DAY 1: GET OUT OF TOWN

Revelation at the old pub

It’s the end of another workweek and you find yourself, yet again, at the Been Here Before Pub attempting to distract yourself from the tedium of life. But the ambience this evening is different. Instead of the usual low-level din, there’s a boisterous group of travellers holding court at one of the prime tables. From your seat at the bar, you tilt your head to listen in on their conversation.

They are regaling tales about a not-too-far-off land where prosperity abounds. It’s a land where you can live in abundance, creativity, and joy with ease and grace, and where your work inspires a series of ever-unfolding exciting new adventures. You notice you feel a pang of envy in your chest, which is strange because normally you don’t feel much of anything.

It seems as though once upon a time, the revellers, too, hailed from this region, known as the Lifeless Desert. However, each of them chose to make the harrowing journey through the Land of Not Knowing, across the Sea of Worthiness, over the Clarity Continent, and beyond the Range of Fears to the Plains of Plenty in The Outer Realms. You had heard rumours before that these places existed, but you never quite believed them.

Several different members of the group mention that the key to the success of their journey was to reach Mission Springs, where all new potentials bubble into being.

You lean back on your barstool, lost in thought. “Is it possible for me? What would it take for me to reach this new place? What would life be like when I get there?”

Your reverie is broken with the sound of a booming voice, “You, over there!” You turn your head toward the voice and realize that everyone at the table has stopped talking and is looking at you.

“You can do it, too, you know,” one of the revellers says, apparently reading your mind. They meet your confused gaze with a knowing smile, as if they know a version of you that you haven’t yet met yourself. Your whole body shivers in recognition.

“If you don’t believe us, try heading out to Curiosity Point,” they say.

It hadn’t occurred to you before to go out there because there’s no obvious trail. For as long as you can remember, you’ve been cautioned against veering off the beaten path. As a result, you’ve only ever followed the network of roads between Stuckville, Boredom Bay, and Oldtown. On a few occasions, you did venture out along Nowhere Road to the Deadend Dunes, but that was a waste of time. To get yourself out to the point will require some gumption.

“But I wonder what’s out there?” your thoughts pop. It seems as though your curiosity has been piqued already. “Alright,” you say to yourself. “I will attempt to make it in the morning.” You settle your tab and set to head home.

“You might want to get some sleep,” one of the revellers calls as you’re walking out the door. “You’re going to want to be awake for your journey.”

To be continued...