BANANA BONANZA!
Once upon a time, a long time ago, Luke had a contest on his website. Pictures of bananas were hidden all over the website. Then someone won, like, the only person who actually viewed the website at that time. The prize was the opportunity to have their masterpiece hosted in this website. And then time passed, and the masterpiece took a long time to finish. And then, it was completed.
It feels slightly irreverent to have such a weird story and title above and then this beautiful and serious masterpiece below. But hey, what's life without a little chaos, eh?
Without further ado, from the winner of the Banana Bonanza:
It feels slightly irreverent to have such a weird story and title above and then this beautiful and serious masterpiece below. But hey, what's life without a little chaos, eh?
Without further ado, from the winner of the Banana Bonanza:
Chains
The chains that bind my ankles and wrists jangle with each step that I take. Slowly, step after step becomes mile after mile. Every thought has fled my mind, save one.
Onward.
Every fiber of my being screams for me to keep going. I continue my mindless steps forward, unsure of where I am going or what I am looking for.
I have been walking through the blistering heat of the afternoon and the arctic chill of the night for days, but I don't recall how many. My lips are parched and chapped by the merciless wind. I have lost all sense of time and self. The only thing that remains within me is a sense of urgency. I must move on.
Blisters form on my feet, yet I continue to trudge forward. My stomach aches. I can't recall the last time I ate, and I have consumed every last drop that remained in my canteen. My hunger is crippling, and with each step, I gain another chain. I fall to my knees.
I am unable to get back on my feet. I mustn't give up. I move forward on my knees. Soon, my knees can no longer support me and I collapse onto the ground.
I can not stop now. I inch my way forward on my stomach using the little strength I have left, but it isn't long until that is gone.
I lay paralyzed on the sand. All thoughts are lost, and I watch the vultures circling above me. They are hungry too.
My vision blurs, and I can no longer see them. The dusty color surrounding me fades to gray, and the lids of my eyes are getting heavier by the second. Keeping them open is a fight, one that I do not have the strength to win.
Blackness envelops me, and I feel as if I am nowhere and everywhere. Insubstantially existent, a part of nothing and everything all at the same time.
My eyes snap open. I am dazed. Confused.
Redundant.
And I look around, trying to orient myself. This is not the scene I remember. Where have the sand and the vultures gone?
Another dream.
An empty room surrounds me. The sand is gone, but the same desolation that haunted me there has followed me here. I stand. I take a few steps. I am strong. I am strong?
I am walking again. I leave the house, and--not knowing anything better to do--begin walking again.
I am in a city filled with people. The chains that bind my ankles and wrists jangle with every step I take. Minutes turn to hours, and the sun has soon fled the sky.
The street lights are bright, the traffic is loud. I wander through the streets, and accompanying every step I take is the resounding metallic sound of metal on stone.
The road I follow is dark, but I keep walking because it is the only thing I know how to do. But I am not alone this time. There are thousands of people walking on this road. Can they hear my chains? With each step they are getting heavier.
The eyes of the people are hollow, lifeless. No, they can't hear my chains. They can't hear anything.
I am surrounded by people, but I have never felt so alone. The wind is blowing.
I am alone.
I have wandered from the beaten path. How I came to this place, I scarcely know.
In the darkness I sit, utterly alone. The cruel wind blows. It is an icy draft that chills me to the bone. My chains, which once merely bound me, now stretch a hundred miles behind me. The immeasurable weight of a lifetime of wandering steps is too much.
I am lost. I can not move on.
I thought I heard something. A voice.
But it couldn't be. It has been so long since I heard a voice.
Words drift over the vast landscape and fall on my ears a second time. They are nearly indecipherable. Then, just as quickly as they came, they are lost again.
My head hangs in despair, all hope has fled.
'How came you to this place?'
It is the voice. I sit still, I sit in fear.
'How came you to be here?' The voice, threatening, and icy as the wind, chilled me to the depths of my soul. The wind howled around me. Tears streamed down my face.
'SPEAK! From where do you come?'
My mind flashed back to the desert. Hot. Tired. Thirsty. Weakness. Chains. Blackness. Waking. Walking. Chains. People. Deaf. Alone. Wandering.
Alone. Wandering.
A single sob tore itself from my throat. The wind is merciless, stabbing like icy daggers. I try to stand, to escape, but the chains that bind me will not relinquish their grip.
I lay on the ground, hugging my knees tightly to my chest. I close my eyes. This is the end.
When I opened my eyes again, I looked around. There were stars, sparkling in the midnight sky. The icy chill was gone.
There was a warm breeze. Warmth, not scorching. Pleasant. My lips curl up, giving the slightest hint of a smile.
There is a whisper in the breeze. Soft, and gentle.
'Hello?' I whisper.
'Greetings, wanderer.' It responded, weaving in and out of the blades of grass upon which I lay.
'Who are you?' I asked aloud, using a voice that I had nearly forgotten I possessed.
A long silence ensued, but I could feel the presence in the breeze.
'I... I am the spirit of the wind.' The voice lilted around me in a delicate dance, and the light, beautiful fragrance of flowers followed where it went. 'Long have I watched your journeyings, lonely traveler. Long have I watched as you wandered from place to place. Long have you traveled, long have you been alone.'
'Can you help me?' I asked, hopeful.
'If I knew how to help a mortal,' the voice softly laughed, 'would not I have done so, many years ago?'
My hope fell.
'Do not despair,' the voice whispered. 'I will do what I can to improve your situation. One thing you may ask of me, one wish I will grant you. Whatever you wish, it will be yours. Ponder long and hard.'
But I already knew what I would wish for. 'Please, make the people see me.'
The musical laughter came again. 'But they can see you.'
'Then why, in my time of need, did not they help me?' I shouted angrily. 'Why, when they saw a weary traveler, did they walk past with blind eyes and deaf ears?'
'That which you see in others, is merely a reflection of yourself. Did you truly see them, or did you also walk past with eyes so blinded by your own misery that you could not see them for what they were?'
'Then help me with this chain. If only I could be free of it, I could make a life for myself. I could be happy.'
'This is a chain of your own creation.' The voice said. 'What power it has, it has been given by you. You are the only one who can rid yourself of this chain.' The presence began to withdraw.
'How do I escape from it?' I asked. 'Please, tell me! Do not leave me here!'
'You have to let it go. Farewell, traveler.'
And then it was gone.
I spent a long time pondering the words the voice had left me. The chain was of my own creation? I examined it carefully. Each link was not heavy, but when they were combined it was impossible to budge. Was it true, did I really have the power to be rid of it?
I had to let it go.
And as I stared at the chains which had bound me for so many years... I realized that it was easy to let it go.
I stood up. The shackles fell.
I smiled. I threw the chains from my body and leapt for joy. I laughed. It was as if the weight of seven worlds had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt like I could fly.
And then I began walking.
Towards the sunrise and full of hope, I began walking.
Onward.
Every fiber of my being screams for me to keep going. I continue my mindless steps forward, unsure of where I am going or what I am looking for.
I have been walking through the blistering heat of the afternoon and the arctic chill of the night for days, but I don't recall how many. My lips are parched and chapped by the merciless wind. I have lost all sense of time and self. The only thing that remains within me is a sense of urgency. I must move on.
Blisters form on my feet, yet I continue to trudge forward. My stomach aches. I can't recall the last time I ate, and I have consumed every last drop that remained in my canteen. My hunger is crippling, and with each step, I gain another chain. I fall to my knees.
I am unable to get back on my feet. I mustn't give up. I move forward on my knees. Soon, my knees can no longer support me and I collapse onto the ground.
I can not stop now. I inch my way forward on my stomach using the little strength I have left, but it isn't long until that is gone.
I lay paralyzed on the sand. All thoughts are lost, and I watch the vultures circling above me. They are hungry too.
My vision blurs, and I can no longer see them. The dusty color surrounding me fades to gray, and the lids of my eyes are getting heavier by the second. Keeping them open is a fight, one that I do not have the strength to win.
Blackness envelops me, and I feel as if I am nowhere and everywhere. Insubstantially existent, a part of nothing and everything all at the same time.
My eyes snap open. I am dazed. Confused.
Redundant.
And I look around, trying to orient myself. This is not the scene I remember. Where have the sand and the vultures gone?
Another dream.
An empty room surrounds me. The sand is gone, but the same desolation that haunted me there has followed me here. I stand. I take a few steps. I am strong. I am strong?
I am walking again. I leave the house, and--not knowing anything better to do--begin walking again.
I am in a city filled with people. The chains that bind my ankles and wrists jangle with every step I take. Minutes turn to hours, and the sun has soon fled the sky.
The street lights are bright, the traffic is loud. I wander through the streets, and accompanying every step I take is the resounding metallic sound of metal on stone.
The road I follow is dark, but I keep walking because it is the only thing I know how to do. But I am not alone this time. There are thousands of people walking on this road. Can they hear my chains? With each step they are getting heavier.
The eyes of the people are hollow, lifeless. No, they can't hear my chains. They can't hear anything.
I am surrounded by people, but I have never felt so alone. The wind is blowing.
I am alone.
I have wandered from the beaten path. How I came to this place, I scarcely know.
In the darkness I sit, utterly alone. The cruel wind blows. It is an icy draft that chills me to the bone. My chains, which once merely bound me, now stretch a hundred miles behind me. The immeasurable weight of a lifetime of wandering steps is too much.
I am lost. I can not move on.
I thought I heard something. A voice.
But it couldn't be. It has been so long since I heard a voice.
Words drift over the vast landscape and fall on my ears a second time. They are nearly indecipherable. Then, just as quickly as they came, they are lost again.
My head hangs in despair, all hope has fled.
'How came you to this place?'
It is the voice. I sit still, I sit in fear.
'How came you to be here?' The voice, threatening, and icy as the wind, chilled me to the depths of my soul. The wind howled around me. Tears streamed down my face.
'SPEAK! From where do you come?'
My mind flashed back to the desert. Hot. Tired. Thirsty. Weakness. Chains. Blackness. Waking. Walking. Chains. People. Deaf. Alone. Wandering.
Alone. Wandering.
A single sob tore itself from my throat. The wind is merciless, stabbing like icy daggers. I try to stand, to escape, but the chains that bind me will not relinquish their grip.
I lay on the ground, hugging my knees tightly to my chest. I close my eyes. This is the end.
When I opened my eyes again, I looked around. There were stars, sparkling in the midnight sky. The icy chill was gone.
There was a warm breeze. Warmth, not scorching. Pleasant. My lips curl up, giving the slightest hint of a smile.
There is a whisper in the breeze. Soft, and gentle.
'Hello?' I whisper.
'Greetings, wanderer.' It responded, weaving in and out of the blades of grass upon which I lay.
'Who are you?' I asked aloud, using a voice that I had nearly forgotten I possessed.
A long silence ensued, but I could feel the presence in the breeze.
'I... I am the spirit of the wind.' The voice lilted around me in a delicate dance, and the light, beautiful fragrance of flowers followed where it went. 'Long have I watched your journeyings, lonely traveler. Long have I watched as you wandered from place to place. Long have you traveled, long have you been alone.'
'Can you help me?' I asked, hopeful.
'If I knew how to help a mortal,' the voice softly laughed, 'would not I have done so, many years ago?'
My hope fell.
'Do not despair,' the voice whispered. 'I will do what I can to improve your situation. One thing you may ask of me, one wish I will grant you. Whatever you wish, it will be yours. Ponder long and hard.'
But I already knew what I would wish for. 'Please, make the people see me.'
The musical laughter came again. 'But they can see you.'
'Then why, in my time of need, did not they help me?' I shouted angrily. 'Why, when they saw a weary traveler, did they walk past with blind eyes and deaf ears?'
'That which you see in others, is merely a reflection of yourself. Did you truly see them, or did you also walk past with eyes so blinded by your own misery that you could not see them for what they were?'
'Then help me with this chain. If only I could be free of it, I could make a life for myself. I could be happy.'
'This is a chain of your own creation.' The voice said. 'What power it has, it has been given by you. You are the only one who can rid yourself of this chain.' The presence began to withdraw.
'How do I escape from it?' I asked. 'Please, tell me! Do not leave me here!'
'You have to let it go. Farewell, traveler.'
And then it was gone.
I spent a long time pondering the words the voice had left me. The chain was of my own creation? I examined it carefully. Each link was not heavy, but when they were combined it was impossible to budge. Was it true, did I really have the power to be rid of it?
I had to let it go.
And as I stared at the chains which had bound me for so many years... I realized that it was easy to let it go.
I stood up. The shackles fell.
I smiled. I threw the chains from my body and leapt for joy. I laughed. It was as if the weight of seven worlds had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt like I could fly.
And then I began walking.
Towards the sunrise and full of hope, I began walking.
You can personally thank Kari, the winner, through her blog (No Umbrellas Just Dance in the Rain). The masterpiece is posted on there, so you can leave comments, questions, compliments, ect. on there yourself.
1/27/14