Across the Fjord

Where are you heading?

Where are you heading? the voice whispered.

I’m moving. I’m heading towards my goal. I’m heading across the fjord.

What’s across the fjord?

Answers. Liberation. Happiness.

Are you not now?

Not yet. And stop bothering me. Let me — let me move. I pant as I trudge forward.

The wind howls. I shiver.

You think you’ll find it there? The voice asks.

I see it. It’s there. I point across the dark blue Norwegian sea.

The air smells of salt and distance. I’m there, almost.

You could stop. Take a break. Rest.

No.

Silence.

I take a step forward, feeling my weight sink slightly into the wet earth. Then another. And another.

Vaguely, I see the outline of the fjord in the backdrop.

I walk. I continue. The fjord calls.

Either way, I keep moving, unaware that I’m already on the fjord.