Two people lived on a small man-made island just off the shore of the mainland. These two residents were not the only people on this island, but they lived alone. The residents were both on a schedule, both lived through their days as a series of habits, and were both looking for love (trust me. I’m an omniscient narrator). They both worked hard and found comfort in a solid routine as the foundation for a ‘good life,’ and thus were both bound by their schedules — “imprisoned” might be a better word.
A unique feature of this island is that it was a perfect circle with a sidewalk that hugged the perimeter. There were twelve equally spaced streets radiating from a where a big clock tower stood in the heart of the town. You could keep track of the time from almost anywhere on the island, as our two residents would frequently do.
You see, even time is man-made. Not the concept of time, but how we choose to restrict ourselves with it. Seconds. Hours. Years — don’t tell me nothing lasts forever. I don’t want to hear it.
Every morning these two residents would wake up at the same time, step onto the same sidewalk, turn right, and walk clockwise until they came back to where they started. Their schedules wove together like two gears — however, they lived on opposite sides of the island and always walked clockwise at the same time. What these two residents didn’t realize, and would never come to realize, is that this ordinary, scheduled walk was so precise, so routine, and so expected, that the absence of anticipation surrounding it drew about as much attention to the walk as you will give to your next breath, which is extraordinary. Extraordinarily dull.
It is still unclear to me, the omniscient narrator, whether the two residents scheduled to walk each morning, or whether they walked because the schedule told them to. Of course, the residents think to be in complete control, and that is why they stick to the schedule — the sense of order and control — but from the outside looking in, it seems as if control was simply an illusion created by the predictability of a clock.
When you do something so much, you don’t even know what you’re missing anymore; you just assume it’s not there.
Our two residents would wake up every day, go on their clockwise walk, and eventually fall asleep in the same bed they woke up in, and repeated this controlled, scheduled, living habit for so many days that the memories of the past years of this routine congealed into one solitary memory. One day, one of the residents noticed they looked older, felt older, and consequently tried to recall how that happened, but could only come to the conclusion that “time flies.” It was at this time, I, the omniscient narrator, decided this resident decided to go for a walk that morning. The same walk as always, but upon this day this resident choose to walk counterclockwise as a gesture of change, as a way to motivate this resident to start breaking the very routine that this resident had resided in for so long.
It was free. It was clear. It was new. Surely memories would be made on this day as the two residents approached each other around the bend of the man-made island. They were destined to meet. As their paths crossed, they greeted each other with a congenial smile accompanied by a neighborly “hello,” and kept on walking down the path without breaking stride, or their respective schedules. A whole history of new possibilities came into existence on that unclockwise walk, and then disappeared as simply as the path on which they walked curved out of sight around the island, and disappeared without the memory of even saying ‘goodbye.’
allmostrelevant 
Wow! That is so cool, I love picturing the island like a wheel and the paths are like spokes and the two people and their schedules just keep going around and around the wheel, I hope I’m not like that!
Nice observation. I was actually so distracted by the clock imagery that i didn’t even think about a wheel. I’m glad you pointed that out, though. I think it’s a rather apt reading :)
Now this struck a chord! well-done!
Reblogged this on One Good Tale and commented:
A lovely read. Thought-provoking and captivating!
What a good read! thought provoking and captivating – loved it!
Are you kidding me?!
Whoa!!!!
…this is a good thing, right?
It is a beautiful thing!
Love the image of the island you created in my head, it was very surreal- like they lived on the face of an old watch someone dropped at the edge of the ocean. For some reason i kept picturing the island completely empty of other people and things- except for maybe some grass and the sidewalks/ rds, the clock tower and, of course the two residents and their homes… It’s a great image though. Nothing else existed besides the things necessary for the residents to carry out their routines because, for them, that may as well have been the case.
What I love about your writing is that at the end you never fail to leave me thinking about things I would have never thought about otherwise. This one definitely got me thinkin’…
That’s a lovely reading :)
I’m glad I can allow you to think in new ways. That’s always my goal when I write, but I know I don’t always achieve it, so reading this comment from you makes me all warm and fuzzy; or in the theme of today, all shiny and explodey like a firework
I totally agree Lindsay!
I liked it a lot. Great work.
thanks you thank you!
How sad life is because people cannot communicate or chat easily to one another. Where I live we do it all the time, therefore we all know each other quite well. I live in England in a small community on the South Coast.
The philosophy of the world…we are all stuck, until we break out of the box and decide to change things. Love this post- you have an amazing way of putting feelings into words :)
thank you so much. you’re too kind :)
This was amazing, and your blog is, like, brilliant! Thanks for following me. :D
thank you thank you!
Is it destiny? Or choice? Maybe no mater what you change in your life everything will end up the same anyway…and sometimes if you do nothing everything changes without your help. So did you really do it or was it going to happen anyway?
I don’t think there is anyway to know. So do what it is you want to do and don’t worry about missing out. If you are always worried about missing out you will miss out on what it is you already have.Don’t worry about what could have been, worry about what is.
Nice, Dasi. That’s definitely a good way to look at it :)
always wondering why life sticks around and people vanish without being noticed
by life, do you mean ‘the world,’ and people come and go like the hair on your head?
My scalp sticks around while my hair falls out.
Truly outstanding. A well versed commentary on life and lost opportunity.
I read your comment like a summer blockbuster radio ad (no offense): thoughtsalone hails “goodbye” as “truly outstanding. a well versed commentary on life and lost opportunity.”
in theaters July 12th
sorry about that, but thanks for the compliment and mini-analysis :)
;)
This is really thought-provoking. I’ve never really thought about the word “counterclockwise” until I read this. Also I love the intruding narrator. Those are the best kind.
haha glad you liked it.
…always looking for new ways with words :)
Amazing story! I loved it.
:D
Sweet. Most imaginative and fun reading.
thank you!
sound like our life. very nice story.
I wonder why that particular guy chose to walk anti-clockwise that day – and the other guy didn’t? I guess we will never know.
we might not ;)
…unless hopefully some scholar can come along and tell me what what I just wrote means
Indeed – the search for meaning is not necessarily restricted to the external
I like your blog very much. It makes me smile. Thank you!
thank you! compliments like this make me smile
“:D”
…see? haha
Very thoughtful. Nicely done!