December 6, 2012 | Godspeed: A Story From James

Hello all. It's been an interesting time, and I'm not sure I know quite what to make of it all yet. But I thought maybe I could share my reflections in the best way I know how. I've written a story for you.

James

Godspeed Good Godwit

There is only one thing I can promise you when the night stretches beyond limit. You are not alone.

Deep in the darkest and mirkiest blues, the moon shone through a speck of cloud. That very same moon who hovered above the earth for seemingly days on end. Beaming, shining, and glowing, the moon didn't move. Like never before, he just towered above the wilderness in an endless midnight kingdom.

The animals began to gather along the ocean shore to stare at the marvel, there up above gleaming in giant ripples across the ocean. They wondered at this spectacle. How could he just sit there? Why wasn't he driving steadfast across the sky chased by the sun? Would she never return?

When the sempiternal night clenches white knuckle tight, Good Godwit must go, its time for flight.

When the sun hides away, abandoning her northern stay, Good Godwit must go, to save the day.

Soon everyone was congregated in a bewildered horde, muscling back and forth, arguing amongst one another. Worried seagulls fluttered about the heads of walruses, aimlessly diving for minnows amongst the brilliant puddles sparkling on the beach. Dark black crescents crashed around frightened heads as a moose stepped with long lanky strides over seal pups, in search of her daughter. The wolf family crowded the flanks, singing haunted choruses as they corralled the chaos. Ptarmigans bumped blindly into foxes before beating away in the knick of time. Salmon huddled in a pool of silver moonbeams, confused by the enormous bodies of orca and bowheads who glided past into shallow shores. The great commotion was deafening as brothers called to sisters and mothers calmed children.

Desperate cries of hunger and cold, plagued the eyes of younger and old.

They began to see, something must be done. For it was clear to all, they needed the sun.

Desperate cries of hunger and cold, plagued the eyes of the scared and bold.

They began to see, they needed someone. Who could search the darkness to find the sun.

The crowd began to argue, escalating the chaos with accusations and bickering. The orca began to shout at the bowheads. He blamed them for not paying proper respects to the sun, they should have left earlier to meet her where the ice grows. A long bearded mountain goat stepped forward, berating the caribou. Then the fox snipped at the wolves, and the wolves growled at the looming ice bears who peered in from the foggy depths. Soon the entire mass clashed with foaming teeth, howls, and bellows, a whirl of splashes and wingbeats, and gnashing antlers. The rapacious assaults and raucous retaliations could barely be made out in the darkness, but escalating yips and grunts, followed by squawks and roars bore the most horrific cacophony one could imagine. Just at the point where the rolling stones, splashing waves, and stumbling boulders were deafened by the violent gathering a giant beast appeared. Barreling forward out of the darkness, as if incarnated by the fury to calm the wreck of shoving masses.

This does no good to hurt one another, stop this instant my sisters and brothers.

Don't you see, something must be done. For it's clear to us all, we need the sun.

Stop, do no more harm to each other, I'll climb the mountain to find our mother.

They began to see, what must be done. Brother bear would go retrieve the sun.

A little voice in the back protested, claiming Great Grizzly could not find the sun, only her, Good Godwit, the small flighty one. The godwit came forward, landing near the bear's trunk of a leg, standing barely above his paw. Her beak was long and slender, leading back to a chestnut plume, poised with graceful and confident posture. The animals, now more confused than before, stared blankly at this bold character who stood on the shore. The silence fell unanimously like the whisper of morning, only to be shattered by delayed laughter bursting into devilish uproar. How could this small beast possibly believe she was the one to save them. Her? She was the one to end the endless night? No, certainly not her! What could she possibly do that the others could not? Good Godwit could not fly as high as Eagle, and he had never touched the sun. She could not swim like Gray Whale, who never found the sun's resting spot across all of the depths of the ocean. Good Godwit could not run like Caribou, and she certainly never found the sun in all of her treks beyond the tundra. They shouted at her, and belittled her. Even if she could find it, she would never be able to bring it back, they said. She's too little, too weak, they said. The wolves howled, loons laughed, foxes yipped, wales sang, and moose snorted. They all laughed and laughed until finally Good Godwit bursted into a flustered and defiant flight. She yelled down to them, to stay in their misery, to fear and moan in the darkness, to have no faith, it mattered not, for she would return, and bring all of the warmth, hope and good grace of the sun upon her shoulders. Rolling in a tortuous tangle of laughter below her they scoffed, and sneered. They yelled sarcastically behind her, godspeed Good Godwit, godspeed! Interrupted by bursts of cackling madness, they screeched, do come back and save us! Godspeed! She quickly vanished into the horizon.

Godspeed Good Godwit, godspeed! You've got to believe Godwit, believe!

Full speed ahead Godwit, full speed! Yo've got to succeed Godwit, succeed!

Because of his strength, his wisdom and prowess, the animals agreed the bear was their champion. Following their disparaging farewell to Good Godwit, they laid all of their trust into the old chief. And with that settled he lumbered off through the willows. Great Grizzly travelled through the cascading streams, gurgling quietly in the still valleys. He marched up hillsides, through the northern yarrow and mountain heather, past the pines. Up and up, over and over, through the deep night he journeyed. His powerful paws carried him farther than he had ever been before, continually headed east, where she rises to bring a new day's hope. He came to the base of the Mighty Mountains. He peered into the dancing emeralds and sapphires that twirled above the ebony peaks. He began to climb, higher and higher, until the winds whipped his hide. Great Grizzly's massive coat stayed true. He fought through the banshee gales, past the ice caverns, and glacial tombs.

At last, long awaited and hard to climb, the mountain is conquered at this precipitous time.

Now fast, where's the sun you came to find, through valleys, hills, and over mountain side?

Finally, with ice clinging to his fur, crystals in his breath, and a view above the clouds, he surveyed the horizon. Even at this peak the only light came from Moon, who sat pridefully above the world with his troop of ballerinas. Searching far in the east, along the horizon, he looked for even a sliver of light. Anything beyond a moonbeam. But no, there was nothing but boundless blackness. He turned to the south, back to where he came from, to the north, nothing. This couldn't be. Darkness, eternal, stifling darkness was all that could be seen from the highest peaks of the Mighty Mountains. Great Grizzly returned to the shore with his head bowed in sorrow, bowed in shame.

When he returned from whence he came, he bowed his head in perpetual shame.

The beasts spoke not a word of blame, not even to mention as much as his name.

The others said not, they knew what was found. All hope was forgot, there stirred not a sound.

The stillness of the mournful crowd was overbearing. After silence like glass the whales began to moan in agony, followed by the wolves. They cried up to the moon asking him to bring back the sun, together the families howled at the obstinate king of the night. The moose could muster not a single sound, petrified in worry of the future to come. The others wailed in their own ways. All of the animals huddled in tighter, forming a mass of solemn kinship against the bleak shoreline. They stared out into the ocean, each secretly asking, secretly hoping, but daring not to say a word. Their sullen faces longed to see Good Godwit return, to bring the sun upon her shoulders. Finally, Great Grizzly spoke.

All hope is not lost and we are not done, for we still have strength to find the sun.

You each have talents, unique unto you. Travel the darkness, follow through.

Those who swim, swim, and run, run, All of you like Good Godwit, find the sun.

You each have strengths, endowed unto you. Travel the darkness, may your hearts be true.

With that said they all took off. Each creature took to their own pathways. The orcas, bowheads, grays and other whales pushed out from the shore. The bison and caribou took to the arduous plains. The terns, eagles, and swans stormed the air in a flash of feathers. Mountain goats searched for the highest peak, as the vole looked for the deepest underground passageways. Everyone did their part. They bumped along through the darkness, forever they seemed to disperse. The birds flew farther than they ever had before, beyond their usual lakes, beyond the mountains, beyond the forests, where the weather was warmer, even hot and wet. It was of no use. Beaten and desperate the famished beasts returned. One by one, the hooves clattered back to that cobbled shore. The wings touched down, and paws padded over the logs and creeks. Each exhausted animal collapsed back into the huddled mass. The wolves smashed against the moose, the ptarmigans warming the fox. Not a beast even had the energy left to turn on another. Shrouded in the ink of the universe, with hides dowsed in sweat and ripped by wind, bleeding claws, hoofs, and talons, frozen coats, and sitting along the shore of deep and dark waters, the life of the world heaved from their failing lungs to gasp their remaining breaths. Afraid and weary, each began to retire. Each looked out unto the sea, each muttering their final words. They released their prideful desires with one last glance, finally unabashed, they whispered, godspeed Good Godwit, godspeed. Their oppressor stared down in flagrant apathy, beaming over the hope lost in his infinite kingdom, the joy that seeped into the darkness.

This is the end of the world. This is the end of all things. When shadows consume all hope, and joy is lost. Death is no evil, no looming cretin waiting to devour the hearts of all those that love, all those who pump fiery passion into the springs of life. Death is no monster, slashing and burning, casting lots into the ovens, cutting throats, and milling through the souls of those lost. All of the heartless and deranged misfortunes of an erratic and unstable universe, are mere vehicles. They are the deliveries, dumping bodies at the feet of eternity. They are not death. Death is deep, cold, hollow, and alone. Huddled in our masses of hope, we are slowly ripped away, one by one, by one. Death is eternal night and endless shade, it is the obstinate misgivings of an oppressive kingdom.

As the last beast closed his eyes, he felt the most intense joy he had ever dreamed, warm and calming. It stilled his massive heart and brought peace to the wounds and worries of an incredibly tired old bear. Great Grizzly felt the fire of life warming his coat as he drifted, further away into hidden memories, the best ones. Those special moments he saved for himself. His first salmon. The willow patch next to the two pronged log. The view of storms barraging the range. Those moments, the ones that remind him of how happy he is to have lived his life. As the memories stirred, so did his blood. The giant heart lurched piping blood through his veins as he felt himself floating into the warmest pools and brooks. He thought of his cubs with their mother, drifting through the meadows, splashing with the minnows. For the first time in his entire life, he realized how truly happy he was to have it. He did well.

Death is not a choice.

But time is. And this, my friends, is not that time.

As Great Grizzly drifted into the warm springs, the others experienced this sensation as well. Their eyelids warmed as they thought of the love and joy they knew, the happiness of arctic squalls crashing an ice bed from deep below, the spring flowers dotting an endless expanse, the pups, cubs, and kids. Life was more beautiful in their moment of death than they ever knew. The warmth spread, tingling throughout as they relived their individual worlds. This is the beginning of the world. The heat grew and grew into a raging wave of immense pleasure, until they opened their eyes to see the golden brim of the sun crowning over the sea, blasting rays of hope, disintegrating black to blue, to purple, with cascading oranges and yellows of a reborn meadow. The ocean radiated in scales of golden and silver embers, blinding the moon, and relegating him to a fleeting existence forever amongst his troop of twirling sisters. Eagle began to screech, look there! Look there! All eyes awake, all in awe, the animals stared in amazement, as Good Godwit pulled ahead. Starting a speck, just a silhouette, dashing ahead of the incredible chariot, she came streaming towards them, sun on her back. Brought to their feet, cheering, barking, and screaming, the animals strained into the sun to see their hero. The livelier pulled the weaker, the big helped the small, all working together, renewed with hope and faith in the world. She did it. She truly did it! That brave and beautiful little bird did it!

Godspeed Good Godwit, godspeed! You've believed Godwit, and succeeded!

Full speed ahead Godwit, full speed! You've found the sun Godwit, and retrieved!

The creatures were ecstatic, jumping and splashing, diving and dashing, and running all about. She truly pulled it off. They were saved. That is, all except one. The great bear still lay where he rested, smiling and thinking of fresh flowers in the glen, cubs, and salmon. For Great Grizzly was ready, he had been to the mountain and back. He had grown old, and seen his cubs. He was ready. For Godwit however, she needed to know that there was still a world full of love and beauty. She had more to see, more to do. She had a choice. She knew it was worth fighting for, traveling to the ends of the earth for. Good Godwit flew nonstop to the ends of the world, to pluck the sun from its hiding place. Her graceful wings carried her with confidence, despite the fears and doubts of others. She was unbeatable and courageous, gorgeous and passionate. She launched herself through an endless night to find the one she loved. She needed the sun.

Godspeed Good Godwit, Carry on!

Godspeed Good Godwit, be strong!