Endurance

Once, a boy found himself lost.

But wherever he went, he heard voices telling him where he should be.

Soon, as the voices howled him on, he reached a river.

The voices spurred him forwards, but he dared not cross Expectation river.

Yet soon the voices started howling and he leapt into the deep dark currents.

The voices didn’t follow him, staying ashore, but neither did they guide him.

The boy didn’t know where to go, seemingly swimming in circles.

Soon the boy grew tired and scared, the pressure from the voices pushing him under the river.

The boy returned to the shore and while still sore did the voices throw him back into the deep end but this time he tired all the sooner.

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Then the boy didn’t dare go back into the river, for third chances were rarely given.

The boy didn’t want to drown for all that the voices bit and clawed at him.

The boy stood at the edge for ages, the river slowly freezing over as everything turned cold towards him.

Even though the river was frozen now, his body was frozen over as well and he dared not move lest he shatter.

Eventually, through the clear ice, he started to notice faces on the river bed, drowned dreams that had lost their voice to express themselves, who now could only follow after him.

Seeing the voices would eventually manage to bleed him dry even if he didn’t drown or shatter, he gathered all the blood, sweat and tears he had shed and wore them with pride like a suit of armour.

Slowly, just before the armour broke apart from the pressure, the boy’s heart cracked open to reveal Endurance, like a shimmering gem.

Soon, the voices found their claws scrape dull upon his skin and their teeth break upon his flesh. They couldn’t do anything anymore.

Endurance couldn’t help but speak up as the boy once again looked upon Expectation river.

“Oh boy, no one can cross Expectation river. The further you swim, the further the opposite side of Expectation river is. There only Suffering lives and Suffering is Enduring without a goal.”

The boy realised that Expectation river had always been impossible to cross and could only turn his back away from other’s expectations of him.

The voices howled as he left but they couldn’t hound him anymore for to follow him they would have to abandon their own dreams.