Hope Springs Eternal

Once when the world was young and more innocent than it is today,
and before the clouds were blackened by smog and the waters of the
ocean sullied by filth, a small being came forth to life, sprung from
the dreams of a lonely man, a man who had nothing in his life except
sorrows and disappointments.

All day long, the man would sit in his chair by the window, watching
life pass him by, and he would sigh in sadness, wishing he had the
strength to go out and grasp the world in his hands and live life to
its fullest.

But he was not a strong man, he was beaten down by sorrow, and unable
to move, so hard hit he was by misery.

And so he would sit, and he would watch, and then he would go to his
lonely bed for a few hours of sleep, only to waken and face the next
day, same as before.

One morning, as he sat there sighing, he heard a small voice. It piped
up and said, "Fear not, I am on my way to you"

He looked around the room, and saw nothing,

He dismissed the voice as more proof of his own worthlessness, thinking
perhaps now he was also becoming insane. Even so, a small spark lit in
his heart, and that night when he went to bed, he thought perhaps
tomorrow might be a better day after all. He woke in the morning,
performed his ablutions, and sat in his chair by the window, watching
and waiting.

The morning wore on and drew to a close. The noonday sun was high in
the sky, and still nobody had come. The man sighed sadly, knowing that
he had imagined the voice and so he dismissed it.

As evening drew near, a single tear fell from his eye and drifted down
hs cheek. Then, reaching through his sorrow like a crystal bell, he
heard the voice again: "Cry not, for soon I will arrive"

This time, he knew that he had heard the voice, because it was clear as
a bell, and it echoed through the room

"Who is there?" he asked, "Who speaks to me?" "It is I," said the
voice. "Someone who loves you."

The man was astounded, and he looked around the room, trying to find
the person who spoke. "Come forth then, if you love me. Let me see
you"

"I will come soon..." said the voice, and it drifted off into silence
The man went to his bed and slept that night with a peaceful smile, and
awoke well rested and with a spring in his step.

Walking to the washstand, he performed his morning ritual, washing his
face until it shone, shaving, combing his hair He opened the door to
his house and stepped out into the street for the first time in months.
As the sun sparkled in his eyes, he smiled. He strolled down the
street, greeting his neighbors, who were astounded to see him cheerful,
and walked to the marketplace to purchase a loaf, some fine cheese and
wine.

Seeing a poor beggarwoman, he flipped her a coin as he walked out of
the citygates to the meadow where he gathered a beautiful bunch of
wildflowers, the colors of which are unknown in today's bland and grey
world.

With a sparkle in his eye, he practically ran back to his quiet home,
where he spent the remainder of the morning scrubbing and washing and
dusting, until his small cottage gleamed. He opened all the windows
wide, and flung the door open as well. He placed the wildflowers into a
pitcher on his small table, and spread the fare he had got at market on
some chipped but clean crockery.

Then he sat in his chair and waited, calling cheerful hellos to the
people as they passed.

As the afternoon wore on, neighbors drifted in his door, surprised to
see that this sad man could smile and be happy, and soon a joyful
gathering was being held in his home.

The day wore to a close, and the neighbors left, the man cleared the
scraps from the table and closed his door and windows. He sat in his
chair, chuckling happily as he thought over the events of the day, and
he heard the voice again.. "I told you I would come, and so I did," The
man said, "I did not see you," And the voice said, "Nobody has ever
seen me, nobody ever will. I am the hope that lives inside you, the
hope you had lost. Now you have found me again, I shall never
leave."

The man smiled happily. He then went to his bed, dreaming wonderful
dreams, and when he woke the next morning his heart was happy and full
of hope.