Sword of Faith.

It demanded attention. It carried so much power that he was captivated by it. His master taught him that the sword was to be used carefully. His sword was his light, his master told him. With light, he must be careful. Too much of it can easily blind him, causing him too crash on the shores. Too little of it, he can lose sight and be lost forever. He had to understand its power before he could wield his sword.

He spent the last six months up the Mountain of the Brave seeking his sword. His master had told him that somewhere up the mountain, he will find it. The key thing that he had to understand is that it will not come in the shape that he thought. To him, he believed that his sword was made of gold, sheathed in a leather scabbard. The cross-guard was made of pure copper and the hilt wrapped with the finest of leather. He believed that his sword was a thing of beauty and as such, he would easily find it in the vastness of the mountain. He totally disregarded the wisdom of his master.

As he was walking up to the mountain, his tradition commanded him to speak with the rocks. His tradition commanded that he speaks with the tree leaves that wiped his sweat. In this communication with nature, he would be led to his sword. However, not paying attention, the mosquito that landed on his shin warned him that in the next crevice lived a wild and impatient mountain snake. Lost in his fantasies of his sword, he brushed the mosquito away that protested to take its warning seriously. He kept brushing the mosquito until he felt a sharp pain in his shin. Two holes leaked with blood that was red and green. A tail vanished within the rocks.

He felt weary. He felt his head become light on his shoulders. The mountain knew that the snake hated visitors. To help those the snake attacked, the mountain had a cave nearby with leaves of a plant that if eaten quickly, could save one from death. The student knew this and fought against the venom to reach the cave. He wasted no time and ate as such of the plant as possible. It had a bitter taste, the same taste as soap that a teacher rubs on a child’s tongue after they cuss. He understood his mistake and spent the night in the cave. He spent the whole night, under the watchful eye of the night star, praying for forgiveness.

The following morning he woke up feeling better. The two holes in his shin had stopped leaking. The venom seemed to have stopped to spread just under his right knee. He thanked the mountain for the shelter and thanked the plant for the medicine. He marvelled at how much of the plant was left, considering he ate so much it until he couldn’t hold any of it in his stomach. A bird flew by with a loud cry. A cry that indicated that his journey was not over. However, this time he must pay attention.

He left the cave with a renewed respect for his journey. The image of his sword remained glorious but lost most of its glimmer. It no longer looked gold. It’s hilt no longer looked to be wrapped with the finest leather. His mind began to form a shapeless sword. As he drifted deeper into his mind searching for the shape of his sword, a wind blew so violently, that he was held by the trunk of the tree that he had just passed. He thanked the tree for catching him from his inevitable death if he had fallen. He thanked the wind for reminding him why he was up the mountain.

At this point, the student no longer held an image of his sword. His sword became something of an enigma that made him more curious about the world around him. Suddenly, he felt a strong presence overwhelm him. A stronger presence than Death just moments ago. A strong presence that yelled at him. So loud the presence was, he could not ignore it. He felt the presence was a few steps ahead of him. He walked towards it.

As he walked towards the presence, he remembered the wise words of his master about light. He was being blinded by this presence and so, he stopped to control himself. In doing so, he realized that if he had walked one step further, he would have fallen into a fissure that split the mountain into two. Realising that the presence was Death once again, he took three steps back and prayed wholeheartedly to the Lord for saving him. He found that spot to be a holy spot when he discovered his power to conquer death. He decided to spend the night at that very spot.

The night was calm and provided him with a peaceful sleep. He was woken by the soft kisses of the first ray of sunlight. The sun gleaming with colours of red and orange over the horizon. Dancing in the light he saw a silhouette. A still silhouette that stood like a tree. The sun continued to rise and the silhouette remained still. He prayed to the heavens to open a path that will lead him to the silhouette. Something about it called him to it. He felt moved to it. He realized that the silhouette was the sword he was searching for. The sun finally rose to provide enough light for the student to see a way over the fissure. The only way over the fissure was to take a leap of faith.

Gathering all his will in his body, he jumped.