The Sadness of Immortality

I was beautiful. After being banged on that rock again and again, I became useful. I was different from the others. I had a purpose. I was sharp. I was deadly.

My warrior chose me. I knew I was special. I was the pilot of this flight and I would not fail. I soared through the air, feeling the sun on my surface as I sliced the wind on my journey. In this moment, I was weightless. My mass was no longer. I was fulfilling my purpose. My life would soon be complete. I would make my warrior proud. My sights set on the target, and I had to ensure contact. I redirected to counteract the eastern wind.

I struck.

I drove myself deep into the heart of the elk, a task thought impossible by just one of my kind. The elk let out a scream, and admitted defeat in the face of my glorious hit. Down with the elk I went, remaining in the barely beating heart to announce my victory. I was sure to be rewarded for my efforts. I would be thanked and worshiped by the tribe and the others like me.

My warrior came to retrieve my kill. I patiently waited to be carefully extracted from the dead heart. I waited. I waited. I continued to wait. In this time, I felt the elk be carried on the shoulder of my warrior, then flipped upside down to be dressed. I know they were beginning to carefully remove the hide. (just say that this happened) They could not afford any gashes, for the warmth of the tribe depended on it this winter. I knew I had longer to wait, so I was patient.

They removed the meatiest parts first - food was important to the tribe. Then they took the antlers, as a show of victory. I knew they would remove me soon. I was the hero that took down the great elk. I stay lodged in the cold heart, but I didn’t mind. I was able to bask in the glory of my victory and get to know my kill. I studied the tissue, how large it was from my point of view. I came to realize that even this grotesque heart was quite beautiful, in its own gory way.

After a time, the dressers finally reached the heart. It was finally time to be lionized. The man pulled the heart out, and he scoffed. Why did he scoff? I did a great job. I hit right in the heart - a clean and effective kill. I heard the muffled voice of the dresser. “The heart is destroyed, it’s of no use to us.” Before I could even process, I felt the heart be thrown into the woods in the distance, and I could not escape - forced to go along for the ride. They must not have seen me. They didn’t pull me out. I did so good, why can’t they see that? I killed an entire elk for them, and yet are upset that I didn’t pierce the heart how they wanted? I thought I was their hero.

I had no choice but to remain in the heart until it decomposed. The decomposing didn’t come fast enough, and a pack of wolves started tearing and mangling the beautiful heart, blind to the fact that the one who provided it for them was right in front of their noses. Once they finally tore up the heart enough for me to be dislodged, I was thrown into the river. Water was a new feeling. It had a chill to it, but it was not uncomfortable. I could feel my sharp edges begin to wear away with the rush of water as I sank to the bottom.

The water pushed dirt on me over time, and the pressure pushed me down, down, further down into the earth I had once originated from. The river dried up, and now I was just another rock. I was made to be special. I was sharpened, I was deadly. I could soar through the air like no other rock could. But now, I was nondescript, except for my unusual shape. I laid in the ground for thousands of years, suffocating under the weight of the top soil and my own failure. Here was my end.

Until I was found.

A man, who did not look like my warrior, dug to find me. He was… he was excited to see me. This man I did not know was happy to unearth me. He carefully brushed the soil that was caked onto my surfaces away, and he smiled. He handled me so gently. He delicately examined me, and he was shocked once he discovered how old I was. He smiled all the way back to his tribe, who I now know to be his family, and he showed me off to them.

Maybe I was still special.