There once lived a young mongoose named Ninkilie. He was born and raised in the valley on the island of Mamahoohoo. This terrain resembled a wide and deep cone, with their village at the bottom. It was said that those who tried to leave never survived. The first challenge would be to climb the steep walls that surrounded them; thus, no one in recent generations ever made the attempt.
For many, there
was no reason to ever leave, as all the resources to prosper and enjoy life
were all in the valley. Despite this, Ninkilie was always curious of
the world outside. He would go to bed every night, and dream of all the
adventures that he would like to experience. The books he read from the travels
of his ancestors prior to building and settling in his village sparked his
imagination.
He fanaticized about sailing the open sea, traveling to distant lands, interacting with other species, trying different foods, and exploring different cultures; concurrently learning and expanding his mind for the better. And when he was done with his journey, Ninkilie thought about returning to give back to the village that has given him so much; sharing his bounty of goods from his voyages, along with the many stories he would tell.
As one could fathom, his family belittled his dream. They would point to others in the village who were doing quite well for themselves, and have done their duty of giving back to the community. Some of them even found covertly clever ways to disparage Ninkilie; frequently projecting their own demons, all while showing their loving face towards him amongst the tribe. Ninkilie's father always compared him to the other children, and on many occasions scolded him in public; often in front of his siblings.
Humiliated and frustrated, Ninkilie was determined more than ever to leave Mamahoohoo. He just
needed to figure out how. He went back to the village books and maps of his
ancestors, and studied them religiously. His research paid off, as he finally
devised a meticulous plan for his escape. The key, he would soon
discover, was a need for a major distraction for a discreet exodus.
That day came
in the form of a monsoon. Ninkilie was prepared for this, as he had also scrutinized his ancestors' almanacs, did the anticipatory calculations, and had timed everything right for this moment. While
his pounding heart felt like it was in his throat and his head racing with nervous
energy, he remained focused on the task at hand.
The valley was
quickly inundated with colossal winds and torrential rain,
devastating the village, as all the mongooses scattered for higher
ground. Because the valley was cone-like, the bottom was soon
flooding. Ninkilie had developed a floatation device, that would take him
to as high as it could, so he could climb out the rest of the way.
Many of the villagers, including much of Ninkilie's family, luckily found refuge in a cave mid-way to
the top. Soon, everyone discovered Ninkilie across the way attempting to climb out
of the valley. Just as all gazed in disbelief, the downpour got so
intense that it blocked their view. There was a consensus among kin that
not only would Ninkilie not make it out of the valley, he would fall off and drown in the deep waters below. They also predicted that his body would then sink to the bottom, and they would lovingly hold a service and cremate him once the monsoon had passed.
[To be
continued...]
AMOR FATI
Thank you and
good night.
P.S. Happy Winter Solstice and Happy Holidays!
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