Wednesday, April 2, 2025

White Rabbit Story - April 2025

 

The Geology of Chance

 

Once he had been stone but now, he was flesh. He had no memory of the transformation, of moving from one state to another; just a sense of having been inert, solid, for centuries.

This pliant new body moved with ease, if not grace – not yet. He slithered on his belly along the dry riverbed and then up the bank, slowly rising to his unfamiliar feet as he approached the tree line. His legs ached, the muscles quivering. He flexed his fists as he walked, feeling the hidden strength of the bones in his hands.

It would do, this body. It would suffice.

          Birds sang; small land animals darted through the ferns and the between exposed roots of trees. Insects shimmered in the sunlight, rare jewels to be prized but never taken.

          He walked deeper into the dense forest, enjoying the shade, looking up to see the sunlight making bright patterns in the dripping canopy above. The sounds, the smells, the sights…all were new to him in this form.

          After what seemed like a long time, he came to a small clearing. A single large rock sat at its centre. He approached the rock and stood before it, caressing its cold surface with open hands and an open heart. He thought about how long he had sat there, half buried in the earth, and how it felt to be free – to be able to move from place to place, point to point, and never have to be immobile again.

          How it felt to be able to leave.

          The rock twitched.

He smiled.

          He felt some of his lifeforce leaving his body, flowing into the rock.

          The rock turned, squirmed, and sat up, unfolding long limbs and a slender torso. Stretching upwards, reaching towards the light, she smiled and nodded in greeting.

He took her hand. It was warm; so much warmer than stone.

Together they walked deeper into the rainforest in search of their children.


© Gary McMahon, 2025


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