Fiction

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In a distant land, that’s not as far away as it may sound, an island sits in the midst of a great ocean. The island isn't of great size, and its inhabitants are few. The inhabitants of this island are dark skinned because they labor in the sun for hours, resting only for a midday bit of lunch. On this day, however, a young man, no older than 16, was not working as his family supposed him to be. It was on this day this young man was to find the beginning of the adventure of his life time…

Walking along the beaches of his homeland, Sutton picked up a smooth flat rock from the sand by his feet. It was about as large as his palm, and his twig-like fingers wrapped around it and were warmed by the rock that had been sitting in the sun. Sutton turned over the rock in his hands and saw faint words etched on to the rock.

“There is more.” He read aloud. Sutton examined the rest of the rock, but besides the writing, the rock was no different than any of the rocks he’d ever seen before.

Thinking it to be only a random incident, Sutton cocked his lanky arm backwards to throw the rock into the rolling waves of the ocean. Just as he was about to throw a strong hand grasped his wrist. Turning quickly, Sutton’s brown eyes met with the dark grey eyes of a very old man.

In a deep rumbling voice, the old man spoke, “I wouldn’t throw this away if I were you.” The man’s eyes were stormy, but sincere.

Now that he had a full view of him, Sutton could see that this old man was not from the island. His cloak was a color he’d never seen before. It was a gleaming color, the color of sunlight hitting calm water. Ignoring the questions beginning to come Sutton spoke again to the old man, “Why shouldn’t I throw this in to the water?”

“That is not a question I can answer, it’s only a question that you can find the answer to.”

Sutton’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his fingers guided over the surface of the small rock. “Who are you, old man? Where are you from and why are you bothering me with your riddles?”

The old man’s gray beard shook as he laughed the jolliest laugh Sutton had ever heard. “If only you knew, if only you knew.”

Sutton’s anger was sparked at the old man’s reaction, and he could feel his face redden in agitation. “At least you can tell me your name, or have you a name? You’re clearly not from this land.”

A deep smile creased across the face of the old man. “You’re very right, Sutton, I’m not from here. I have traveled many places, but this is the first time I’ve been to your small island. As for my name, it’s not that easy. Since I have traveled in many lands, my name has caused both anger and happiness. For now you can call me Traveler, for that not only describes me but will soon also describe you.”

An even deeper shade of red tinged Sutton’s youthful face, “How do you know my name, Traveler? Who sent you to me? And why must you keep speaking in riddles…it’s becoming intensely annoying!”

“You will soon find that I’m not as much of a stranger as I have first appeared to you, Sutton. But let’s make haste and get you packed because we have a long journey ahead of us, and daylight is half over.”

Traveler put his arm around Sutton and lead him to the path to the village where Sutton had lived all of his life. Sutton’s anger still burned and questions upon questions still plagued him, but only the ones at the forefront of his mind escaped his lips, “What am I to tell my mother and father? That I’m leaving with a stranger to who knows where?”

The man’s wrinkled face smiled kindly, and in almost a whisper he said, “That’s precisely what you’ll tell them. For I am a stranger only to you, and not to them.”

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The old man and the young man reached the small hut in which Sutton lived. Sutton’s siblings were playing in the yard, but paid no mind to their older brother and the strange man with him. He hollered into the hut, “Mother! Father! I have to tell you something!”

A middle aged woman of common beauty and a slightly older man whose hair was just beginning to show its aged wisdom emerged from the fabric door of the hut. As soon as their eyes met with Traveler, they smiled with great joy and embraced the man.

Smiling, Sutton’s father said only this, “Son, gather what you need, you will be leaving tonight.” No other words were spoken, only a frenzy of activity preparing the young man for his journey with Traveler.

After a quick good-bye, the pair headed out of the village toward the docks. “I have not argued this at all, but I have one request to make, Old Man.” Sutton looked deeply in to Traveler’s eyes.

“Yes, Son?”

“No more riddles.”

Traveler laughed his deep, jolly laugh and so the journey began.

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