A lone traveler stood on the side of a river, the tattered fabrics of his garment whipping violently against his face in the stormy weather.

It really had been an eventful day, here.

He had travelled a long way to come to this town, and it seemed now that he would not be allowed a moment's rest once he arrived. There was so much to do, now. It was dizzying to think how much work there was ahead of him to be done, and what he needed to do first.

Before starting, he assessed the situation. No sense diving into your work, if you didn't have a clear picture of the entire scene...

He stood in the middle of chaos... a storm having torn through the countryside suddenly. It was clear the small village he came to was not expecting this. The villagers here had barely the chance to shutter their windows, it seemed.

Much of the main street had been consumed by the river, even now the water still advanced beyond its borders. It encroached upon the first row of buildings, and even stole one or two of the weaker structures away. Walls of brick and wood whined and rattled in protest as the violent waters carried them away.

It wasn’t just the buildings the water took, either. One look into the chaotic mess the river created, and one would see livestock in the water as well. Many of them were already motionless, either having drowned, or had been violently struck by the debris as it ground against itself in the cascading water. The traveler took note that the river did not care what or who was in the way. Its greedy water seized all forms, and took them in it’s currents to God only knew where.

With that, the traveler mustered up his resolve, and decided to find out where the nearby villagers were. He was not here for crumbling buildings, and dead livestock.

Just as he was about to turn away… something small caught his attention. There was something caught on a nearby dock that did not belong there. This thing was not a drowned pig, and it was not a piece of building caught in the broken wood.

It was probably a waste of his valuable time, but the traveler decided to satisfy his curiosity. Gingerly, he stepped over a collapsed gate, and made his way across the rickety dock to observe this object that caught his attention.

At the edge of the dock, a tiny hand clutched the edge of a splintering board. Much to the traveler’s surprise, it was a small child! He was very much alive, and struggling against the current. He did not seem to be any older than four or five years of age.

This was a surprising thing, indeed! How long had this child been hanging there? It didn’t seem like he had just fell in… there weren’t even any places for him to have fallen in nearby… not without the traveler noticing it, anyhow.

If the child had drifted in from upstream, it was a miracle that he was still alive… seeing the state of the much larger animals that had perished up to this point on the river’s journey. However he had ended up there, he now clung desperately to the wood.

Having stood there for a moment, the traveler found himself to be noticed by the child, the boy turning his eyes upward, looking the cloaked figure directly in the face. The traveler was further taken aback as the child lifted his hand toward him, crying for help.

This was an odd occurrence for the traveler, he had heard tales from the others about this sort of thing, but he had never encountered this, himself.

He needed a moment to think.

As he waited there, the child audibly cried for his assistance, desperately grasping for the corner of his cloak. This child did not have much time, it was apparent he did not have the strength to pull himself out of the river.

It was also obvious to both the child and traveler, that the child’s strength weakened as the water pummeled him. It was inevitable he would get caught up in the storming waters again, unless he was helped. Even if he could hold on for a while, the rattling dock did not seem sturdy, and even that would give out after a while. The traveler would at least have to make his decision before the dock gave out, and they both ended up in the river.

Pondering the situation, the traveler considered the work that still had to be done. Assisting this child would further push him behind in his schedule, and with his line of work, this simply would not do!

Still, even one such as he had to consider what the child was going through… and the thought of granting the small one a bit of mercy passed through his mind. The child had looked up toward him… this was undeniable; he could not simply avoid this situation once the child saw him. Not even his peers could fault him if he made the decision to grant mercy to this child.

Still, there was the alternative. If the child had survived this far, there was the chance he could survive the rest of the river, and come out perfectly fine. He could even be better for the experience… hardship built character.

Considering this, the traveler cast his gaze further down the river. A gauntlet of water churned building and creature together, causing the waters to become dark with the mix of mortar and blood. This was an ominous sight… but it wasn’t impossible to pass.

The child might be stronger for surviving this… or he might be dealt a life of pain ahead of him, it was difficult to tell. It was also difficult to know if he even had any family left in this world to take care of him, if he survived.

The thought of living a life alone was enough for most to plead for mercy.

Still… the decision belonged to the traveler. He would not be faulted for making a choice, either way. So this child’s fate was of no consequence to his line of work.

With each passing moment, the child’s increasingly desperate pleas brought him out from thoughts, and it became apparent that the traveler was going to have to do something now, or the child would be swept down the river.

Before he decided… a rather clever idea came to the traveler’s mind. This did not have to be the traveler’s choice to make, after all! He would leave this decision up to the child. The child could either face his life’s hardships, or accept the mercy of the traveler’s hand, and leave it all behind.

Leaning forward, the traveler offered his withered hand, speaking to the child first, so the small one would fully understand the choice he was making. “Little child, I can take you from this river.” He said.

“But first… know you not, that I am death?”

http://www.talkradiox.com/node/8608 <~ The Traveler