Life's Key
I was bored so I wrote a sad little story... hope you like it.
"Come here child..." said the aged, worn looking tiger wrapped tightly in a large green blanket on his bed. "I have something to tell you..."
"What is it grandpa?" said the much younger tiger fighting back his tears sitting in a chair.
"Child... you have so much ahead of you, and you have no idea. I have sat in this bed for almost three years now with nothing more of the world then what I can see out that window. It has given me a lot of time to think. Think about my life, think about the decisions I have made, think about what I want to pass on to you..." The old tiger reached out and the grandchild reached up and embraced his trembling paw. "There is so much to tell you, but not nearly enough time for it all. You are going to have to find out about many things on your own. Some things just can't be told, but I will tell you what I can.
"Life is a journey, and you will travel great distances in your existence. You may not get very far physically, but the places you will go in your heart, and the things you will see in your soul will be the greatest experience you will ever have. You don't know it yet, but you are already far along on this little trip. Every day provides you with what you need to travel the next part of your journey. The things you learn, the people you meet; they are all tools that will get to farther than you can ever imagine!
"When you are old like me you can start to see the distance in people. You can see how far they have gotten, and you can see how far they will go. You know how you can tell?" the old tiger said looking into the grandchild's eyes.
The young tiger shook his head.
"I can see it in your eyes. They are a window into your heart, and written on your heart is everything you have done and I can see the room that is left for what you will do. When I look into your eyes I see a very large heart that already has seen so much in your twenty years. But there is so much room left that I know you will see so much more. You have a good heart, and it will be your best companion on your very long journey. I have great hope for you.
"When I look inside of me, I can see my heart. It is much smaller than yours, but it is covered in everything I have picked up along the way. I'm old, and my journey is almost through. I still have a little room left for that tiny last lesson, but soon it will be full and I will have reached my final destination.
"Don't fear the end. I did for so many years. I was so afraid of my mortality that my heart began to shrink because I stopped traveling to see if I could get more time. But that isn't how it works. You can't try to prolong the journey by putting it on pause. You just end up wasting what little time you have. Don't do what I did. I lost so much, and now I have the small heart to prove it. You have such possibility; never limit yourself.
There will be things on your journey that with fill your heart up more than others. These things are the kinds of things that are impossible to describe; like love. Things like love can only be felt in the heart, and therefore they affect the heart more than anything else. I wish I could tell you more about these types of things, but they haven't invented words to describe them with the passion they disserve.
"Someday... someday you will find the right one; the right friend to travel along with you on your journey. You won't be able to tell at first, but something will happen... something will bring you two together and that indescribably powerful bond will tie you to them forever. You will feel it in your heart. Just keep watching for them, they could be anywhere in this world, but someday you will meet; it is part of your journey.
"Eventually your heart will start to fill. It will be covered in what you have done, where you have been, and who you have met. You will start to see it within you and you will start to understand the true purpose to this existence. I would tell you about life and its meaning, but I don't want to ruin the surprise!
"Someday you will see it and you will be in my spot telling your grandchild this. Your journey will come to an end, and you will understand everything that you have ever wondered about. You will finally have enough time to stop and read over your heart. You will realize the mistakes you have made. You will remember the things that make life worth living. You will look back on everything and you will finally see the truth.
"But that will only happen when you are ready. The end of your journey is that final key to life; that final piece of the puzzle you have spent your life trying to get.
"You know what?" the grandfather said quietly to the grandchild, who bent in closer to listen to his faint whisper. "I found that key a long time ago. It was there like it should have been. It was presented to me and I took it. But instead of looking like most do, I wrapped it up and put it away. My journey was coming to an end, but I knew that there was so much more; I couldn't end it then. So I kept it locked up... but I think I am finally ready to open it..." The tiger smiled as he closed his eyes.
"I've been tempted to look at it many times before of course. Who wouldn't want to know the key to life? But I managed to stay strong and keep on going so I could learn those last few lessons I knew I needed before my time was up. But now I know my heart is full. There just isn't any more room. That last empty spot is filling up as we speak. My journey is finally over, and I'm ready to unwrap life's secrets, and I want you to be there when I do it..."
The grandchild squeezed the tiger's hand.
"Don't be worried child. It's my time. Now, I'm going to get the package I keep the key in. It's a lot more heavy then I thought it would be... but it is life's secret, I would hope it would be heavy. I'm opening up the box and pulling out the bundle I wrapped oh so many years ago.
"You know... I got this key when your grandmother died. No one else could see it, but before she left she handed it to me. Her time was up and she had put the last pieces together, and she gave it to me."
Another tear rolled down the elderly tiger's striped fur.
"Ok... I'm undoing the wrapping... Almost there... It is getting heavier! One more layer... There." The tiger stopped. His eyes still closed, he smiled and gave a little chuckle.
The grandchild felt the old tigers paw get heavy and go limp. He placed the paw gently down on his grandfather's chest and stood up. He was now the only one in the room and the silence became deafening. Tears started rolling down his cheek fur as he walked out of the room.
He leaned against the wall and slid down onto the floor wiping his eyes. He looked up and there in front of him was a small package wrapped in string. He picked it up and looked at it. Written on the bottom was a message.
For when your long journey is over and the time is right.
Love, Grandma and Grandpa.