Beacon

To borrow from a Coldplay track, 'Lights will guide you on...'

Sometimes the darkness seems overpowering. So much so that you just give in and become one with it. And then, just when it threatens to break you, the light you always look forward to comes on, seemingly at a distance. The beacon of light, of hope, of everything you need to see. It doesn't always appear, and never always as bright. It decides to show itself for only a moment, just as all hope seems to be falling to its knees.

When there are more downs than ups. When each good day of the year has a shadow lurking over it. When you can smile outside but be broken inside, that's when the beacon always comes into view. You have to close your eyes to see it. For it isn't meant to be found, only seen. Maybe. Maybe that's not even what it is.

Maybe it's just your soul playing tricks on you. The horse-and-carrot trick. It makes darkness play the Mirror of Erisid. Show you your deepest desires that you may once more realign body and soul to work in the direction it was supposed to keep heading in. "Don't give up," it said. "Keep going", it said. There's your destination, glowing in the flickering wisp of hope that chose to show itself. And, what do you do? You head towards it, of course. That's what it's there for. That's what you've always dreamed of. Or have you?

And when you reach it, embrace it, and get set to become comfortable. You see the path. Not entirely, but you do. So this was just a checkpoint? Refuel. Reload.

Repeat.