For James
STEP 4
You begin to walk along the river’s edge, watching the swift current carry debris from the forest around you. Large uprooted trees float past, horizontal limbs now jutting into the air above the rushing water. There is a commotion in one of the floating canopies as a troop of spider monkeys stranded on the river appears to panic in its arboreal prison. You watch as the animals swing back and forth between the branches drifting above the water line, screaming at each other. They stop to watch you as they pass, and you realize that they are not as frightened as it had appeared. As long as the tree stays afloat, they will survive. You briefly contemplate the potential for metaphor in what you have seen, but decide to opt for a literal translation. A floating tree, perhaps in calmer waters, would actually be nice.
In front of you the land rises sharply to form a cliff overlooking the river. There appears to be a path cut into the cliff, forming a narrow ledge about fifteen feet above the river. The only other option would be to venture away from the river, wandering into the forest and finding your way around the cliff. The path forward is blocked, and it is time to choose once again…
You begin to walk along the river’s edge, watching the swift current carry debris from the forest around you. Large uprooted trees float past, horizontal limbs now jutting into the air above the rushing water. There is a commotion in one of the floating canopies as a troop of spider monkeys stranded on the river appears to panic in its arboreal prison. You watch as the animals swing back and forth between the branches drifting above the water line, screaming at each other. They stop to watch you as they pass, and you realize that they are not as frightened as it had appeared. As long as the tree stays afloat, they will survive. You briefly contemplate the potential for metaphor in what you have seen, but decide to opt for a literal translation. A floating tree, perhaps in calmer waters, would actually be nice.
In front of you the land rises sharply to form a cliff overlooking the river. There appears to be a path cut into the cliff, forming a narrow ledge about fifteen feet above the river. The only other option would be to venture away from the river, wandering into the forest and finding your way around the cliff. The path forward is blocked, and it is time to choose once again…