Sheleg

Chapter 6

How did you get here, sir?” asked Sheleg, squinting against the setting sun.
Ignoring the question, the mysterious man inquired, “Do you want to go somewhere really interesting?”
“Of course, I’d love to!” Sheleg exclaimed, nodding as he rose to his feet.
“I can take you there, but it’s a long, rocky road, and it will be dark soon. Do you think you’re prepared?”
The warning gave Sheleg pause, and he remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything in hours. Then he noticed he was thirsty, and suddenly he felt confused and didn’t know what to do.
“Do you have any water, sir?” he asked, trying to buy a little time while he decided whether he should return back home or follow this old man, who had an air of wisdom about him.
“Water is no problem; there will be plenty along the way,” the man said.
Something inside of Sheleg compelled him to follow this man. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt reassured in his presence. So without giving it another thought, Sheleg decided to accept his invitation.
They walked for several hours into the night. The old man was barefoot. The path, obscured by the dark, silent night, was dry and rocky, just as the old man had warned. Sheleg was very tired, in contrast to his guide, who showed no signs of fatigue at all. Sheleg couldn’t figure out where he got so much energy.
“What is your name, sir?” Sheleg asked.
“You can call me Ari-cadu.”
“Do you live around here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a family?” Sheleg asked, but this time he got no response. After a moment he added, “I guess you don’t like to talk much.”
“I do, but talking now would be a distraction, depriving you of the beauty of the path. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later,” Ari-cadu replied.
“I understand, but to tell you the truth, it’s so dark that I can’t really see the beauty you’re talking about …”
“Look up.”
Sheleg raised his gaze and saw millions of stars in the sky. He had never before seen a sky so filled with them, each one vibrating at its own frequency, and from where he stood there wasn’t one inch of space from one to the next. It was unspeakably beautiful.
“Yes, it’s incredible! I hadn’t noticed; I was so busy trying to see the path that I didn’t realize.”
“Start to remember these lessons, son. Often, the dark, rocky roads of life keep us from seeing the real beauty that’s all around us,” the desert man explained.
“Yes, but if we don’t look at the path, we could fall down …”
“That’s true, and that’s why you need to learn how to see the path and the stars that watch over it at the same time. If you focus on just one point, you can’t be objective, and you’ll lose the ability to have balance in your life.”
“Yes, I understand, that seems true,” Sheleg said hesitantly...

Finally they reached their destination.
“This is the place I was telling you about,” the desert man said.
“But it’s so dark; I can’t see anything. Do you have a lantern or flashlight?” Sheleg asked, surprised and frustrated.
“You don’t need one. Follow me.”
They walked along a dark path and went into a cave. It was so dark Sheleg couldn’t even see his hand as he passed it right in front of his face. He commented, “Sir, this is really too dark. Outside, I could see the path a little bit with the stars and moonlight, but I can’t even see to the tip of my nose in here.”
“Don’t worry, there’s nothing around you that you might bump into,” Ari-cadu soothed. “You can walk without fear.”
“Are you sure?”
“As sure as the perfectly smooth floor beneath your feet.”
Sheleg was stunned by the sudden realization. “That’s true! I hadn’t noticed, but it is completely smooth. I can’t feel even a single grain of sand.”
“Before, you couldn’t stop looking at and feeling your way along the path for one second, and now you ignore it completely, trying so hard to see what’s in front of you,” Ari-cadu said with a laugh.
“I think I’m not going to score any points with you tonight, sir!”
The old man laughed at this. They walked for a few more minutes, until they arrived at a vast, brightly lit cavern. Sheleg blinked, accustoming himself to the light, and the exclaimed, “My God! What is this? It’s incredible! Where are we?”
There weren’t any candles, or fires, or electric lights, or windows. The strange, brilliant light emanating from the smooth, natural rock walls was all that illuminated this mysterious place.
The sage explained, “Here beats the heart of the planet. All of the stories of humanity have been written and continue to be written here: its past, present, and future. Those of us who have inhabited this cave have received messages, and we have written them down on countless scrolls.”
“And you are one of them?” Sheleg asked, surprised.
“I am one of many, and what I am doing will be revealed over the course of many years, just like what has been written in the past is still in the process of being revealed today…”