the river of dreams

The River of Dreams.

I.

A man came down from the valley of lonliness, and sang his beautiful song to the river of dreams below. He waited for a long time for the answer of the river, but at last it came. And the river answered; 'Come down to my green banks, and cast your dreams into my waters, and perhaps, perchance, they shall return unto magnified greatly, if you be a patient soul.'

At the same time, on the far side of the mighty river, man came down from the valley of sorrow, and sang his beautiful song to the river of dreams below. He also waited a long time for the answer of the river, but at last it came unto him as well. And the river answered; 'Come down to my green banks, and cast your dreams into my waters, and perhaps, perchance, they shall return unto magnified greatly, if you be a patient soul.'

II.

So the man from the valley of lonliness went down the bank of the river of dreams, and sat down on the green, lush grass. He sat there for a long time dreaming. Dreaming of a valley of happiness and plenty, a place of peace, where the sun always shone in blue skies, and the birds always sang in the green leaved trees. He dreamed, and dreamed, and dreaming thus, was almost as happy as he would have been, if the valley of his dreams had been real.

He took his lovely dream as he sat there on the bank, and cast it into the river, far and deep, as he had been instructed. Then he lay back on the green, green grass, and waited for his dream to return unto him, perchance.

And so, the man from the valley of sorrow went down the bank of the river of dreams also, and sat down on the green, lush grass, on the opposite side of river, and out of view from the man of the valley of lonliness. He sat there for a long time dreaming under an old willow tree.

Dreaming of a valley of happiness and plenty, a place of peace, where the sun always shone in blue skies, and the people always danced and sang with the joy of life. He dreamed, and dreamed, and dreaming thus, was almost as happy as he would have been, if the valley of his dreams had been real.

He took his lovely dream as he sat there on the bank, and cast it into the river, far and deep, as he had been instructed. Then he lay back on the green, green grass, and waited for his dream to return unto him, perchance.

And deep in the middle of the mighty river of dreams, the dreams of the two men met, unbeknownst to them. And the one's dream wrestled with the other's. Their dreams were both strong, and the one could not master the other, so that they pulled one another down in the deep dark blue waters, and the dreams of both men drowned and never reached their destination.

The man from valley of lonliness waited until darkness fell, and when he was sure his dream would return no-more, he got up and left. Next spring he would return and try again, and perhaps then the waters of the river of dreams would be merciful, and return his dreams unto him, perchance.

The man from valley of sorrow also waited until darkness fell, and when he was likewise certain that his dream would return unto him no-more, he got up and left. Next spring he would return and try again, and perhaps then the waters of the river of dreams would be merciful, and return his dreams unto him, perchance.

And so, year after year, the two men came down from their respective valleys in the spring, and sat down on opposite sides of the river, unaware of each other. Each man casting his magnificent dreams into the great blue waters of the river, and lying back waiting in vain for it to return

For, each year, the two men's dreams met mid-stream, and the wrestled with each other, the one drowning the other. And each year, the men returned unto their valleys, sad and disappointed.

III.

One spring, the man from the valley of loneliness came down to the river dreams earlier than he normally would have. The man from valley of sorrows, overslept that same day, and he would only arrive later, as he had been to a big banquet the night before, and had drunk excessively.

The man from the valley of loneliness sat down on the green bank, and dreamed a dream as beautiful as any he had ever dreamt before. When his dream was perfect, he cast it deep into the dark blue river.

It floated out to the middle of the river, and soon the powerful current swept it away. The waters swept his dream down over the rapids and waterfalls, through great pools, and further down stream, past other unknown valleys, until at last, it reached the valley of plenty.

It was the most beautiful and rich valley in the whole of creation, and here the sun always shone by day, and the stars shone brightly in the sky at night. And the days and the nights were always fair and splendid.

The people were never found wanting in anything that their hearts desired, and there was peace and prosperity for all who lived here. The birds sang continually in the green leaved trees, and to this valley winter never came, for it was cast in eternal spring.

His dream swirled happily among the dreams and the thoughts of the people and the creatures of the valley, until it had seen enough, and then it returned unto its owner with the message of the power and glory of the valley.

While all this was transpiring, the man from the valley of sorrows arrived at the banks of the river, and sat down and cast in his dream. His dream was taken into midstream by the powerful current of the river of dreams, and soon it was traveling downstream, over rapids and watercourses, past tranquil pools, far down the mighty river. Until it reached the valley of plenty.

Here it beheld the wonder and splendor of the fair valley. It saw its happy inhabitants, and the beautiful creatures that dwelt alongside them. The air was alive with the flight of birds, and the green trees were alive with their song. It saw that it was indeed the destination his master had dreamt of, and he returned unto him to inform him of what he had found.

First, the dream of the man of the valley of loneliness returned unto him, and told him of the beauty and splendor of the valley of plenty. It told him of the glory of the place, and how happy he would be there. The man found the dream that had returned into his thoughts so true and beautiful, that he did not hesitate, but went quickly to prepare himself for the journey.

Then the dream of the man from the valley of sorrows returned unto his him. And when it entered his mind, he found that it was splendid and true. He beheld in his mind the wealth and happiness of the rich valley, and soon his mind was made up to follow this dream, which had returned unto him, to its origin.

He packed his few meager possessions, and headed down his old valley with the brown dirt road that led down stream, leaving his sorrows behind him. He hoped he was leaving them behind for good.

He crossed the bridge over the river, and soon found the wide road going south, so he kept on heading with this route, to where the valley of his dreams lay. The valley of plenty.

IV.

Soon the two men met on the road to the hills of the valley of their dreams.

The one man said, "Hello, I come from the valley of loneliness, I see we are headed the same way.
"Yes, said the other "I come from the valley of sorrows. Where are you going?
"I am following my dream to the valley of plenty, said the other.
"What a co-incidence, so am I. Let us travel together along the way, for it will make our journey more pleasant, said the man from the valley of sorrows.
"That sounds like a splendid idea, said the man from the valley of loneliness.

And so the two men traveled merrily alongside one another, in search of the valley of their dreams. Each one oblivious to the fact that they had been fierce competitors in the search of that same dream, next to the banks of the river of dreams, for so long.