Love is a boat that never sinks [https://img.wattpad.com/ae8817087dfa2887d9a3a7ff4bd526028c34cad3/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f484c5f6f4931772d502d5a624f413d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363939626437326138336163663133383835363636303331312e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker and the mysterious stranger are walking on a forest path, leaving their bench behind. The wind is blowing through the trees. The birds are singing joyfully. The sun shines brightly. Next to the gravel road, flows a tumultuous river. In the far distance, a gigantic tree is visible. Comparable in size to mountains. So high, that it pierces into the sky.
"This shall be our first stop," tells the mysterious stranger the Seeker, whilst pointing at the gigantic tree [https://img.wattpad.com/21c246eb52a9f3595fdf21a9dc2549ece25ca1c7/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6d4551314565506847442d4e49673d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363939633665373736386565303233353338393732363436342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"This shall be our first stop," tells the mysterious stranger the Seeker, whilst pointing at the gigantic tree. "We have an audience with the Queen."
" [https://img.wattpad.com/46973929a7ea002da166ef1e5880562757c79703/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f45734f5f7330495f3041516b33513d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363939643361663436633132653130353530323633393433372e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker looks at the mysterious stranger confused.
"Okay man, honestly... There are some things you just need to straight up tell me. Like what Queen? Who is this? What audience? Didn't you tell me something about a mountain? Also, what even is this land? Where are we? And where are we going? Like, why are we even here?"
Like what Queen? Who is this? What audience? Didn't you tell me something about a mountain? Also, what even is this land? Where are we? And where are we going? Like, why are we even here?" [https://img.wattpad.com/92716fea7e73cec153388cc26918af67767310c4/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f50774339425445473737304566513d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363939643865653833386235663731343935393636383233352e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Ah," exclaims the mysterious stranger, whilst reaching for the pockets in his blue cloak. "You see, somewhere I have this flyer, where everything is perfectly explained."
The stranger rustles through his robe, checks once, checks twice. After searching for some time he sighs in disappointment.
"Sorry, seems I left the pamphlet behind on the park bench."
The Seeker and the mysterious stranger continue walking their path in silence. Along the path, the Seeker spots the ruins of ancient architecture, overgrown with vines, as well as strange obelisks with mysterious runes inscribed.
Along the path, the Seeker spots the ruins of ancient architecture, overgrown with vines, as well as strange obelisks with mysterious runes inscribed [https://img.wattpad.com/55c6e384e854f64be48af8081170c1292835d827/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f63506655484347454a4f707634673d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363939646639363231373139393939363336393238313134352e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Are you up for another joke," asks the mysterious stranger the seeker with a grin on his face.
"There's this story, I'd like to tell you. It's about a scorpion and a frog crossing a river. Wanna hear it?"
"Honestly... No, I really don't want to hear it," responds the Seeker dismissively. "Like... Last time you told me a joke, I was cringing for Seven days. So seriously, do both of us a favor and stop trying to be funny."
"I am glad to hear, that you are eager, to listen to my story," nods the mysterious stranger with a wide grin on his face. "Once upon a time, in a land far away, a scorpion set out on a journey to visit his old friend, a serpent..."
Dumbfounded and in disbelief, the Seeker interrupts: "Did you even care to listen, to what I'm saying!?"
Dumbfounded and in disbelief, the Seeker interrupts: "Did you even care to listen, to what I'm saying!?" [https://img.wattpad.com/c28c58df333dd8eb0db65656e9b5bb1c37f63d03/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f476254594d2d62786968447537673d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363961303132306164316665393438323436383033353635302e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"...However the scorpion needed to cross a river, to arrive at the hill where the serpent lived," the mysterious stranger continues undeterred.
"As the scorpion arrived at the riverbank, he met a frog, that was about to cross the water as well.
'Hey there fellow,' the scorpion asked the frog. 'Seems like we both want to get to the other side... How about you take me up on your back, while you are at it?'
'Do you think, I'm stupid?' the frog asked the scorpion. 'I know who you are. I know what you are. If I take you on my back, you will attack me with your sting.'
'Come on mate,' the scorpion spoke with a calm voice. 'Think about it... If I were to sting you, while on your back, I would drown in the water as well.'
'Alright,' sighed the good-natured frog. 'I guess no one is so utterly stupid, to attack me at the risk of dying themselves.'
Whilst the frog was swimming through the river, twice as hard as normally, the scorpion was lost in silent thoughts:
'Should I sting him? No, I Should wait at least until we crossed the river. But I want to sting him... I really, really want to sting him... No... I shouldn't sting him... Just wait a little longer... But his back... It just looks so... so stingable... Okay... You know what: F**k it! I'll just do the stinging.'
The scorpion pierced the back of the frog with his venomous sting. The frog cried in pain. 'Why did you do this!? Now we are both going to die.'
'Welp,' said the scorpion, while the frog slowly sunk underwater. 'Couldn't help it. It's just my personality. There is nothing any of us could have done, to change the course of things. This is just who I am. Can't change fate. If you can't handle me at my stingiest, you don't deserve me at my...'
In his last moments, before the frog succumbed to the venom in his bloodstream, he saw something in the distance. 'Motherfu...'
The frog lost consciousness, sinking into the depths of the river, together with the scorpion. However, after some time, the scorpion made it out of the water onto the other riverside. He was freezing, wet, heavily wounded and hardly alive, but he made it. At long last, the soaking scorpion reached the hill top and finally arrived at the home of the snake.
'Scorpion, I am glad to see you again,' the snake greeted him welcome. 'How was you journey here.'
'Awful,' complained the scorpion in pain. 'It was wet and cold... I broke a couple of legs and I lost my lunch in the water.'
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
'What happened,' asked the snake curiously. 'Did your boat sink?'
The scorpion gazed bewildered. 'Wait a minute... there was a boat?!'"
there was a boat?!'" [https://img.wattpad.com/9c8bb011ab019b00c072464d0fa6fde7a1ac4836/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4b416f656c724c4f646a733176773d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363961306238633362663030333131393637323839323636332e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
After listening to the story, the Seeker smiles. Being caught off guard, they are exhaling some air through his nose.
"I give it to you... I didn't expect that... So what is the moral of this story? Is it about trusting the wrong people?"
"Tell me Seeker, do you see yourself as the scorpion or as the frog?"
The Seeker frowns.
"It's easier to relate to the frog. It's just like... You can't trust anyone... Whenever you offer help, they take advantage of you or stab you in your back..."
" [https://img.wattpad.com/ee2571a9f22a19cc0a6c72c5c20315d1f3cbd390/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f37366942304b5f30686e675775673d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363961306665663631626136373538373534353237383431342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The mysterious stranger chuckles.
"You never caused anyone else to suffer? You never caused any misery onto other people? No, it is only you, who is being attacked by others, isn't it? Stop playing the victim... See yourself...
You are the frog and the scorpion. You are the victim and the perpetrator. Because throughout your life, you have played both roles in different relationships. Perhaps unconscious. Not aware of the damage you caused. Sometimes even with malevolent intent. All humans, without exception, me, you, all of us, have played the role of the scorpion and of the frog at some point in our life.
Did you never notice, how the suffering you cause unto others, causes you to suffer as well? If you sink the ship you are standing on, you are drowning as well. What you do onto others, you do onto yourself. That's what the scorpion did. That is what all of us are doing. With every malicious word, thought and deed. Even a simple act of judging someone else in thought alone, is causing harm, is causing pain. Be it direct or indirect, be it conscious or unconscious.
And whenever you cause harm, this ripples back on to you. Ever heard the saying 'You reap what you sow'? Ever heard of Karma? The scorpion caused his own suffering. Yes, sometimes you are the victim, sometimes you are being taken advantage of, sometimes you are being hurt. You are perfectly aware of this. Are you also aware of the times, when you act as the role of perpetrator?
Now listen carefully, because this is what I am trying to tell you: There was a boat all the time. The scorpion could have avoided all of this, all along. All the needless pain he suffered, the unnecessary drowning of the frog... There was always a boat. Right There!
The same goes for you. Whenever you hurt someone... Whenever you thought, you needed to do this... Whenever you told yourself excuses, that you were just not strong enough, that this is just who you are... There was a boat for you...
Ready all along, for you to cross the river. You don't need to harm anyone to make it to the other side. You don't need to drown, because there is a boat. You don't need to suffer, you don't need to make it so difficult for yourself.
This boat is free for you to take. It's entire purpose is to be used by you as ferry. Peacefully, without the need for any conflict and resistance."
image [https://img.wattpad.com/ab0442b525fd6ddb24f969d59b3e3bdba4f5395d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6d69674a59537a48506950516f513d3d2d313431303730333639352e3137613639613137663833396137316333393334343233393234392e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker shakes their head.
"You only focused on the scorpion! What am I to do, when I find myself in the shoes of the frog?"
The mysterious stranger smirks.
"Helping someone in need, is never a bad thing. But if the frog really wanted to carry someone over the river, perhaps he should choose more wisely, whom it is, that he carries. The scorpion had the intention, the means and the sting to harm the frog. You wouldn't allow someone with a gun on a plane, neither would you a allow a toxic scorpion on your back. Kindness is never wrong, but without proper wisdom, one is vulnerable to be taken advantage of.
Moreover, the boat was there for the frog to use, as well. He could have avoided the troublesome effort to swim, whilst carrying someone on his back and instead just used the boat as ferry. The boat is there for all of us, doesn't matter, which role we play in this great drama."
As the two of them continue walking, the Stranger notices a cryptic inscription on a stone, that says: 'Checkpoint up ahead'.
As the two of them continue walking, the Stranger notices a cryptic inscription on a stone, that says: 'Checkpoint up ahead' [https://img.wattpad.com/4e98274a2a89def6d101107ac0576fbbc92f1b10/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f62677a38626968384f36454a6e773d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363961316337356666653462313439343539333337363032302e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker sighs, rolling their eyes. "Alright... But even if the scorpion had taken the boat... This wouldn't have changed anything... The scorpion is still a scorpion. If he and the frog are together on the boat, he will still sting the frog. So stop giving me that bullshit. No matter how you try to justify it, the scorpion is dangerous. Just like criminals and terrorists are dangerous. I don't want to share a plane with them either."
In the distance, they see the ruins of an ancient monument.
In the distance, they see the ruins of an ancient monument [https://img.wattpad.com/a7635fc944ef2ecfd21c0c779da5f608068fc165/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f2d377a3431345a735566385f34773d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363961323133333638363531633632303232313935343536352e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The mysterious stranger thoughtfully scratches his chin.
"Ah yes... You see... a metaphor like this, fails to depict the complexity of a human being. Unlike scorpions, which act on instinct, us humans base our decisions on countless factors.
Certainly, some people have a genetic disposition for violence or lack empathy due to mental illness. Or they adapted a negative set of behavioral patterns in their childhood. Or they are addicted to substance or obsessed with harmful habits. But never forget, whoever they are, they are just as complex as me and you. Just like your own mistakes and harmful personality traits can't be simplified by labeling them as evil, the same applies to all other humans as well. Just like me and you, they make excuses to justify their mistakes. Just like me and you, they try to see the fault in others.
And what I am trying to tell you, is that this boat is there for everyone. Doesn't matter who you are or what you have done in the past. The boat is that, which saves you. This boat is a state in which, no wrong action can take place. There can never be a perpetrator nor victim sitting in this boat. In there, the scorpion cannot sting and the frog cannot be stung.
When someone insults you and you are just about to insult back, then this boat is that, which stops you. When you are deluded by fear, when you think about striking first, before someone hurts you, then the boat is that, which you tells you 'No'. When you are envious and want to steal something that is not yours, the boat is the opportunity to change your course. Do you understand what the boat is supposed to be? Tell me seeker, what is the boat?"
Do you understand what the boat is supposed to be? Tell me seeker, what is the boat?" [https://img.wattpad.com/8a5ae2a8b01f75f0574244a89704313a52cc5f54/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f73346f4b452d486f7a47795336673d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363961326238323334646638363634373936343430323335312e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"... A small vessel for traveling over water?" The Seeker grins smugly.
"No," responds the mysterious stranger. "The boat is Love, my friend. No matter the situation, no matter the person, you can always choose to love. And it will always be the right choice. For the greatest good of all. Even if you don't see it, the boat is always there."
"I disagree," says the Seeker, shaking their head. "Love can also hurt people. Love isn't..."
Suddenly the Seeker and the mysterious stranger interrupt their walk. A strange, mystical gateway, made of ancient stones, stands in front of them. It almost looks magical.
"Ah," exclaims the mysterious stranger [https://img.wattpad.com/aaff7d6a89aa7eda8fcd43b41ccc5336daef79b4/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6b55613058334b585767717148413d3d2d313431303730333639352e313761363961333835646538346266633234313939363235393730342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Ah," exclaims the mysterious stranger. "Seems like we have reached our first checkpoint."
As the Seeker and the mysterious stranger are passing through the mystic gateway, both hear an ominous chant, thundering from the sky, singing:
'Checkpoint saved'
image [https://img.wattpad.com/1bc891c63a9c3aeaf5d384ecd11dc022ed757af5/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f734b4159685a77377462776348673d3d2d313431303730333639352e31376136396238313039646633383933393739393539373334342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker feels a sudden rush of energy, as a new thought crosses their mind. They ponder the meaning behind the word 'love'. Could it be, that the mysterious stranger, has a different definition for the word 'love', than they do?
"Now, that we have passed the first gate," says the mysterious stranger with a joyful face. "It is time to ask the question. What is love?"
TO BE CONTINUED