My Silver-Haired Companion

The smell of rain hits the cobblestone. It takes me back as I move forward. The sound of each drop magnified as there is no soul in sight to disturb it. Cinders emanate from a nearby tavern as I approach. I have many questions but all I find is barrels of deception. Yet what awaits me outside is the locked eyes once more. My silver-haired companion awaits me. She helps me glide above the wind from a desert to a green valley of canyons in mere seconds. We rest on a patch of grass next to a waterfall. My urgency for answers grows. But my she assures me that calm and fury is required to find the equilibrium I seek.

All other lights go out. An entity of glowing blue draws me near. If I am the one who is chosen it will give me the power to see in to the naked now. Wrong and it will reduce me into a swirl of poison. But there is no turning back. I must believe and face the other side. Suddenly I am in a different body. Raw with heightened senses. But what land of ancient future is this. A castle as high as the sight and as wide as the reach. Surrounded by rivers of green nurture and fields of clear sustenance. Eyes lock and the answer is mine. The sacrifice is there for the taking. I must go after them. Rescue them from the numbing purpose. The draw bridge has fallen. The gate is open. Enter at my own glorious fear.

There are no ripples in the lake. Yet I have no reflection. But I do look back on how I came this far. My arms weary from the claws of travel. My mind blurry from hate of desire. There is a deep forest up ahead I must absorb. With leaves of green and gold I fear they are too welcoming. I step into the branch of invention. Suddenly the clouds have descended at ankle level. I hear music coming from the trees of apparition. In the deep I see a shadow. My fists clenched with vision. For it is only a fool that assumes the shadow must be the darkness.

The sun hits an ageless spire. I become breathless as the deception is not what it seems. It is an unfocused direction. High and low remain equal options of reverie. I touch the handle but can’t retain my grasp. The ground has opened its mouth to swallow me into the outer earth. The beastly current is dragging me down a river of elixirs. I reach out for the core. Pulled to the lower skies by my silver-haired companion, riding a steed of rapture. The bridges I’ve burned lighting our way. For lonely and joy only have value when divided.

Emerging from a witless fire. There are two moons in the midday sky. The purpose has dawned on me. I am the dreamer and the dream. Thousands of arms hover above me. Are they there for protection or to engage the ethos? The depth of perception reveals its shallowness. There is dark laughter in the distance. It draws me in with the echo of yesteryear. My determination has been delivered to the intended. I charge to the epicenter of the eruption. You may be able to destroy me, but you can never destroy an idea.

Arise to an expanse with no edge. The aroma is an impression I can’t swallow. Where is the watcher on the wind? Wisdom with no discipline is a thankless offspring. My opponents have materialized with palms of blood. I have been cornered in a circle. Delivering silent screams of caution in a warrior’s eye. It’s about time the fire is hanged. Suddenly they flee and I know not why. I require solace of the shadows. The ground trembles with anticipation of friend or foe. Perhaps my senses have outwitted me. For my ally is the elements. One can only feel despair if they have hope.

The maze of clarity approaches fast. A three-pronged challenge of wit and wager. Choices blossom in greens and blues. I must consume the virtuous pedal otherwise the venom will bond. My heart has affixed itself to my throat. Is it possible that wisdom will defeat me? Time does not smile in this orchard of passing. Color has been drawn out of the skies as my ears are pierced with unease. What is the source of that whistle upon the breeze? Gaze locked once more it is my silver-haired companion riding a soaring stream. Her eyes are a dream with a vision. One must give themselves permission to flounder before they are allowed to flourish.

Death is the greatest impetus. Life is the greatest intimacy. Take my hand and I’ll grow stronger. A shine only blood can fade. Victory is only the tip of fate. The hilt of the mind remains the sharpest. I want to continue my quest, but my will is paralyzed. I rest in an open field of the greenest grass, but I am not able to reap the benefits of its crisp scent. I am not a praying man, but I need spirit. I kneel before my own summit and cry out all my vehemence. My love for you will always keep the beat going. Why is it I can only see your face when I look to the sky? My resolve has been reforged with the steel of flesh. The one truth is that trust is a double-edged sword.

Imagine the stream. A never-ending flow of clarity. A cold blanket that provides such warmth. But this is no ordinary rush. It is the long-lost torrent of rejuvenation. This will embolden my resolve for the tough days ahead. I cup my hands and take a drink of virtue. An icy rush floods my veins. The surge runs fast yet I see my reflection. I’ve always loved and feared him. My eyes can’t close as I am forced to bathe in truth. The stones form a pattern so random it becomes clear. I may go no further unless I shed all baggage. If there are self-made purgatories, then we all must live in them.

My life’s failure is my greatest success. I’ve been born many a times. I am held back by an invisible wall. But how far does this barricade stretch. I will climb this obelisk of abyss to uncover an opening. Every place I holster my feet feels familiar like I’ve taken these steps before. I reach for the precipice and I am standing on a raised floor. An arena of wits has been waiting for me. Only hubris would assume there is an opponent to be had. Suddenly I am brought to my knees by the deafening reverberations of bells ringing. They toll for no one else. My eyes flicker in a desperate attempt to focus. I manage to lift my head only to see a sight beyond belief. It is her. But it is not her. My silver-haired companion has forsaken me. Her lips move to the beat of a different voice. She is truly lost to me. What am I prepared to do? There are those that may exist in my history but not in my destiny.

Sometimes a feeling is all we must go on. The greatest danger is an irrational fear of the unknown. Her falchion pressed against my heart with cold determination. Does she have the metal to pierce it? I call out to her with all desire. Say my name. We are who we are because one day we said, I will not kill today. Say my name. Is death the price to pay for my vanity? I don’t care. Say my name. Her lips start to question her hands. Her eyes open for the very first time. Tenderness has made an appearance. The dagger of eternity has been lifted. She walks into the direction of shame. Ready to leap towards obscurity. But she turns her head and speaks the sound I’ve longed to hear. She has spent everything she had. Perhaps her own journey has just begun. Perhaps she will set foot in my next life. Just remember to always keep moving. Risk is our purpose. Take a chance and you may lose your way, to not take a chance and you may lose yourself.

Was she real? Perhaps there are other depths of existence. The two of us are one and the same. Through the deepest wells and sharpest terrains, she fortifies my belief of possibilities are boundless. My silver-haired companion beats in my chest. Your conviction is always put to the greatest test with that which you cannot see. I always carry the love inside with me wherever I go.