Power of Perspectives
Two dormmates, Jose and Antonio go for kayaking in the river of Cortez against the storm alert made by the state. While Jose is bold, a risk-taker, and a pragmatist, Antonio is equally strong but a firm believer of god.
What began as an unforgettable experience is now slowly turning to a disaster. The Sun is dying. And there is hardly any light around, filling darkness everywhere. The arctic winds from the North have joined the smattering of rain to build an atmospheric disturbance that’s now capable of tearing the boys’ boat to the wreckage.
Antonio starts losing his mind and hopes while Jose steadies things around him under control. The way he rows pushes Antonio to leap forward. There’s this invisible power behind their cold breaths: the power of wanting to stay alive.
Jose understands that the only through is by rowing their way into the storm as there is no space to take a turnaround. He asks Antonio to propel as hard as he could. But the storm is just about to get furious. The trees along the coastal bend and scream in pain. Though a strong man himself, even Jose is no way ready for something like this. While a part of his mind wants to think about the decision of choosing to kayak on a stormy day, the other part reminds him that this is not a time to think but to act. In contrast, Antonio’s mind wanders in thoughts of a rescue squad that would save them from this catastrophe.
Yet they both keep rowing and rowing to an extent their arms nearly prone to tear. Bracing the cold winds against their courageous hearts, both of them continue to row as if their lives depend on every row they make. But, the storm is shy of slowing down.
The troublesome storm has now grown into a mighty full-blown hurricane, letting Antonio lose one of his paddles into the turbulent river. Along with the paddle, Antonio has lost the last of his lingering hope now. He senses death nearing him to drown him. And his eyes are filled with tears and dread. As the final retort, he prays to his god in his mind with his heart. It pushes Jose to take control of everything.
All of a sudden, the dormmates hear a series of distant but deafening rumbles. It sounds as if an iron rod dragged over the gnarled ground against its will across the tomb of hell. Yet there is no lightning in the Stygian sky. Jose’s hands have turned red, and eyes, blurring. He doesn’t seem to hold on for long. On the other end, Antonio is slipping into limbo.
Right when Antonio is about to lose his sight, a jagged bolt of surreal lighting cracks the mythical dark sky into a spectrum of hues and tints no eyes have ever witnessed. The blinding light spreads across the sky like a sketch of a crazy kid leaving no dark clouds unturned, letting the two friends close their eyes in wonder and utter shock.
Just as the light slowly vanishes, the two friends slowly open their eyes. To their surprise, it’s not just the surreal lightning but the massive storm that has gone off the face of the earth. There’s no trace of anything appalling.
Now that there is a clear stream ahead and calm in the air, the boys turn back to their dorm as Jose begins to believe himself more and Antonio, his god.
Remember.
When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post, please feel free to share this article and subscribe to Wylo Write-ups.
Wylo Lifestyle is a Medium publication of Wylo, an interest-based network, and a content-sharing platform.
Built for empowering people to chase their dreams, Wylo brings you closer to people like you whom you may not find otherwise.
Install Wylo and be a part of our healthy community.
Wylo also has other Medium publications: Wylo Tech and Wylo Lifestyle that features articles you may be interested in reading. So don’t forget to check them out.
We also accept guest posts. Please mail @ info@wyloapp.com if you want to be featured.