Fairy Tale: The Wall
So one day she set off on a road strewn with roses, hand in hand with her wonderful Wordsmith lover. And he called her his angel, and they dreamed as they walked that love would last forever. That no-one had ever felt like this before. That there was something special about them.
They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't see a big brick wall, right across the path, covered in graffitti. He saw it first, and he tried to warn her but they were both running too fast to stop. Splat.
After a little while, a knight in jeans (well, armour is difficult to come by and this is a modern love story) came along. He sat beside her as she cried her heart out, listened to her tales of love and helped to bind her wounds from the wall. Gradually her heart healed and she was strong enough to get up off the floor. The Knight (although he didn't think he was that) held her hand and as they walked together they started to fall in love with each other. Now, she knew for certain that there was a wall on the path, but she couldn't see it right now. And something in the talk of oceans, and boats, and Vienna made her put this knowledge to the back of her mind. Anyway, there was no wall to be seen so they set off down the path together. More and more quickly they ran, and the wind in their hair was exhilirating. Spiralling upwards and round about, even the stars seemed to shine on them. In odd moments, she knew that the wall must still be there - walls don't just get up and walk away do they? But it didn't seem to matter. They had to spend some weeks apart because the Knight was called back to his castle, and whilst he was gone she was still running down the road. How did it happen? Did he put the wall back using some strange magic? But there it was and she ran flat smack into it again. There was even more graffitti this time, but she didn't stop to read it. She just collapsed in a heap, and the Knight came back from his castle and said they could carry on walking down the path together, but this time it would be different. No running, no romance, no love. The castle didn't approve and in any case then they wouldn't run into any more walls. Oh well, she thought, at least he's still here for a little while (in case any more walls do appear). And at least they would each have some company at the Inns along the way, which was after all the bottom line for both of them.
As they walked, more slowly now, further down the path a Traveller from far away fell in step. He was kind, and very gentle. He wrote beautiful words and careful thoughts. She couldn't imagine that he would ever let her smack into a wall. Or that he would even know that such a thing existed on this beautiful path called love. But he was so far away across the sea, and so often she walked on the path on her own. She knew the wall was there so she went to look for it, in case she ever smacked into it at full pelt again. So she would know when it was coming. So she could recognise it, and try to walk carefully around it. She found it, and the graffitti on the wall was clear now. In dripping bright red letters (were they written in blood?) it read
"Love is a Cunt".
And although she was a princess and shouldn't use such words, she had to agree. But the question is, should she tell the kind, gentle Traveller that? Or might they be able to run along the path hand in hand, without finding themselves splattered on the wall?
She's still looking everywhere in the kingdom for the answer to that one .....
They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't see a big brick wall, right across the path, covered in graffitti. He saw it first, and he tried to warn her but they were both running too fast to stop. Splat.
After a little while, a knight in jeans (well, armour is difficult to come by and this is a modern love story) came along. He sat beside her as she cried her heart out, listened to her tales of love and helped to bind her wounds from the wall. Gradually her heart healed and she was strong enough to get up off the floor. The Knight (although he didn't think he was that) held her hand and as they walked together they started to fall in love with each other. Now, she knew for certain that there was a wall on the path, but she couldn't see it right now. And something in the talk of oceans, and boats, and Vienna made her put this knowledge to the back of her mind. Anyway, there was no wall to be seen so they set off down the path together. More and more quickly they ran, and the wind in their hair was exhilirating. Spiralling upwards and round about, even the stars seemed to shine on them. In odd moments, she knew that the wall must still be there - walls don't just get up and walk away do they? But it didn't seem to matter. They had to spend some weeks apart because the Knight was called back to his castle, and whilst he was gone she was still running down the road. How did it happen? Did he put the wall back using some strange magic? But there it was and she ran flat smack into it again. There was even more graffitti this time, but she didn't stop to read it. She just collapsed in a heap, and the Knight came back from his castle and said they could carry on walking down the path together, but this time it would be different. No running, no romance, no love. The castle didn't approve and in any case then they wouldn't run into any more walls. Oh well, she thought, at least he's still here for a little while (in case any more walls do appear). And at least they would each have some company at the Inns along the way, which was after all the bottom line for both of them.
As they walked, more slowly now, further down the path a Traveller from far away fell in step. He was kind, and very gentle. He wrote beautiful words and careful thoughts. She couldn't imagine that he would ever let her smack into a wall. Or that he would even know that such a thing existed on this beautiful path called love. But he was so far away across the sea, and so often she walked on the path on her own. She knew the wall was there so she went to look for it, in case she ever smacked into it at full pelt again. So she would know when it was coming. So she could recognise it, and try to walk carefully around it. She found it, and the graffitti on the wall was clear now. In dripping bright red letters (were they written in blood?) it read
"Love is a Cunt".
And although she was a princess and shouldn't use such words, she had to agree. But the question is, should she tell the kind, gentle Traveller that? Or might they be able to run along the path hand in hand, without finding themselves splattered on the wall?
She's still looking everywhere in the kingdom for the answer to that one .....
posted by Anonymous | 6:31 pm
If it's right, if it's meant, if it's as things should be...then the wall will crumble in the face of it.
Just not...easily.
Yes, unfortunately the wall is made of tungsten carbide, and somehow gets stronger each time you hit it. However, the right person will know how to dismantle it and turn it into something useful for you both, like a little cottage which can withstand a nuclear attack.
Bolted-on, convoluted analogies aside, I like the story. The sort of cautionary tale I'd tell my kids, just before they hit wanking age.