Unikum august 2020

INTO THE UNKNOWN
The place is so much bigger than I imagined it with so many new people. And they all look as lost as me, like sheep awaiting the guidance of their shepherd.
***
I wake up.
Tobias Klausen
Forfatter
Submerged in an ocean of darkness, my
hands frantically thrash around, trying
to grasp anything, trying to ensure that
I′m not slowly drowning in this murk.
Is this a dream? A nightmare? Or is it
reality? I hear sounds, voices perhaps,
and the faint whispers of “SO” and “FI”.
In my mind, dark shapes bounce about,
but the darkness obscures all but their
crooked outlines. Finally, my hand lands
upon cold stone, my feet plant themselves
on solid ground. I′m not drowning
in a sea of uncertainty anymore.
A flicker?
A tiny light playfully dances at the outer
edge of the blackness. It is beckoning
for me to follow. Do I dare venture forward?
To leave the comfort of the dark,
the only thing I seem to know? No, I can′t
let my bravery falter here. How will I
ever move forward if I′m too scared to
take the next step? And so, with regret,
fear, anxiety, curiosity, excitement, nervousness,
and hope, I leave the obscurity
of uncertainty and wander into the
unknown.
***
I′m here, finally. It′s all new and…terrifying.
Will I be happy here? Or all alone
again? What will this year bring me?
I bask in the glory of luminosity as the
new realm I enter light up with the
flight of ten thousand fireflies. A forest,
dense with vegetation and enormous
trees towering towards the canvas of
night, a million twinkling stars painted
upon its dark background. Flowers
of every color imaginable overrun the
many forest paths, in complete bloom,
smelling of foreignism and adventure.
There was a multitude of dirt paths, but
all overspread with roots and blooms.
Every road looked less traveled. Meaning,
no road would be easy, but the
sights they contained, would probably
be irreplaceable.
A dark cave is where I emerge from,
my hand reluctant in letting entirely go
of the stone entrance, letting go of the
last comfort I know. If I do, I will be fully
embraced by the unknown. But was
that a bad thing? I could always go back,
couldn′t I? I feel my heart race at the
prospect of not knowing what′s to come,
where to go, the lack of direction. But
how would I move forward if I′m afraid
of taking the next step?
I finally let go.
***
Breath. Just breath. I′ll be okay.
I′ll be okay. I′ll be okay…
***
With every step, I′m sure I hear a new
sound from the creatures of the forest.
I have yet to see them, but I hear strange
calls, shouts without comprehensible
words. My heart skips a beat every time,
with the fear that it might be targeted at
me, but that is yet to be proven true. I
had willingly walked into this peculiar
place; I couldn′t let my bravery waver at
every turn to encounter new experiences.
I navigate one of the many overgrown
paths, how I picked this one I couldn′t
possibly fathom. The mysterious power
of Fate′s hand wasn′t for mortals to
comprehend. It leads me down towards
a humongous lake. I can touch the clear
night sky, which is so perfectly encapsulated
in the water′s reflection. With
a single touch, I send a shockwave, sending
the stars into a tumbling dance
with each new ripple. It′s was a breathtaking
sight to behold. As I rip my eyes
from the water, I look up to find a plethora
of flowers and creatures has gathered
around, some beholding the sight
of the rippling night sky, others there
to quench their thirst. Some shapes
AUGUST 2018 UNIKUM NR 6 19