"Do you ever wonder what's out there?"
Berht asked this seemingly unimportant question to a boy named Beorhtric, who was sitting idly beside him upon a stripped log- drawing sketches of the ever-present waves into the rough dirt ground.
At Berht's question Beorhtric raised his sunken head, taking in the sight before him.
A vast ocean, covered entirely by the wake of its calming waves - eventually fell off into the unknown, replaced by a light blue sky that grew dark as it rose from the water's surface. Resting above this blueish background, a gleaming ball of white fire sat high in the sky, altering the shades of the ocean with each passing cloud.
Berht and Beorhtric both witnessed this masterpiece from atop a tall rocky cliff covered in a multitude of twig nests, emitting the cries of baby birds waiting for their mothers' return- only to be drowned out by the repeated rhythm of waves crashing into the rocky waters below.
"Sometimes, but I try not to," responded Beorhtric. "I'm perfectly content with living the rest of my days fishing with my old man."
Berht laughed, "You'll probably get to see more of the sea on that old rowboat than I ever will working at my dad's shop."
Scoffing sarcastically, Beorhtric chuckled back, "Not like that old plank would get me far from land anyway, but I do suppose that there's no use for a butcher out at sea."
Both laughing, they stood up from their makeshift log bench and began their short walk back to Skara.
But Berht couldn't help but take one last long look behind him at the captivating sea of waves. Since birth, Berht had been consumed by hundreds of stories, only adding to the vastness of the world he had yet to explore. It was all he could ever do to wonder how someone like him would ever hope to explore it all. What sort of adventures were waiting to be found on the other side of that walled-off horizon, shielded by the sea.
"Come on", Beorhtric called out with a sigh, "I'm getting tired of sightseeing."
Half nodding to Beorhtric and half to himself, Berht turned his back to the calling world and began his quiet walk back towards his never-changing village.
But the ventures of the world had laid claim to Berht ever since the day he was born.
***
Walking down a pair of winding stone steps that had been carved into the steep hillside by some unknown person long before either of the two had been born. Berht admired the scarce amount of trees surrounding their hidden spot. Back when the boys had been seven- no maybe eight, they first discovered this rundown trail while Running along the main road that brought together the small port of the sea to the main village of Orkney- named Skara.
"Hey Berht, come look at this!" Beorhtric had called out enthusiastically while pointing at the overgrown grass along the edge of the cobblestone road.
"What is it?" Berht had asked while looking over the crouched Beorhtric's shoulder
"It looks like a trail!" Sure enough, where Beorhtric was pointing, the tall light-green grass grew unnaturally short of its normal stature.
Berht looked down at the shortcomings of the grass and then up towards where it led- an unknown end to a journey not yet started. A small feeling of curiosity began to form inside Berht, pushing his thoughts forward to what waited at the end of this path. Stepping forward, Berht placed his first step onto the short grass and began his slow walk towards the trail's end. But before Berht went too far on his own, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait for me!" Looking behind him, a familiar face grinning with newfound excitement greeted him.
Now smiling himself, Berht's walk burst out into a run as the two brushed aside the long strands of grass covering the edges of the trail- forging ahead to its end.
As the memory reached the point of them discovering the grass-covered steps, the current Berht and Beorhtric reached the bottom of theirs. Jumping off the last stone step, Berht landed on the now-dirt path- damp from past rains. The once exhilarating journey had long since turned into a repetitive one-minute stroll past the multitude of shrubs and saplings lining the sides of the dirt trail.
It always ended up this way sooner or later
Ever since that day with the path, Berht and Beorhtric began to explore everything Orkney had to offer. They ran up and down every hill, dived into every cave, and searched the grey sand along the beach for unique treasures that sometimes washed ashore. Some of their greatest finds included a decrepit old silver coin with the picture of a Dignified woman engraved on the front, and a rusty old sword covered in barnacles that was missing its wooden hilt.
But eventually, they began to realize that Orkney was only so big. They were running out of places to explore. So once every possible journey had come to its conclusion, the feeling of adventure that had always propelled the two forwards began to wither. So Berht and Beorhtric began to look outwards- towards the sea.
It amazed Berht that there was a whole new world out there hundreds- or maybe even thousands of times bigger than what he now knew. His longing for adventure that had stemmed from a simple stroll across an unknown path had now turned into an obsession that the fleeting Orkney was now failing to accommodate
As the boys made their way further along the path, Berht could make out a sudden drop in the thicket of brush, marking the main road at the end of the trail. Stepping onto the cobblestone road, Berht glanced further down the road- towards his village of Skara. At the same time, Beorhtric looked the opposite way, glancing left to where the road brought you to his small port of Orkney.
Berht sighed, "Well, I have to go see if my parents need any help in the shop."
Shaking his head Beorhtric responded, "Sounds good, I'm going to go see if mine need anymore help checking the fishing nets for today, I'm pretty sure we got most of them in the morning though."
With that, Berht turned right and called out, "Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yup, see you later," Beorhtric responded before turning left. Giving a slight wave over his head as he went.
With the end of one journey, two new ones began.
***
Making his way along the stone-brick road, Berht passed by rolling hills covered in carpets of long green grass, swaying smoothly with the wind. The occasional tree rose high above the ground, its roots growing from deep beneath the earth's hard soil, breaking the naturally smooth flow of the landscape. Glancing to his side, a small puddle of rainwater with a mirror-like surface sat dead still in a lowered part of the road- rippling slightly as Berht walked by. As he walked further up the road, more familiar sights greeted Berht's eyes, trying desperately to capture him with their fleeting beauty. But the repetitive sights that had once enchanted his mind now did little more than capture a quick glance.
As Berht grew closer towards the town of Skara, the scarce amount of trees that had surrounded the wide road began to multiply in numbers. Thin white trees covered in black slashes with heart-shaped leaves rose like pillars, supporting the growing canopy of leaves as it thickened. The warmth-filled sunlight that had shone down upon Berht was now reduced to small slivers of light, only able to sneak in through small cracks hidden within the green roof of hearts.
A sudden gust of wind burst through the pillars of white, sending hundreds of leaves flying off their branches before being carried away by the blowing wind. It was this sight that caused Berht to stop. Looking up at the rays of light shining through the blowing canopy, he watched as the leaves flew about frantically. Their direction determined by the winds unknown gusts. Some fell to the floor never to rise again, while others flew about frantically, trying with all their might not to fall like the others. But what caught Berht's attention the most was the leaves that rose above the canopy.
The leaves that pushed past their predetermined fate to fall.
As the wind calmed down and the flying leaves began to settle Berht let out a long sigh. He remembered a time when he could sit alone for hours- memorized by the mix of light and leaves as they transformed this very birch forest. But that feeling had long since passed- just like so many others Berht used to feel.
Instead of continuing his trek towards Skara, Berht instead glanced towards the thicket of trees surrounding him. Walking up to one of the closest birch trees, Berht brought his hand to the smooth bark surface, trying desperately to find joy in its unique surface. But whatever joy it had brought him in the past didn't return in this moment.
Grimacing, Berht pushed past the wall of trees and walked into the forest of white. He forged ahead wanting to find something new, something that could give him happiness, excitement, meaning, something that could make him feel alive again. But no matter how far he ventured, everything felt the same. Hadn't he seen this scenery a thousand times before? Eventually, Berht's mind gave and he sat down in a defeated slump at the base of an unnaturally thick birch tree. His once wandering eyes now laid still- gazing hazily upon the plain grass floor.
He sat like this alone for a time, waiting for something to catch his attention.
But nothing ever did
Eventually, Berht raised his head slowly, arching his neck upwards to gaze upon the broken roof of leaves. Spots of light broke in through these cavities- punching holes into the dark blanket of shade consuming Berht. In this small moment of bliss all Berht felt- was empty. A single thought came to Berht's mind in this moment, who in turn whispered it under his breath. Thinking as if that would make it feel anymore real.
"I want to feel something again."
A small heart-shaped leaf lay motionlessly on the ground