A Massive Rope Ball and a New Friend

Author’s Note: This is the third part of a series about Farren’s journey through a limbo world where everyone is trying to reach the peak of a mountain but have a rope tied to their ankle. Catch up by reading Part 1, and Part 2.

After his conversation with Sarah, Farren traveled for four hours with the ball of slack under his arm. He hoped that he would be able to find his boulder soon. However, as night fell and he hadn’t reached his rock he knew he wouldn’t be lucky that day.

He found a patch of dirt clear of rocks and twigs and used his growing ball of slack as a pillow. The night was chilly but not uncomfortable, and he woke up at sunrise to a still and quiet morning. The sun illuminated the side of the mountain, and he was finally a far enough away where he could tell just how big it was.

At the base of the mountain, he could see a thick forest, and then the trees thinned. They began to resemble specks at higher altitudes. As he scanned his way up the mountain, he saw that there were fewer trees at higher elevations and eventually the side of the mountain had just whiteness. He wondered how his body would react to snow in the thin linens he wore. The top of the mountain disappeared into the clouds of the sky, and he couldn’t see the peak this early in the morning.

As Farren continued to follow his rope towards the boulder, he tried to reason how he would get his massive boulder up the steep mountain. He cursed his previous decision to take on an insurmountable challenge on top of the problem that was scaling the mountain.

When his ball of rope became too big to carry on the fourth day he had to take his mind away from his self-inflicted challenge and onto the additional challenge that Merc, and the other powers at be, put in front of him. The length of his rope was starting to cause problems, and he had to be careful how he navigated it through the thick forest.

The ball came up to his waist as he rolled it across the forest floor. He would pass other travelers who were tugging on their ropes, and they would give him odd looks.

Those who were tired of fighting their line would occasionally ask him what he was doing, often pointing out that he was going the wrong way. He explained his situation to them, and each person scoffed in their own polite, or in polite, way.

As he traveled, he continuously needed to clear sticks and mud off of his rope ball since they were tangling up his attempts to keep the ball neat. For weeks he traveled like this, slowly making progress towards his bolder and growing his ball of rope. Then the night came when he finally had to face the problem he dreaded. The ball had become as tall as him. It was occasionally getting stuck between narrow trees, and if he continued at this rate, it would eventually be so big that Farren worried that with one wrong move and it would crush him.

He unraveled the last bit and used the bit of slack as a pillow and bedding like he did every night since the first. Laying on his back and looking at the stars he thought about his problem.

Before falling asleep, he concluded that he would have to start a second ball in the morning and hope that his boulder was nearby. Handling one ball of rope was hard enough two or more would be even more challenging.

Dreading the task at hand Farren was slow to get started in the morning. There wasn’t much that he could do in this limbo world he was in. Eventually, drawing in the dirt, and rewrapping his rope lost its luster. He started a second ball that fit under his arm and pulled the first along behind him.

The morning was frustrating as he spent most of it keeping the first ball from unraveling. Frustrated by the rope’s constant need for his attention he leaned against a tree and took an afternoon nap. He felt bad about wasting his time like this which he chalked up to his inability to grasp the concept of eternity.

When he woke up there was a large dark skinned man leaned against the tree. His hair was cropped short, and he was fiddling with a stick, trying to get it to dance across his fingers but dropping it most of the time. He was wearing the same white linen clothes as Farren and had a rope tied to his ankle as well.

“Hello,” Farren said as his sleepiness faded. “Are you stuck?” He asked assuming that the traveler was taking a break from fighting with his rope.

The man was startled by Farren’s question, and the stick he was playing with flew out of his reach. He turned to Farren, “No, actually I’m not. I just wanted to meet you.”

“Meet me? Why?” Farren asked with a bewildered look.

“My name is Teekola, and I’ve been following your rope for weeks now. I’ve followed a lot of ropes, but most of them are moving or tricky to follow. Yours was always very still and never jumped or moved to trip me. It helped me find my way through the forest and towards the mountain. I never thought I would meet you though.”

“My rope goes on for weeks?” Farren responded discouraged by the news. “Did you at least see a rock at the end of it?”

“No,” Teekola responded confused, “I haven’t seen your rock. But I have seen that ball of rope you have. Why are you collecting it?”

Farren explained his situation to Teekola and the mistake he had made by selecting a massive rock. Teekola listened patiently and very interested in the man’s situation.

“I think you are very smart for doing this,” the man said when Farren had finished his explanation.

“You’re the only one around here who seems to thinks that.”

“I have met a lot of people, and I’ve been traveling around here for a long time. Most people pick a small rock, and it gets stuck often. I am a big man, so I chose a large rock, something I could lift, but not easily. I like a challenge.

“I hated it at first, but now I’ve learned that it’s large enough to avoid areas that catch small rocks but still so big that it gets wedged between obstacles sometimes. I’ve freed it so far but the forest is getting thicker, and I don’t know how long it will be until I’m stuck forever.” He gave Farren a worried look. “May I travel back with you and do the same as you?”

Farren gave the man a cockeyed glance and said, “I’m the boss around here. You can follow me. I don’t care. I would honestly enjoy the company.”

With that answer, the man jumped up from his resting place and started wrapping up his cord haphazardly.

“Hold on, hold on,” Farren said trying to get the excited man’s attention. “When you wrap it up like that you won’t be able to add more, do it like this.” Then Farren showed him how to roll up the rope in a way that would be easier to manage. Soon the two men set out following their cords together.

The men traveled together getting to know each other and sharing the news about what they knew about the world. Farren explained that he had started at the base of the mountain and told him what the path up looked like. Teekola explained that he had spent most of his time around here wandering around trying to get a glimpse of the mountain on the horizon. The day he first saw the mountain was also the first day he saw Farren’s rope.

Teekola helped Farren get a handle on the first ball of rope. At first, it was helpful to have a second set of eyes, but the growing balls of line quickly became too much for the men to watch.

As they traveled, the two men were exchanging ideas about how to best roll and knot the rope so that it would be easier to manage. Together they were able to improve Farren’s initial system to the point that they were confident that they could roll an indefinite number of balls without them unraveling.

They traveled together for a few weeks until one-afternoon Teekola’s line split from Farren’s. “I’ve been knowing this day is coming for a long time,” Teekola said when they had wrapped up their rope up to the point where the lines split. “I’ve been seeing the landmarks that remind me of when I first found your rope. I’m sorry I will have to see you go.”

“I’ve appreciated the company, and I hope that you find your rock soon,” Farren said, not quite sure how to say goodbye to the first close friend he had made in this world. “If you make it to the top before me leave a note or something. I’ll make sure to do the same.” He smiled a melancholy smile at the idea of this man beating him to the top. Although there was no way, he would ever catch up. Farren knew that once he found his boulder, he would have to find a way to maneuver the heavy thing up the path.

“You have shown me a new way to live in this world, and I have to say it is far more relaxing than constantly fighting with your rock. I appreciate you, and I will make sure to spread your teachings with whoever I meet.”

Farren blushed at the idea that he had taught this man anything, “You’ve helped me more than you know. You came up with a much better way to wrap the rope than I ever had. And now I will be able to handle more rope than I ever thought I would need.”

“You’re about to be needing a third ball, my friend.” Teekola said with a wide smile, “I hope that you find your bolder sooner rather than later. Otherwise, the bolder will looks small compared to the ropes you’re carrying.”

Farren laughed at the man’s comment then they hugged and parted ways. For the next few days, he felt lonely unable to pass his day discussing ideas with a friend. He had gotten used to having someone to talk to, and he wondered if anyone would ever be as willing and excited to roll up their rope as Teekola had been.

Author’s Note: This is the third part of a series about Farren’s journey through a limbo world where everyone is trying to reach the peak of a mountain but have a rock tied to their ankle. Read the next part here: