Legendary Short Stories: A beautiful time in a lovely life long since past...

A beautiful time in a lovely life long since past…

(With music lyrics from the Pink Floyd song, High Hopes, in brackets)

Once there was a man who’s life was perfect in every single way and the man was very happy indeed. Nothing got in his way but if it did, he just happily bypassed the obstacle as best as he could and made his way joyfully on his way without a care in the world. But little did this naive man realize that he was living in a fool’s paradise, walking down the primrose path that would eventually lead him to a place where he never wished to go.

(Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young

In a world of magnets and miracles

Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary

The ringing of the division bell had begun)

The bells were certainly ringing brightly in the mans life and he received each toll of the bell with great joy as he followed his path with a confident step, step after step, on the way he thought was best, not knowing that the path he was on would soon lead to his destruction. And yet, he smartly, though foolishly, moved down the path to his great demise.

(Along the Long Road and on down the Causeway

Do they still meet there by the Cut)

He met with his family and “friends”, for they were not truly his friends, on his times off, weekends, and holidays enjoying the company of his fake and superficial companions while they wined and dined their ways, weasingly as it were, into his simple, soon to be damaged and heartbroken heart.

(There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps

Running before time took our dreams away

Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground

To a life consumed by slow decay)

And the chorus of his dead and dying friends sang mournfully to the simple man:

(The grass was greener

The light was brighter

With friends surrounded

The nights of wonder)

The man considered the nights of wonder that once seemed to rule his life and a single tear feel from his weary eye. Then another, then another until his cheeks were stained with the salty liquid that had wetted his cheeks so many times after the days when he friends had all left and forsake him. An old and wise man sang mournfully these words to the man:

(Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us

To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side

Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again

Dragged by the force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled)

And the man considered the heroic days of his past and all that he had lost and great depression set in. The man’s countenance feel as his head lowered as if to pray. The man had finally given up all hope and desired that he should perish. And yet sadly, death eluded him, yet somehow this comforted the miserable man. At the very least, I AM ALIVE the man shouted for all the world to hear, though nobody took notice of the man’s brave cry.

(We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition

There's a hunger still unsatisfied

Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon

Though down this road we've been so many times)

How many times had I been this way before, the man wondered with puzzled curiosity? Too many times to count the man reasoned. Too many times to count the man said pathetically again to his loathesome self. My existence might be pathetic, but at least I am rich at heart as the inspiring yet mournful chorus continued:

(The grass was greener

The light was brighter

The taste was sweeter

The nights of wonder

With friends surrounded

The dawn mist glowing

The water flowing

The endless river)

And on and on the chorus rang in this man’s tragic head, ringing as though a solemn church bell singing out the tragedy that was this man’s sad, sorrowful existence. The bell rang so insenstenly that it nearly drove the man insane. On and on it rang, exposing his weaknesses and failures. On and on it rang until the man screamed for it to stop and suddenly the man experienced an epiphany. One day, the pain and sorrow the man experienced would be a distant memory and he would be free from these maladies forever.

Forever and ever