The next page was dedicated entirely to a spectacular jewel. It glittered in the sun, light striking out through every face. A caption read 'Jewel of Immortality'. It was true, then. The legends were true. But how did he know that this was the stone? I couldn't but doubt his story, yet my unshakeable trust in him convinced me that he was telling the truth. The next page had a picture of a deep pit. So deep that I couldn't see anything except darkness. 'It takes long for a stone to reach the floor. This is a vast and deep pit.'
He had been on the peak where the jewel had lain. He had found it. But what became of it? The next page read:
"I gazed, with reverence, at the stone
That lay in my hand.
The jewel that hundreds had died for
Yet never saw
Immortality it granted, or so the legends spoke
Yet, who could believe them?
Legends were a fool's deterrent
But what if it was true?
I thought of what could be
A chance to heal my aching soul
A chance to bring me life
A chance to finally have someone
I could call a friend.
Yet I hesitated,
As sweet as immortality looks,
It would likely disappoint
And cheat death and myself
For I would never die, yet never live
Alone I would have to stride
Wander with ever increasing sorrow
And deprived of eternal sleep.
I cast the stone into the pit
Where it shall lay forever
Beyond the reach of mortals
For eternal wakefulness
Is not for the weak man.
~FTW"
