes until the heat becomes so intense that breathing is almost impossible. Then, just in the instant when he believes he will not survive, it seems the fire is engulfing him and opening his eyes, he finds a tiny piece of straw, the tip of which is barely glowing.

Instantly, the fire goes out and the man stares down at that tiny fragile glow, realizing it is now his duty to carry it out of the cave and down the mountain without allowing it to be extinguished. It seems like an impossible task, but he is enchanted by its beauty and will do whatever is necessary.

The terrain is rough and the weather fickle. There are days when he finds himself almost too exhausted to move and others when it is so damp, he fears he is incapable of carrying out this task. Yet, he never gives up. Constantly feeding the little thing and watching it grow, he tries to fan the flames with every ounce of experience he has and he succeeds. Other people are doing similar things, some alone, others together, each to the best of his ability and eventually the flames become as large as the one caring for them, but still the job is not finished.

Until one day, the flames part, and out steps a man, shaped in the image of the father who fed and nurtured and loved him since the moment he was given over into his hands.