Lake Of Time

Why does time pass?

It seems so abstract, and we can't understand it. Before we can even get a grasp, it's gone. It passes. Why? Why, why, why?

I died on my way home. I walked through a bad area in my neighborhood BANG! Dead.

I appeared on the news, and you knew me. You knew what I was wearing, you knew the time I was discovered dead, but you turned off the television before they could say my name.

But today's story isn't about me.

It's about you.

You were on your way home when you forgot to put on your seat belt. The car crashed and EMTs quickly rushed to the site. You were barely breathing, I mean a LOT of your bones were crushed. I'm pretty sure anyone would be struggling to talk or even breathe.

You knew it was the end for you. Before you passed, you just wanted to acknowledge, even if it was just to yourself, that it was the end of your life.

Then, you saw a white light.

When the light cleared you saw that you were by a lake with plants gracing its edges, trees, and forests beyond it. The grass below your feet was the greenest grass you have ever seen

“Am I… dead?” 

You heard a voice, a voice that happened to be mine.

"You're not dead, you're near death. Very thin line but an important distinction."

You shrieked.

"If I'm not dead yet, what am I doing seeing the dead girl on the news?!"

"Oh, me? I saw you on your way here and thought you might be lonely if I didn't come to talk to you. Blam! Here I am!"

"You sound so enthusiastic." You didn't like me.

"Hmm." I hummed. "I know."

It was then that realization suddenly hit you. You wanted to live.

"Wait! I can't be here! I need to be on EARTH! I need to live!"

"Dunno about that. I'm just here to ensure that if you die, you have a good afterlife."

Safe to say that you were panicking. You sputtered out some questions without thought.

"Will I live?"

"I don't know."

"Will I die?"

"I don't know."

"How long will I stay here?"

"It depends on whether you live or die." I said minding my nails.

"But you can't even answer my question about whether I'll live or die." You whined.

"Exactly. In short, I don't know."

"So you don't know anything about me?"

"Well, I don't know MUCH. All I know is that EMTs on earth are trying to save you."

You looked so distressed. I can't describe in proper words how much you looked as if you wanted to bury yourself in a hole and disappear.

"Why did time have to pass the way it did? Why did it have to pass with me almost dying, I mean I'll probably live but there's still the possibility that I'll still die!"

It was then that you took a sudden interest in me.

"Who were you before you died? Were you someone who too questioned time?"

"You're curious about me?"

"If I wasn't why would I be asking?"

I thought for a while on what to tell you. I needed to keep it short.

"Well, I don’t know what to tell you. I was also an unimportant person who owned a cat. A cat that my friend Jaden decided to look after when she found out I died."

I pursed my lips, for the silence that ensued after was unbearable. I asked you a question.

"Are you afraid? I mean I know you don't want to die, but are you AFRAID of dying?"

"What? No! Not at all." You said turning away from me, sarcasm in your tone.

"It's not like I'm afraid that my friends will stop remembering me, It's not like I'm afraid of how my family will do without me..."

You continued on and on, eventually lifting your hands from the grass to wipe some tears that were flowing from your eyes.

When you were finally choking on your sobs, (I did nothing about it. I just let you cry.) you turned to me.

"If time didn't pass like it did, do you think I'd still be perfectly alive instead of being half-dead?"

"Perhaps." I said, seemingly unfazed by your question.

"You've been here longer than me, right?" The question came in a mumble from your mouth, in the tone that you'd use when asking a rhetorical question. I replied with a quick nod.

"Then tell me. Why does time pass like it does?"

"I'll tell you, but I want something in return." I said as if I were a child asking for a penny after doing a chore. "What can you offer me?"

You thought a while, while you dried your tears, still sniffling.

"Are you alone most of the time?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll offer you my friendship if you answer my question. I know it's not much but-"

I smiled, ecstatic at the idea of making a new friend.

"Deal."

Then, I stood extending my hand for you to take.

"Walk with me."

There wasn't much in my tone, but something about it compelled you to follow along.

"I want you to look at this lake." And so you looked.

"We think we understand what's in it. I mean, we know there are fish, we know that it's surrounded by land, and we know that it's a body of water. Lastly, we know that it isn't an ocean and that it's made of freshwater."

You nodded. Of course, everything I was saying was things taught in primary school.

"There are many things we know and have discovered, but there are some things we do not know just by looking at it. We don't know how deep it is. We don't know ALL of the creatures that lie in its depths. Of course, our creator knows, but I wouldn't ask him about such trivial matters."

You looked at me as if I were some madwoman who had no intention of answering your question. 

"And what does this have to do with: 'Why does time pass?'"

"I want you to imagine that this lake is time. We keep thinking that we understand every inch of its concept, and we keep thinking that this concept is that time is abstract. I mean, there are things that we DO know. We know how to measure it, yet we do not know for sure WHY we do it. Even I don't know why we humans try to measure something so abstract. It might look as if there is nothing concrete about time. In a way, that IS correct, but there is ONE universal truth."

"Which is?"

"Time passes for a reason."

You looked across the lake, and I noticed.

"If the lake is time, what's across the lake?" You asked, pointing.

"If the lake is time, then across it is the full understanding of time. We don't understand ALL of it from where we are currently standing. We need to cross to get the FULL understanding of it. You want to cross the lake, and you can't just go around it."

It was my turn to point, but this time towards the sky.

"Hey. Look at that bird. It flies and can land so gracefully on the water as if the liquid didn't exist at all. you want to be like that bird, ever so easily being able to cross the lake."

"But there's no bridge. It's impossible to cross."

"Do you see anything ON the lake that I could use as stepping stones?"

"Only leaves."

I looked at you with my eyes filled with shine.

"Then, leaves it is."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

"You're crazy."

"Perhaps."

Pulling my sleeves back, I lifted my skirts.

Then, I ran.

Everything you saw looked like a dream.

Trees with auburn leaves swaying in the wind, as the same breeze rustled my clothes and my hair. Water tickled your feet as you stood so close to the lake. Leaves fell from the trees and landed so gracefully in the water making it ripple.

My heel landed in the water, disturbing the fish, causing them to scatter in all directions.

You thought your eyes were deceiving you as you saw what happened next.

I walked.

Only three steps across but the important thing is that I walked.

Splash.

I laughed heartily as I was soaked from head to toe, swimming back to shore.

"It was impossible." I said once I had risen from the waters.

"Wow. Didn't you consider that before you soaked yourself? Seems like I WILL remember this once the EMTs bring me back."

"Of course I knew, silly duck. At least I made it around three steps across."

"If the other side of the lake was the end of time, what did you get out of trying to cross it? Are you telling me that we must reach the end of time to understand it? If that's what you're trying to tell me, that doesn't make sense. Does that mean we can never fully understand time?"

I snapped out of my shivering state for a while, pointing my hands in finger guns towards you.

"Bingo." 

"If it was impossible to understand time, in this case, cross the lake, what did you get out of this?" 

"I learned that I needed to swim."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Our journey in understanding the concept requires us to swim in the lakes of time. Sometimes you feel that the lake is against you, or sometimes you might even feel like you’re getting nowhere. Even though you feel like this though, some days you feel as if you can conquer the lake, that you can fully understand time and live your life to the fullest. No matter what though, there is one thing that stands the most important.” 

"What is it?"

"You should learn to keep swimming."

The smile returned to my eyes as I slumped down on the grass. 

"Time passes for a reason. It is for us to keep swimming. It passes for people to forget what they want or need to, for people to form connections with others, and it passes for people to understand time. Only slightly. Not fully. Most importantly, it passes for people to return to their creator."

Then for the first time that day, I turned and looked you in the eye. I eyed you with utmost sincerity that you were almost scared. 

"Appreciate the times you have, but don't be afraid to move on. Don't be afraid. Time passes for a reason. The reason it passes is different for each individual. The only universal truth is that it passes for a reason."

It was then that you saw a white light. It was almost as if you were returning to your living state!

“I’m doing it. I’m coming back to life! I’m sorry I couldn’t grant you my friendship today! I promise I’ll be back in the future. Once it’s my time, I’ll be back, and we can walk the afterlife together.”

I shook my head with a sad, ‘no’. 

“Listen to me, dear. I’m happy that you think so positively. I am pleased but…”

You looked at me. The light began to fade and the lake’s scenery was closing in on you again.

“What’s happening?!” You asked, clearly alarmed. No… this couldn’t be.

“Sadly, time passes for a reason. One reason is for people to return to their creator. Come.” I said, trying to put a hand on your shoulder, but you jerked away, landing harshly on the grass. 

“DON’T TOUCH ME! IF YOU TOUCH ME, I’M SURE TO BE ALREADY DEAD!”

I didn’t do anything but stand in front of you, my hand outstretched for you to take. 

“Come now. Let time take its natural course. Your time is up, you’re done swimming. If you don’t want to think of it as a lake, then alright. Think of it as an hourglass. Your sand has run out. Let’s go.”

You had no more tears left to cry. You never expected to make a friend in the afterlife after you died, but here you were, taking my hand as I led you to paradise.