The Abyss and I

 

The biggest decisions in my life have come in moments that may have otherwise have been forgotten because of their insignificance in terms of time and space but that decision of mine, made in that particulate moment, gave it a special quality.

But that day something was different, I was standing there, staring out of the window, at the black nothingness ahead of me, stretching as far as my eye could go, an abyss that was soothing my soul, I was willing myself to make a decision, a humungous one. The decision had to be a conscious one, so standing there, staring at the dark abyss seemed like the perfect kind of setting for the decision that I wanted to make.

I was staring into the darkness letting my thoughts wander, as I tried to gather the strength to do what must be done, sometime during this, I felt it, that feeling that I was being watched, a pair of eyes boring on me, almost burning two holes in my soul, I looked around me and saw nothing but the darkness, the abyss, my abyss, that I had been staring at for God knows how long?!

 

 

The idea that someone was privy to my current state, to put it mildly, disturbed me, because I am not someone used to being seen in an emotional state. I looked around again and found myself seemingly alone again, but still the feeling didn't go away. I looked for explanations and was lost in thought until it hit me, the abyss, my abyss, the abyss I had been staring at was staring back at me! Just as this thought hit me, it said "And she finally has figured it out - Bravo girl" in a voice verging on bored.

Yes! The abyss was talking to me, and not only talking it was being sarcastic. This unbelievably insane thought made me laugh out and think that I had finally done it, finally lost my mind and that just made me laugh harder. And then I felt it's emotions shift, it felt impatient, "Oh! So now you have feelings too! “I was bent down now, hands over knees, doubling over with laughter now! Let me explain here that there was nothing, I repeat, nothing, even remotely funny about an abyss that, apparently, stares, talks and feels bored, but I am someone who laughs when she is nervous, and a bored abyss is a pretty good cause for nervousness, so here I was giggling away like a 15 year old school girl.

Finally the abyss said "Are you done yet? Can we move on?"

 

 

"On?!" I said,

 

"Yes, to the core of your problem, or have you been standing here boring me by staring at me for no good reason?"
"Oh! my problem, that’s simple enough, I need to make a conscious decision, and I was standing here gathering strength to do that"

 

"Running away are we?"

"No, actually, returning back to life, ending miserable confinement that I had put myself into."
"Interesting, what’s the holdup then?"

 

"I'm afraid"

 

"Afraid? You have been standing here, in utter darkness for quite a while now and now you are talking to an abyss, an abyss that stares, talks and feels" He chuckled "And then you say you're afraid? Afraid of what child?"

 

"Afraid of the light, afraid of what it holds, afraid if getting lost, afraid to fail again, I am afraid." I said.
"People say that about darkness you know, and yet here you are." he said

 

 

"The dark takes you in, it engulfs you, surrounds you keeps you safe, while light exposes you, it shows your cards to the world, it shows them your weaknesses, and exactly where to strike and bring you down." I said, trying to justify my fears.

"It also shows you the way forward, it doesn't make you stand still at one place, just because you are too afraid to move on, it shows you all the good things out there, it shows you all the people who care, and all the exciting opportunities ahead, you say the dark engulfs you and you feel protected, but tell me this, what about the fact that you never know what dangers the darkness may hold, while the light exposes them, makes them visible to plain sight, makes you see them, warns you already, I can never do that." It replied.

"Oh so now we are defending the rival are we?", it was my turn to be sarcastic now, what kind of a stupid abyss was this anyway, first it stares then it talks and then it goes ahead to defend it's opponent in front of me.
"We do not choose what to be, us, the 'non living' we do not have choices, we just are, whatever we were meant to be, stuck at one constant position, you on the other hand are someone who does have a choice and you are choosing wrong, you are choosing easy, you have the choice honey, choose the difficult, brave the waters, deal with the twist of fate, choose to be strong, if not for anything else, then for the fact that you HAVE a choice, there are many out there that were not given that right, they are just what they were asked to be, nothing more and nothing less, Hell if I was given a choice to I would have chosen to be you, and then I could have lived the way I wanted, accepted challenges, and loved every minute of it."

"Okay, okay I get it, I am going to choose light, I am going to give it a shot, I am going to learn to be more."
"Every day?" He asked
"Yes, Everyday" I said

"So run along then kid, and don't return, it's really hard to fight the temptation to keep you here, but I see it in you, the bravery and valor, you have it in you to be more than just a prisoner of darkness, go be your true self."
"Thank you", I said.

I had started on my way back when a thought struck me and I turned back and said, "Just one thing though, you are sending me back, you are the one who made me take the leap, make my decision, but out there in that sparkly world you like so much those 'children of the light' would never believe me if I told them I talked to an abyss of darkness, they won't ever believe me, so tell me is this real, or is it all just in my head." the abyss hesitated and then said,

 

"Remember kid, your head is the realest place you would ever be at, never forget that, although if I were you, and I had to recount the inspirational story of my return to life, I'd come up with a fictional mystical man, who was such an amazing source of eternal knowledge, that he made you see what you were missing out on and made you believe again, they'd buy that easily enough."

And then we talked no more, I turned around and walked back to the light, with just enough hope to survive, and during that walk I remembered a quote by Frederick Nietzsche, he had once said “When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks into you.” , and now I believed him