In this vision in the early morning I saw a rope, thicker than a man's arm, it stretched away to my right and my left. To my right in the far distance I could see multitudes of people tugging on the rope, trying to pull it from where I stood, towards them. Beyond them, at the edge of my vision, was it seemed, a steep drop, and out of that drop reeled dark acrid smoke, as from some form of insidious fire. Yet the people tugging on the rope could not see it for their backs were toward that source, as they faced me, tugging on the rope.
As I looked on, I became aware that although they pulled steadily towards their doom they made no ground at all except by sliding their grip backwards along the rope, which, strange as it may seem, many were doing. For the ground under their feet was a boggy mire and they were unable to achieve their aim of moving further from my vantage point except by sliding their grip backwards thus.
On the left side, the ground sloped steadily up a hill into the furtherest distance, to where I thought, but could not be sure, that I saw the brow of the hill. All along the rope in that direction, people were tugging on the rope, dragging it slowly but certainly, away toward my left, up the hill. The ground under their feet was firm and gave certain footing, so unlike their adversaries, they moved steadily in their chosen direction.
Although their direction was backward, it seemed to me that those who tugged the hardest, were those who stole a look often, over their shoulder, and up the hill toward where they were heading. After this they seemed filled with a fresh energy and determination to reach their goal.
Fascinated by the struggle, I began to walk up the hill. The climb was long and the sun near its zenith before I reached the brow. Along the way I saw a number of strange sights. Some had removed one hand from the rope, and although they hung on and gave the occasional pull, it was clear that their assistance was token help only.
These people were mostly engaged in chatting with others of the same mind or with shouting some kind of abuse at others who called them to return to bearing their portion of the load. It seemed that these rope-pullers, if they could be called that, had departed far enough from the danger of the boggy mire and distant fire, that they were unable to recall it, yet were too involved in their present affairs to look up the hill to where they were going.
Others were asleep beside the rope, and as they rolled over, they tumbled ever downhill toward the bog from which they had previously departed. It seemed strange that they could sleep so soundly, while the struggle went on.
When I finally reached the top, I passed by three tall trees, and having done so, I found just out of sight of the main body of rope pullers, a person dressed all in white, who released each person from their labours as they passed under the trees. This person greeted each one in turn with the words "Well done, good and faithful servant", after which he carefully coiled the section of rope they had held, and which now bore the imprint of their hands in a uni que and somehow beautiful way.
Rejoicing in what I had just seen, I ran back down the hill from where I had recently come, toward the bog at the bottom of the hill. As I went. I called out repeatedly, describing the sight I had seen. Some ignored me and some even mocked, but others as if reassured by what they heard; tugged even harder.
At the bottom of the hill I saw clearly that many were slipping from the rope into the bog, before they reached the firm ground. But those who clung on until they reached safety, joined me joyfully as I took a place near the edge and heaved with all my might on the rope.
Methuselah
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