₦airaland Forum

^**to be retweaked**

The Prism

They sailed on for the rest of the day, and now he could see a shoreline on the horizon. The trees grew closer as they steadily rowed. In a short while, shorter than he expected, they pulled up and the lady anchored the boat.

Lets sit here for a while she said. You have a long journey ahead of you.

He agreed and sat on the warm sand. It was good to feel the earth beneath his feet again. He thoughtfully ran his fingers through the sand and poured it back on the ground in a little waterfall, one made of sand.

The lady walked over to where he was, and sat beside him.

She was holding a small object and he looked closer, trying to see what it was.

I have something for you, she said. She held the object out, he saw it was a small triangular piece of glass, smooth and shining as if she’d just wiped it clean.

Look through this prism she said. She held it up and he could gaze clearly through it.

What do you see? She asked.

She was holding it up to the light now, and he could see the clarity of the glass, but not much else. Maybe he wasn’t looking at it from the right angle, so he moved a bit to the side, trying to get a better view. She also adjusted her position a little bit.

Look, she said. When I hold it up like this, you’ll observe the light rays entering into the prism. Now, do you notice the colour in the prism.

He could see a rainbow of colours inside the glass, and he nodded in agreement.

The light goes in as one, she said. Then it comes out as many. The same way with anything you hear. This is the relativity of truth- it has many colours, a story is interpreted in different ways by the hearer. Disseminated, so to speak.

This was interesting, and the man reflected deeply on this while the lady placed the prism on his palm and closed his fingers over it.

Keep it she said. It will help you in your journeyings.

Hmm, he replied. My journeyings.

He put the piece of glass in his pocket, and they looked at each other for a moment.

Well, the lady said after a long pause, I’ll be going back now. I have to row back to where we first met, by the old man’s forest.

But I don’t wish for you to leave, the man wanted to say. I’d like us to travel together. I’m not familiar with this terrain.

That was what he wanted to say, but he knew he wasn’t supposed to utter those words. He did not know why.

Instead, he just nodded, and looked over at the trees, studying them.

Ok, he said. Thanks.

She understood what he was trying to say, and what he had meant to say but couldn’t give voice to.

He watched her walk over to the boat, get on it and paddle away.

He felt rather lonely but set his face towards the new land and started walking towards it.

**interlude**