Listen to this on the Wild Creation Stories Podcast here:
Once there was a boy born with gifts of such sheer power that whatever he dared to dream and do would come true.
He dreamed of being the King of a royal palace with a beautiful Queen by his side. He would be loved and admired by many, and his grand inventions would change the world.
He dreamed of a chest full of Spanish gold.
But the boy listened to his parents and the grown ups who were hurt and afraid; they taught him that dreaming was bad and only leads to pain.
So the boy stopped dreaming.
He grew up and became a man who lived his life like a twisted fairytale.
The man lived in a country of great riches…but could only afford to stay in a cheap inn.
He was surrounded by friends who could help him change the world…but no one invited him to join in their adventures.
He married the love of his life…but over the years their love faded, replaced by bitterness and anger.
They had a son who was pure magic whom he loved more than anything…but the man was terrified that his son would end up just like him: miserable and defeated.
Most mornings the man woke up and thought, “I wish I was dead.”
One day, he was determined to do something different.
He spent the last of his money on a team of the best horses he could find and a golden chariot, and set off to find the Spanish gold he knew must be on the other side of the mountain.
The man rode his chariot into the sun for days, driving the horses faster and faster, until they went mad.
The horses ran blind, heading straight for the edge of a cliff. No matter how he yelled and pulled at the horses, they would not stop.
The man knew that if he jumped from the chariot, he would die instantly upon impact.
If he didn’t jump, he would go soaring off the edge of the cliff and his life would end.
Either way, the man knew he was about to die.
As the chariot careened out of control, the man thought of his son. He didn’t want his legacy to be a warning about what happens when you give up on your dreams.
“There’s got to be something I can do,” he thought. “What can I do?”
He wished he could sprout wings to fly free from the chariot.
He thought he could build a flying aperatus out of the wooden seat, canvas and string, but there wasn’t time.
He dreamed of a white Pegasus laden with Spanish gold swooping down to save him.
But none of those things happened. None of them were going to happen.
He was going to die.
In that moment, the man did the only thing he knew to do.
He let go of the reins.
The horses, relieved from the pain of the bit in their mouths, began to slow. Without the tension driving them mad, the man was able to guide them to a stop.
He was safe!
The man went home to his wife and son without the Spanish gold, but knowing the legacy he would leave for his son.
He promised to let himself rest, for he’d been driving himself as hard as the horses. Eventually, if he let go of the reins, an Idea would come.
And then anything was possible, if he dared to dream and act upon it.
