The Little Prince Index

The Nightmare

It was the most intense nightmare I had ever had in my entire life. I was alone, and drifting out to sea in a small inflatable boat. I could hear the storm brewing in the distance. I was afraid... and wanting so desperately to turn back... but I knew that I needed to continue on with my journey. The water was getting rough. I could feel myself beginning to get a little seasick from the constant swaying of the boat. I ignored the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and continued on. Large ships began passing me by, and the ship's captains were screaming at me to turn my boat around and follow them back to shore. I hesitated with each passing ship... but as frightened as I was... I still couldn't bring myself to turn back. As more and more boats passed me by, I began to study the faces of each passenger and crewmember. Many of them just stared at me in disbelief... some of them were sadly shaking their heads... a few of them were laughing. I quickly looked away... and continued to move forward.

Before I knew what was happening, I found myself caught in the middle of one of the most violent storms I'd ever encountered. I held on tight as the tiny boat violently shook back and forth... and side to side. Huge waves splashed over the sides of the boat, and despite my frantic attempts to stay afloat, the boat quickly began taking on water... and capsized. The force of the waves, and the strong current began pulling me down under the water. I continued to fight with every bit of strength that I had left, but it was no use. Overhead, lightning cracked like a whip... and thunder crashed all around me. I could feel myself sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness. I was drowning... dying... and now it was too late to ever turn back. I could feel the cold breath of death blowing in my face, and I knew that my journey was finally over. I knew that this was the beginning... of the end.

It seemed to appear almost like magic. It was a rope... a lifeline. There it was, just floating right in front of my eyes... inviting me to reach out and grab hold. I quickly grabbed on as tightly as I could... knowing that this was going to be my only chance for survival. It was then that I was pulled from the frigid waters of the angry sea, and carried to safety. To my surprise, there was nobody screaming at me when I reached the surface, nobody shaking their heads... and nobody laughing. I never did turn back and follow the other ships back to the shore. I continued on my journey... braving many more violent storms along the way. Yet, this time it was different. This time, I was no longer afraid... no longer alone.

Thank goodness it was only a nightmare. Or.. was it? Today, my journey is still far from being complete... yet I still continue to move forward. Just to be safe, I've learned to keep that lifeline tied firmly around me as I move head-on into each and every storm. No matter what happens, I no longer stop to question my motives... no longer doubt my strength... and I now know that I do have the courage to complete the rest of this journey. Some days I'll stop and take a quick glance behind me just to see how far I've come, but I will never turn my boat around... never head back to the shore.