"The big crossing" by Roland Kübler
Chiemsee by John Stonefinch
Since endless times the earth turns around the sun, receives warmth and light. And the moon turns round the earth,
gives its silver beams, lifts and drops the seas. High up in the mountains a child lived. Played in clear
air and on green meadows to be a young women. One day she packed up her things and told her parents, that she would leave now,
to see the sea. During her whole youth there was nothing she yearned for more, than once in her life lay her body into the
foaming water of the sea and to feel the salty fresh breath of the sea on her lips.
The young women went down the mountain on the path she knew well. But she didnīt stop in the little village in which she
used to sell milk. She didnīt stop in the little hut, where she received some sweets and cold foamy buttermelk as a child.
She kept on walking. Further than she has ever walked on the hand of her father.
She walked, because she had a destination. She wanted to bath her body in the foaming sea and feel the salty fresh breath of
this endless width on her lips. So she went down the hill together with the little waterfalls and rivers, passing cows on
the meadows. She met many people on her long way. Often she was invited to take a rest and sometimes she was adviced to not
go further. The way to the sea would be hard and far - they told her. But she didnīt care. She thankfully stayed where invited but
then kept on walking the way which she had chosen for herself - further on the way, which was supposed to lead her to the sea.
One day, she was very tired already, she came to a big crossing. The way which she had followed so far, turned into four ways just
before big mountains. It seemed that two ways went around the mountains on the left side and two on the right. The young women did not
know how to procede and sat down in the middle of the crossing to take a rest, to eat bread and to drink wine. She was sitting there
for a long time and could not make a decision between these four ways. Each one seemed unknown and unsafe to her.
One day strangers came apon the crossing and asked the young women what she was doing there. "Iīm on my way to the sea", she
told her, "but my way is finished here. I do not know which direction to choose." "Come with us then", the strangers said,
"weīre on our way to a town, which is only a few hours from here".
But the young women wanted to go to the sea, sit in the warm sand, surrounded by the wild power of the waves and feel the salty
fresh breath upon her lips. She thanked the strangers for the offer and stayed at her crossing. Again she was sitting there alone
for a long time and could not decide between the ways.
Many days later a lone wanderer passed by and sat down with her. He stayed for a long time and told her about all the things heīd
been through during his walks. He told her where heīd been and what he had experienced. He had bread with the young women and drank
wine with her. Often they still sat together to watch the sun set behind the high mountains. One day he asked her to come with him.
He would be on his way to a forest near by for hunting. But the woman on the crossing told him, that she didnīt want to go to
a forest, but to the sea.
Weeks passed by and with them the seasons changed. The women was sitting at her spot between the ways and watched the clouds hunting
each other over the mountains and painting colorful flowers of phantasy upon the sky. One morning she was woken by strangers,
who were on their way to meet farmers. They asked, if she wouldnīt like to come with them to help with the harvest. And as the woman
has been sitting there for a long time, doing nothing, she decided to go with them. They came into a small village and she spend all
fall to work for the harvest. She liked her life with the farmers. But inside there was a strong longing which kept growing, whilst
winter wrapped the country in quiet white dreams.
Chiemsee by John Stonefinch
She wanted to go to the sea. So on a clear spring morning she packed her things and told the farmers sheīs leave as she was on
her way to the sea. Then she went back to the big crossing and sat down without knowing what to do. If sheīd only knew which way to
choose to reach the destination of her dreams. She was sitting there for a really long time. After weeks a lady passed by on her way to
a small village. She wanted to sell her things there and asked the women if she wouldnīt like to accompany her. And as she knew that
she wouldnīt find a solution by herself, she went to that small village with the lady. She liked it there. She helped sewing pants and
shirts and sell them on the market. But there was still the longing for the sea. One day she couldnīt stand it any longer. Again she packed
her things, said good-bye to the lady and walked back to the big crossing. Here everything was so familiar. She looked for her old spot and
made herself comfortable. Then she was sitting there, for a very very long time, almost without any motion. Her hair had become thin and
grey meanwhile. Her back was bent under the load of the steadily repeating seasons. Still she wouldnīt know how to procede, could not make
a decision about which way to choose. Sometimes, in quiet sleepless moonlit nights, it seemed to her she would hear a quiet far sound as if
the sea was calling for her. Sometimes she even felt like having a soft salty taste on her lips.
It was one of those nights when she decided to simply walk upon the mountains. The walk was quite heavy. She went higher and higher
during her lonely walk. In the night it was not as warm anymore like it was down at the crossing. She was freezing cold. Sometimes
she thought her power wouldnīt last anymore. It seemed to get even harder to force herself further up and after reaching one peak to
find out that the next one was waiting already. And then, finally - she almost didnīt believe in it anymore - she was standing on the
very top. The wind tangeled her long grey hair and ripped on her clothing. She openend her mouth to suck in this force. Exhausted she
breathed against the wind. And finally she openend her eyes to look around. She was overwhelmed by the view. Far down she could see the
crossing, very small now. She saw the four ways leaving out of the crossing, where she had spent so much time. One lead into a big city,
onto the market place and further. The other one curled through a forest, and came close to a little house. But it didnīt end there either.
The third one she knew: It passed by the farmers, whom she had helped harvesting, climbed over a few little hills and came into a vast
plain. The fourth one came to the village where she was sewing pants and shirts. But also that one passed through the village further on.
The old women was standing on top of the mountain and was shivering. The four ways parted before the mountains, went around them and met in
the plains to go all the way to the sea, in which the horizon seemed to shine far away. The old women was sitting on top of the mountain and
her searching look got lost in the endless sea. The longer she was looking, the clearer she seemed to see the foaming water. She felt like
experiencing the power of the waves, which were reaching and leaving the beach far away from her. But she couldnīt really hear anything,
as she was standing so far away, high on top of the mountain and she knew she wouldnīt have the power to walk back to the big crossing,
where she had been sitting for so long. To walk back so she could choose one way which would bring her to the sea. She didnīt choose any of
these ways and she didnīt finish any of them. Only now, high upon that mountain, she realised, that each of these ways would have led to
the sea. And suddenly she knew: Never in her life she would taste the salty fresh breath of endless width on her lips. And never in her life
she would feel the wildly foaming water of the sea on her body.
The story about the strongest power in the universe
An old story tells about the gods who had to decide, where to hide the strongest power in the universe, so that man couldnīt find it, before time was due so they could use it in a responsible way.
One god had the idea to hide in on top of the highest mountain, but they realized, that man would climb the highest mountain and find the strongest power in the universe before he was able to use it right. Another god suggested to hide this power on the ground of the ocean. But again they realised, that man would also search this region and find the strongest power in the universe, before time was due. Finally the wisest god said: "I know what has to be done. Letīs hide the strongest power in the universe in man himself. There he will never search for it before time is due to take the look inside."
And so the hid the strongest power in the universe in mankind themselves, where it still is, waiting that we take them into possession and make wise use of it.
The wolfes in me - Author unknown
One day a grandchild went to his grandfather and told him in rage about what a fellow pupil had done to him. The grandfather answered: "I want to tell you a story. I also was hatred very often about otherīs who did things to me. But hate costs strength; it does not hurt the others though. I is, as if youīd take poison and hope, that your enemy dies. I had to fight again and again with these feelings." He nodded and went on: "It is, as if two wolfes are living in me; one is good and doesnīt do any harm. Heīs living in harmony with everything around me and he doesnīt attack, as long as Iīm not attacked. He only fights, when it is right to do so and he fights rightfully. But the other wolfe, my! He is full of anger. The smallest thing upsets him. He fights with everybody, all the time, without good reason. Heīs unable to reflect and to think, because his anger and hate are so big. It is difficult to live with these two wolfes inside me - both try to take control of my mind all the time." The grandchild looked eagerly in his grandfatherīs eyes and asked: "Which one of the two will win, grandpa?" The granfather said mindfully: "The one, that I feed."
Two frog-stories
1. Story
There was a bucket standing at a farm. Two frogs passed by and were nosy, what would be in the bucket. So they jumped into it. It turned out, that it wasnīt such a good idea, as the bucket was filled with milk to the half. So the two frogs were swimming in the milk, but couldnīt jump out of the bucket anymore, as the walls were to high and too smooth. Death was certain for them. One of the frogs was desperate. "We must die", he moaned, "weīll never get out of here again." And so he stopped swimming, as nothing made sense anymore. The frog drowned and died in the milk. The other frog said himself: "I must admit, things do not look to well. But I will not give up so quickly. I am a good swimmer! I swim, as long as I can." And so the frog kept swimming around the bucket. Was swimming and swimming for a long time. When he got tired, he cheered himself up. Bravely he kept on swimming. Suddenly he felt a hard mass under his feet. And really - there was no more milk below him, but a hard mass. By the swimming, he had made butter out of the milk! So now he could jump out of the bucket and back into freedom.
2. Story
It was a competition of frogs. Target was, to get onto the highest point of a big tower. Many frogs gathered to watch this competition and to cheer to the other frogs. The competition began. To be quite honest - none of the audience really believed, that any of the frogs would reach the top and all one could hear were sentences like: "The poor ones! They will never make it!" The frogs began, one after the other, to give up. Except for one, which kept on trying to climb to the top of the tower. The audience kept on saying: "The poor ones! They will never make it!" The frogs gave up except for the one who didnīt. In the end all frogs had stopped there climbing - just the one frog had reached the top of the tower all by himself and with hard work. The others wanted to know how he did it. One of the frogs went over to him, to ask him about how he had managed to win the competition. Then they realised, that... he was deaf! So: Always be deaf when somebody tells you, you couldnīt make your dreams come true!