The Torchbearer

‘The souls of people, on their way to Earth-life, pass through a room full of lights; each takes a taper - often only a spark - to guide it in the dim country of this world. But some souls, by rare fortune, are detained longer - have time to grasp a handful of tapers, which they weave into a torch. These are the torch-bearers of humanity - its poets, seers and saints, who lead and lift the race out of darkness, toward the light. They are the law-givers and saviors, the light-bringers, way-showers and truth-tellers, and without them, humanity would lose its way in the dark.’  Plato

The Torchbearer

‘Here, let me help you?’, I heard her say. ‘You look tired. Rest a while. I’ll get water.’ She grabbed a taper and moved away.

I watched her disappear around the miasma of shapes in front of me. We were unformed, misty, with limb like protrusions that swam and folded, neither solid nor vapour. The reassuring sound of a hundred beating hearts gave us hope. Our voices, high and reedy, were as mystical as pan pipes.

The woman returned and offered a cup to her charge. There was a calm and kindness to her manner as she patiently ministered to each newcomer. Each time she disappeared she grabbed another taper.

We slid and wafted forwards; the volume of the heartbeats rising. She returned many times to care for us souls on our perilous journey. As each regained their strength, she handed a taper to them and pressed them gently forward. Theirs burned dimly but sufficiently, enough to herald their exit and entry to another world.

Nearly at the front of the queue, I was ready. I didn’t need water, only the chance to get on with my life. But the arrival of another apparition, bigger, more substantial, detained me, raising a large palm to block my passage. The new specter turned to her.

‘It’s your time now,’ I heard it say. ‘Look what you’ve achieved and how many tapers you’ve collected by helping those in need. You will be a torchbearer for mankind. Go, be a beacon for humanity.’

She bowed and raised her torch skywards. Our ante room was flooded with a brilliant, white light, a prescience to help us locate and emulate the way-showers of our own lifetime. As she walked away, we returned to a state of shadowy darkness.

‘Who will be next?’ asked the new voice. ‘We need light-bringers and truth-tellers more than ever.’

I sidestepped and shuffled, before finally stepping forward.