Oliver and the River
At some point in time, before it was forgotten, there was a a group of hardwood trees that formed a dense little forest.
It was too little to cover the world but just big enough for a little village to live there and know only hardwood trees for miles without truly seeing the sky
Every year in the little village, the people would farm sweet potatoes, for that is all the would grow in that forest (aside from hardwood trees of course) and draw water from a well.
When the soil wouldn't yield many potatoes, they would farm on the soil next to it and begin their digging there. They would do the same if a well dried up;dig another one close by.
Over time, the villagers needed to do more. They needed to dig deeper because the water was getting lower and dig on more ground to grow more potatoes.
Amongst the villagers was a boy close to manhood called Oliver.
Though most times he got up to the mischief his youth called him to, he was rather strong and helpful around the village.
During one of his bouts of mischief, Oliver climbed one of the tallest trees closest to him.
The hardwood trees were tall and very difficult to climb but the spirit of youth and adventure, perhaps even a thirst for something unseen kept home going until he reached the top.
Oliver had to shield his eyes because of how bright the sunlight was when not filtered through the thick blanket of trees.
After his eyes had adjusted and he saw what was before him, Oliver could only gasp.
For the first time Oliver saw clouds, felt strong gusts of wind and the warmth of the sun(that he learnt quite quickly that he couldn't look at directly).
He was so overwhelmed by the things he was seeing that his mind could not begin to process that he had never seen nor known of what he witnessed.
But what really pulled at Oliver's heart was a new desire. For just beyond the forest, right before the horizon, was river. It was very far off yet Oliver could see nearly all that was happening there.
The river bustled with life;fish jumping out of its waves with fertile soil bearing vegetation he had never beheld sprouting near the banks.
He didn't understand it all but one thing was certain to him, he would go to that river and see what lay beyond the forest.
The climb down was faster than his ascension and his return to the village most likely the fastest he had ever run.
The enthusiasm on his face was brighter than ever before, so much so that it gathered a crowd around him, curious to know what had brought forth such wonder.
Oliver described all that he did and what he saw with so much wonder and amazement that all who heard saw it in their minds eye.
"And I am going to find it!" He concluded and set off to pack his belongings.
So many, after hearing Oliver, set out to follow him as well.
A few of the villagers were discouraged by friends, having the wonder and enthusiasm drained out of them by their words of ridicule. They beckoned at them to reason and see how foolish an idea it is to set out on a journey unknown.
Some of the villagers began to think of the journey, the length of it and the effort needed and decided they were better off with circumstances they understood.
Others were too afraid, they had never been that far out of the village, who knows what dangers lay ahead?
Even Oliver himself was given all kinds of discouragement and it pained him so yet he could not have it overwhelm the desire to find the river.
Eventually,Oliver had a group of individuals following him on a journey they trusted him to guide.
This journey was of course long, and in it many people turned back for many a reason.
Some realized the were leaving their homes and ran back before they got too far off, others could not deal with the uncertainty of living in the forest without their homes. Some returned because they got tired of the journey that felt like forever.
At some point during the journey, because more than half the group had returned to the village and he feared the others would begin to harbour resentment towards him, he told them to climb a tree to the very top and see it with him.
Those that did beheld such wonders, and because the were closer than Oliver was the first time he saw it, they saw much more that they wept.
This invigorated their desire and they hastened, noticing that as they got closer, they discovered more vegetation than potatoes grew beyond the village, and they learnt to eat all kinds of foods.
It was of course, a long journey and many things happened. But after they did, the were finally facing the river.
They had heard its waves first and ran to follow the sound for they knew they had arrived.
The river was exactly as majestic as you imagine it to be.
And they were overjoyed to have found it for even the sight of it confirmed how much better it was than the village.
That ends the tale of Oliver and the river but if you would like to know, more people from the village found the river for many reasons and went through the same journey.
But of course some remained true to their ways of the village and they continued digging. They dug and dug until the ground swallowed them up and they were forgotten.
