The tribal chief explains to you that if you want to be part
of his tribe you will have to undergo a test to prove your worth. Slightly
worried, you ask what the test is. All you have to do is to travel through the
deep, dark jungle to the other side by yourself. Being the adventurous sort you
accept the challenge.
The test begins with a ritual bathing after which they dress
you in a while robe. All of the tribe wishes you luck and you are set off into
the jungle alone. At first you are very nervous. The jungle is like nothing you
have ever seen. There are bizarre and wonderful sounds that both delight you
and scare the bejesus out of you. You continue to walk cautiously but soon
become accustom to the jungle. After a while you start whistling a pleasant
tune while skipping along the jungle path.
And that’s when it happens. The ground under your feet gives
out and you fall head first into a pit of quicksand. The quicksand is only knee
deep at first but as you try to make your way to the end of the pit you slowly
begin to sink. The more you sink the more frightened you become. The more frightened
you become the harder you struggle to get out. The harder you struggle the
faster you sink. Now you are up to your armpits and full blown panic sets in. There
is no bottom to this pit.
As you sink up to your chin you realize two things; first –
there is no way you can get yourself out of this pit. Second – You are going to
die alone in this jungle.
You cry out for help. You begin to sob and yell louder. Just
when you start to lose all hope the tribal chief steps out of the jungle and
stands at the edge of the pit. You reach up to him and cry, “Please save me.”
He reaches down, taking your hand in his and pulls you out of the quicksand. You
stand wet, covered in muck and more grateful than you ever have felt in your
life. Your clean, white robe is filthy.
The tribal chief looks at you and shakes his head. He takes
his canteen off of his belt and pours water over your head. The water washes
away the muck and the grime making your robe white again. He smiles at you and
tells you to beware of the quicksand. Before you get a chance to thank him he
disappears back into the jungle.
You calm yourself and begin walking down the jungle path
again. You try to be cautious, looking carefully at every step. You hear a
monkey call to her mate in the jungle canopy far above you. You squint your
eyes trying to find the monkeys and as your eyes leave the path you fall into
another pit of quicksand.
Your mind immediately goes into panic and you call out for
help once again. This time help doesn’t come. You yell over and over as you
slowly sink into the pit. As you sink up past your waist you can feel bottom
under your feet and you’re able to walk over to the edge of the pit and climb
out. You are once again wet and covered in muck and grime but you are alive.
You walk even more cautiously than you did the last time. It
does not matter how cautious you try to be, every time you take your eyes off
of the path you find yourself in another pit of quicksand. Each time you sink
to a different level. Sometimes you sink up to your neck. Other times you sink
only to your knees. Every time you call for help no help comes but you are able
to climb out of the pits and continue on your way.
Each time you fall into the quicksand you find that you get
out just a little bit dirtier, a little bit heavier with the water and the
muck. It is starting to become harder and harder to walk down the path. You
find yourself just trudging along barely able to move. You get so heavy that
you can’t even stand anymore. You slowly crawl along the path, weary and ready
to give up.
Just when you have given up all hope and reach your breaking
point you crawl into a small clearing in the jungle. Sitting on a log in the
clearing is the tribal witch doctor. You labor over to him and take a seat next
to him. You tell him that you cannot go any further and you are ready to give
up. He looks you up and down and smiles. Then he begins to laugh. He explains
to you that every member of the tribe had to journey the same path you had just
taken, even the tribal chief. Every member of the tribe fell into the same pits
you had. Each had to be saved the first time. Each became weighted down with
the grime from the other pits to the point they could no longer move. He tells
you that the only two people who ever made it through the jungle without
falling into the quicksand was the tribal chief and his mother.
The witch doctor tells you that you were never really alone
on this journey. The entire tribe stood in the jungle watching, ready to lend
assistance if it were really needed. He pulls a canteen that you recognize as
belonging to the tribal chief from his belt and he begins to wash the dirt and
grime off of your robe. As the mud and muck trickles away the white of the robe
starts to shine through. With the burden of the extra weight removed you
now feel energized. The witch doctor puts his arm around you and
walks you out of the jungle where the entire tribe is waiting to welcome you to
the tribe with a big feast. You have never been happier in your entire life.
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