Truths of Life

Once upon a time there lived a youthful giant. But the giant was very loved and protected by his mother. As he sat on the shore of the most vast ocean he had ever seen his mother would constantly remind his to stay on the sand, to not venture beyond waist-deep waters. And he’d watch, watch the island on the other side of the vast, vast ocean, watch the tiny human figures he could see from the distance on it, listen to the calling of the waves as they crept slowly to his feet and receded in vain.

“The currents will catch you son, you won’t make it across. Stay here, safe. I’ll give you whatever you need,” said mother giant.

It hurt the giant that the one person who he knew so well and who knew him so well, should have so little faith in him. To believe that he couldn’t make it across, to the island, where all those little figures moved.

If they could make it, so could he.

One day he set out, slowly, gently, walking into the sea. His mother thought he was merely paddling in waist-deep water as he usually did. She continued building her sand castle.

When she turned again he was gone, too far and too deep for her to venture. She stood with tears in her eyes, asking God why he hadn’t warned her of this, why she hadn’t prepared her son for this instead of protecting him from it. She knew why. Because if she had taught him the ropes and told him how, then he’d swim to the island and never come back. By protecting him, she knew he’d never make it. He’d have to come back, by her.

He was determined. He swam hard and fast, and never took his eyes off the island. He was happy he had left his old life behind him. But he began to burn out too soon. The sea was rough and he had entered the channel of the currents. But he would not take his eyes off the island.

The channel of the current was broad and he had but only just cut into it. The sea on the other side was of the most enchanting colour. He could see the figures on the island, moving in and out of the water. He wanted to be amongst them.

One night, as he weakened, there came a violent storm, and when it cleared he saw that his island was left far behind him as he was caught in the tide of the currents. Determined, he turned and swan toward the island, his island, no one could take it away from him. He had given up so much for it.

Against the currents he swam, against God, his mother, nature, and all those who had conspired to take his island away from him.

He tired instantly, he had weakened to near death, in such a short span of time. He watched his island grow distant, the figures grow smaller. And just as he had almost given up he saw a dolphin, cutting across the current. He had seen it before, people taking the help of dolphins to get to the other side. It wasn’t far. He could make it. He lifted himself and with all his strength and lunged for a final swim toward the dolphin. And as he reached within arm’s length, he reached out for its massive tail. His fingers slipped.

The dolphin disappeared. And the giant was left to drown. With no strength, heart broken and his island fading away into the sunset, he allowed the currents to do what it wished with him. To allow his mother the satisfaction of her victory over his failures. He slept peacefully.

The currents carried him. They were kind, for the currents had caught fish which he could live off and turtles for him to befriend. The turtles told him of what lay in the beautiful coloured seas on the other side. And although they described it with so much enthusiasm, he could not appreciate the picture they drew. For it was never the seas bu the island he wanted. It was gone.

So while he saved his strength, floating with the currents, the turtles revealed to him the secret of getting out of the channel. “Never swim against the currents, it will kill you,” warned the turtles, “cut diagonally across the direction the current takes you.”

He decided it was time. He put himself together and swam out of the channel. But not on the side of the beautiful colour sea, but on the side of the never-ending shoreline on which his mother sat patiently, waiting for her failure of a son to come home to her. Never losing faith. And although he had learnt the secret of ‘how’, to his mother and all those on the shoreline, he would always be a failure.