THE GREAT EXPLORER

THE GREAT EXPLORER

The great explorer leaves the palace. Even without his splendid hat of feathers, he has to crouch to get through the gates.

 “Those who stand at the gates are the brothers of explorers,” he says to the gatekeeper. “In the distance, we see first what others see only later.”

“Sometimes I see those who return with an arrow stuck through them,” the gatekeeper says, “Though mostly I sleep in this chair with my hat pulled over my eyes.” 

The explorer mounts his horse and trots out into the fields. He smells the delicate scent of rolled hay, gazes at the familiar archipelagos of stars above him.

Now he is at the shore and climbs aboard his ship. He sails. He will find a new land. Those on the shore watch him sail. He sails all day. They watch him get smaller. He is the size of a small child. Soon he is no bigger than a pebble. Then he is nothing but a speck, a pinprick, a molecule.

He sails across the sea. He arrives at a new land. He throws down his anchor then rows to shore. An island chief appears on the sand. He is surrounded by many people dancing and bearing great platters of fruit. 

The island chief looks around the shore. He looks at the sea. He looks up, then down. Then he sees the explorer.

 “These platters of fruit are for you,” the chief says.

“Thanks,” the explorer says. “They look delicious.”

“Might take a few days to eat them,” the chief says.”What with your size and all.”

“What about my size?” the explorer says.

“My brother, you are very small,” the chief says. “Like a mosquito or an electron. But do not worry. My own son was born small. At first we thought that he was just far away.  But eventually he grew. Though he’s still ugly, even from a distance. Monkey-face, we call him.”

“Your people dance well,” the great explorer says.

“You  have an impressive hat of feathers,” the chief replies.

“I had hoped to find you,” the explorer says.

“You are a dust mote illuminated by a ray of sun,” the chief says.  “Something from another world that was there all along.”

 “You shall have my ship,” the explorer answers. “The next ocean is yours.”