Once upon a time, there was a young boy who was forced to go on a long, arduous journey through confusing and unimaginably difficult terrain. He set out on this journey alone, because he had to. The place he had long called home receded into the distance as he trudged through a seemingly endless stretch of desert, the dunes rising and falling like waves, the sand burning his ankles every time he sunk his feet in. But he did not remain alone for long; soon, his friend Nameless appeared alongside him. His sudden appearance did not surprise the Boy in the slightest. The two had always shared a quiet understanding, and it made sense that they had to make the same journey to the same destination. For as long as they had known each other, they had never spoken to one another. Nameless was perpetually silent, communicating only by gestures and eye contact, but the Boy always understood. The Boy was unsure what he would face on this journey, and was thankful for Nameless’ presence.
The sand eventually transitioned into dirt, and dirt into grass. After many hours of walking, the pair approached an immense forest. The trees seemed to go on forever, rows and rows of them extending into the dark. There was an eerie and foreboding hush, as if they had an audience. They shared a nervous and uncertain look, but nothing could be done. They must continue. But just before stepping foot into the forest, another boy approached. He introduced himself to the pair as Queer, and told them he was heading in the same direction (but who knows for how long). Without hesitation, the boys invited him to join their party, knowing there was safety in numbers. As they made their way through the dim density of leaves and limbs, they found that Queer was warm and friendly, but undeniably strange. He wore a large, genuine smile on his face, and was always making jokes or witty comments, more than half of which the Boy and Nameless did not understand—but they longed to. As the three stumbled onward, Queer’s wit and humor seemed to light their way.
At long last, the three boys emerged from the forest, and soon found themselves on the bank of a wide river that stretched for miles in either direction. The boys knew that in order to continue their journey, they had to cross the river. But just as they were about to wade in, another boy approached them. He shook their hands and introduced himself as Homosexual, mentioning that he, too, was heading the same direction (but who knows for how long). But he followed this brief introduction with a rebuke. What exactly was wrong with them, thinking they could simply wade into the river fully clothed? After all, few things are more miserable than walking for hours in wet clothes. Although clearly the youngest and smallest of the four, he adopted a parental tone. The other three obeyed his subsequent commands without question, stripping and holding their clothes in bundles over their heads to keep them dry. The Boy hated to be naked. He felt exposed and examined, and his face flushed red.
As they crossed, slimy creatures bumped against their legs under the surface of the water, creatures whose shapes they could only imagine. There were terrifying moments when their feet did not touch the bottom, and it felt like the current would carry them away. Homosexual led the way, and remained extraordinarily calm and certain, calling out precise directions all the while. The other boys walked in silence. At one point, the boy and Nameless heard Queer yelp behind them, and turned just in time to see his head disappear into the water. He emerged a half-second later and several feet further downstream, his clothing bundle half-soaked in his hands. Homosexual called out for everyone to stop, and they waited for him to rejoin the group before continuing. After they stepped out one by one onto the muddy bank on the other side, they set their clothes down on the grass to catch their breath. The Boy and Nameless looked at each other with wide eyes and a thankful grin. Homosexual had a blank face, clearly deep in thought, considering the next leg of their journey. Queer had become uncharacteristically quiet, his large smile disappeared.
Once they dried off, they dressed again and began another long march through a grassy plain. As they walked, the incline slowly increased as the mountains in the distance drew closer. They soon found themselves at the base. Looking up into the sky, the boys could not even make out the peak of the nearest mountain through the clouds. They knew that they must cross here. But just as they took a breath and braced themselves for the long climb, another boy approached. This boy introduced himself as Gay, and mentioned that he was heading the same direction (but who knows for how long). The four boys welcomed him into their party.
Gay was younger and slightly shorter than even Homosexual, and had bright-eyes and a cheerful smile. As they walked, he often drifted off into daydreaming, stopping to appreciate the fleeting sight of deer or rabbit or an especially beautiful mountain view. This portion of the walk was more pleasant than any of them had hoped, and they were grateful for the mountain path which made the hike especially easy. Homosexual walked ahead of the group and continued to give directions, but Gay found it especially easy to ignore him, often veering off the path to examine a butterfly perched on a wildflower or climb on a fallen tree. When not enchanted by their surroundings, Gay regaled the group with fantastic stories that he fabricated on the spot. The boys noticed that he made even the most mundane stretch of the journey seem magical. There was something about Gay that reminded the Boy of Queer—at least back when they first met him. But Queer seemed not to have recovered from his mishap during the river crossing earlier, sullen and withdrawn, he kept a bit of distance from the group.
At long last, the mountain path began to level out, then angle downward. They made it over the high point, and now faced the descent, which they soon found far less pleasant. The weather shifted quickly from balmy to bitterly cold. They started to see the fog of their breath appear in clouds, and snow began to fall, lightly at first, and then harder. The wind hurled the snowflakes in their faces, stinging their cheeks. The boys had not prepared for cold weather like this, and they walked hunched over, their arms folded, shivering uncontrollably. As the snow covered the ground in a thick layer, it became even more treacherous to walk, and they feared that they would freeze and be lost forever. But all at once Gay, who even in the midst of a blizzard found time to explore, called out that he had found a cave in which they could rest. They rushed toward the sound of his voice and crowded through the entrance.
Without much light, they stumbled around until they found themselves in an open space, large enough for them all to huddle together in a circle and let the snow melt from their clothes. A slight draft came in from the entrance to the cave, but the shared warmth of their bodies made them quite comfortable. Long moments passed, and they fell asleep while leaning on one another, each one alternating between dreams and nightmares. But suddenly, a tremendous crashing sound shot through the cave and woke them. A fresh cold chill reached them as they squinted in the sudden brightness. As their eyes adjusted they saw an immense pile of stone illuminated by the world of white outside, and realized that a portion of the cave had collapsed! But before they had much time to consider how this could have happened or what to do next, they heard a menacing growl from deeper within the cave, and saw the face of a large bear poke out from behind the rubble. Without hesitation, the five boys fled the cave as quickly as possible and ran into the snow again.
They caught glimpses of the bear as they sped downhill, and panicked as it got closer and closer. Filled with dread of those terrible teeth and claws, they focused solely on putting one foot in front of the other, trying their best to keep their balance as they ran. After what felt like hours (but which was probably only a few moments), Queer suddenly stopped, called out at the four other boys to proceed without him, and turned back. They could not bring themselves to protest, and kept running. As they ran, they heard terrible roars from the bear, then blood-curdling screams from Queer, and finally, an even more terrible silence. They slowed to a jog. The snow thinned as they continued, and then they began to see green again: grass, tree leaves. The path reemerged, and they followed it all the way down to the base, where they caught their breath. The Boy and Nameless shared a look of sadness and shock. Homosexual, usually so sure of himself, seemed especially small and helpless now, staring at an empty space on the ground. Gay sat curled up on the ground and fought back tears.
For long moments they kept silent and still, their heavy breaths the only sound they could hear. But in the midst of the silence, they heard the sound of footsteps. Turning, they saw Queer approaching, his clothing ripped, his skin scratched and bleeding, but miraculously in one piece. They ran to embrace him. Once they calmed down, he explained. He had learned a long time ago that in order to survive a bear attack, it was imperative to be loud and to make oneself as loud and large as possible—silence was not an option, not if you wanted to live. He recounted how he screamed with all his might and stretched his arms out wide at either side, even as the bear roared menacingly. At last, confused and intimidated, the bear turned away and ceased its pursuit. As Queer shared his story, the Boy and Nameless found themselves in awe of his bravery, wondering if they would have been able to do the same. They also noticed that his demeanor had changed again. He was no longer sullen and withdrawn, but not quite back to normal either. There was something new burning in his eyes.
The story concluded, they readied themselves for another leg of the journey. They started walking through another vast, grassy plain, with Queer now leading the way. Gay, especially glad to see Queer alive again, stayed close at his side. The Boy and Nameless followed them, and Homosexual brought up the rear, no longer barking out commands. The grass thinned and turned into dirt again, drier and drier, large cracks appearing with increasing frequency. The sun beat down on them, and they felt their skin beginning to burn. But strangely, despite the dryness, the boys began to hear the faint noise of rushing water. Soon, they found themselves on the edge of a deep canyon, and as they peered over the edge, they saw at the bottom the same river they had crossed earlier, But now, it was even wider and had a far more powerful current, impossible to wade across. As they stood scratching their heads, at a loss for how to cross, another boy approached. He introduced himself as Same-Sex Attracted, shook each of their hands, and mentioned he was heading in the same direction (but who knows for how long). The boys immediately welcomed him into their party.
Same-Sex Attracted was the youngest yet, only slightly larger than Gay, and he carried a backpack that was almost half his size, covered in pockets and compartments. He took it off his shoulders and unzipped it, revealing a long, coiled rope and large, multi-pronged metal hook (Homosexual gasped under his breath in appreciation). Same-Sex Attracted seemed to know exactly what to do, and explained the procedure to the boys. First, they would toss the rope with the hook at the end to the other side, where it would lodge itself in the rocks. Next, they would secure the rope to a rock on this side. And finally, they would climb across one by one. This made perfect sense, of course–they knew they had to cross this way—but that did not stop their hearts from pounding at the thought of being suspended so high above the rushing river below.
Homosexual, eager to help, volunteered to toss the hook. He pitched it with all his strength, and it lodged itself firmly in between two rocks on the other side. He tested it with a firm tug, then passed it to Same-Sex Attracted for confirmation. It was secure. Same-Sex Attracted then took the rope and wrapped it tightly several times around a nearby rock, tying the end in an intricate knot. He tested the rope once more, then told the group the order of their crossing. He would be the first to cross, in order to show the group how it was done, and Homosexual would be the last. Homosexual stood a little taller at this, proud. Same-Sex Attracted took the rope expertly in his hands, walked to the edge of the cliff, then launched into a pattern of swinging his arms forward, alternating between right and left hands. He crossed easily, and before the rest of the boys could even call out their encouragement, he had made it to the other side, and stood there waiting for them.
The Boy was next. He grabbed the rope and walked as far as he could, until his feet began to lift slightly off the rock. He took a steadying breath, then imitated Same-Sex attracted, swinging forward and alternating his hands. As much as he could, he focused on his grip, trying his best to block out the sound of the other boys that only made him nervous. Before he knew it, he reached the other side and his feet stood firmly on the ground. Nameless followed in much the same way. Gay, after a moment’s hesitation, climbed up on top of the rope and looped his legs around it before swinging upside down, pulling himself forward with his hands. Queer followed, and took the same approach as Gay–but as he came to the mid-point between the two sides, the rope drooped and swayed, and this slowed him down. But he, too, eventually found himself on the other side. With each arrival, the boys celebrated.
Finally, it was Homosexual’s turn. The feeling of uncertainty that had hung in the air was gone. He began confidently, swinging forward in a regular rhythm. A few short moments and he was a quarter of the way across, then half, then even closer. But just before he reached the rest of the group, the rope suddenly went slack, and he began to fall. The knot had slipped from the rock on the other side! His eyes widened, his shoulders tensed, and he switched his grip on the rope just in time to be slammed against the cliff face, and disappeared for a moment in a cloud of dust. When it cleared, the boys saw that Homosexual was still hanging on, battered and bruised but alive. Homosexual took a moment to get his bearings, then gritted his teeth and slowly ascended, his hands on the rope and feet on the cliff. With the encouragement of the other boys–and an extended hand from Same-Sex Attracted—he finally crawled up and over the ledge. He collapsed on his back, breathing heavily. The boys cheered.
And after a moment of rest, the six boys continued on. The Boy and Nameless walked side-by-side as they had done since the beginning of the journey. Gay continued his fantastic storytelling, now punctuated every once in a while by a witty comment or embellishment by Queer. Same-Sex attracted elected to walk beside Homosexual, in case Homosexual needed to lean against him as they marched.
My mind and heart are burning with insight AND curiosity!