There was a house on a hill with no name. It stood not far from a road that many walked but never saw the narrow path that lead to it, because the path was covered with Nettles, Poison Ivy and many other nameless dangers. Therefore no one dared cross the path and hence, no one came to know of the house that lay abandoned for ages.
One day a crippled, starving and destitute man in tattered clothes, with scars of a painful past staining his countenance, came upon the road not far from the house on a hill with no name.
He soon saw the path.
He thought for a while and walked across. His feet, legs and crippled body bled till the ground below was crimson. He saw this blood, felt the stinging reality of fate, yet smiled; thanked Him and walked on.
After walking on this unknown path, he soon came upon a wild dog. The dog pranced upon him and bit his leg. The man bled more; thanked Him and walked on.
After a little while he saw a fast and rapid river. He crossed the river. Leeches clung to his body, suffering insurmountably; he thanked Him and walked on.
Later he saw that the ground below was crawling with red ants that were eating at his wounds. He wept; thanked Him and walked on.
He saw a house in the distance. But the house was surrounded by a pack of wolves. They were getting ready to advance on his wounded form. While they were coming towards him, he looked up to the sky and said…â€My Friend, my Creator, my only Protector; You have given me this gift of life and now that I face death, I feel as if death will be Your welcoming hands blessing me with eternityâ€. When he said this prayer in his heart…the wolves stopped in their tracks.
The fiercest of the wolves came up to him and started licking the wounds on his body. Once he was cleansed, the wolves left him alone and went away into the woods.
As he walked towards the doorstep of the house, he felt a gentle lulling breeze healing his pain, touching his eyes, easing the thoughts. He fell asleep at the doorstep of the house. A long blissful sleep that he had never experienced before.
He woke up to find that he was wearing freshly scented new clothes, was sitting on a soft velvet couch, eating the most delectable food, sipping sweet nectar from goblets of gold while rivers of milk flowed nearby and birds sang notes of joy.
Magnificent trees glittered with delicious mangoes and exotic fruits.
A dream-like peace overcame his senses.
In the corner behind a tree, he saw a child with torn clothes who was dying from hunger. He gave away all his food and clothes to him and said ” Oh Almighty, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, I thank you for giving me sight so I could see this child who is hungry and without clothes, so I may feed and clothe him”.
God sent this man to heaven.
The path he walked was the test of life. The child he fed was a vision of all his good deeds and his unfathomable courage, so that the gates of heaven could finally reveal themselves.
This life is a short walk towards our real Home.
SoulFire
2005
Just a small walk this is….
Dear Ansul. Always good to read your stories, thoughts and poems.
This story gives us hope for future even though we walk a difficult road sometimes. I came across a man on the train yesterday who was in a lot of inner pain. He had tried to drink the pain away but failed. It was still there, always hard seeing fellow human beings in a lot of pain. Most people ignore their fellow human beings when they see them in pain or try to run away because they feel annoyed or afraid. Even if it can be difficult to help, still saying a few encouraging words to that person or at least not run away, can make the day a little bit better for him or her.
Bengt dear, when we encounter fear, pain, sorrow and all such life situations, they are a path we must take, and should not avoid. I know you never will, because you heart is full of compassion. When we see an aura of painful energy, we must embrace it without second thought. This will help our soul evolve into a stronger more benevolent ‘light’ and absorbing the pain will help the sufferer greatly. It is most easy to run away and hide from reality and pain, but embracing it is a choice, a path full of nettles and broken glass…this will help the one next to you, and in turn you will evolve. Some lucky one’s like you are already much evolved, but many still need to practice this.
It takes courage, selfless hearts, and most of all humanity.
I think you helped that person in ways we cannot even fathom.
Always sending peace and love your way,
Ansul
Yep Ishraat..a very small walk it is…and yet all the fuss, the killings, the hurt, the injustices, the divide, the trivial pursuit of ‘material’ joys, the hatred, the wars, the intentful creation of orphans, the senseless political storms…and mankind won’t even have a chance when all is over, to smell the blossoms, walk the river banks, smell the crisp air of a wintery morn, taste the sweet honey that his little buzzing friends prepare for him with such honest pride, smile when birds play and chatter in a puddle of water, perhaps really ‘listen’ to what their parents have to say before their walk is over, appreciate their beloveds, think of the beauty of friendship…near or far, listen to the songs of life.
Yep, a small walk indeed. Hope we all can love every minute of it.
Love,
Ansul.