The Rock and the River

The Rock and the River By E. E. Song
Chapter 1
The birds were singing as they do early in the morning splashing in the water, their river. You could see and touch the early mist that had just bathed all the leaves, all the creatures.  The little Rock smiled as she had made this her home long ago here by the river bank.

Every morning the Rock stood still and giggled as the River flowed all over her. Then the sun would come out and warm her up. She felt cozy, at home. Unlike other days where this happened today was different. The Rock could feel her muddy home was just about to cut her free, cut her loose so she could just flow and ride the River, her friend.

The River had told her about many other Rocks like her not far and the Rock was delighted listening every day to the Rivers stories. Stories of his travels through moss, rocks, trees and the Rock cooed and listened.

There he was again the River. He approached with a rush and splashed the little Rock. He said, “little Rock today I will set you free.” Today you will cut loose your muddy home and I will carry you far away to lands where Rocks reach to kiss the sky, to lands where I splash the very bottom of enormous beautiful rocks by the ocean at the Oregon Coast.

The little Rock remembered she had lived there long ago with Mother Rock, Father Rock , Brother and sister rocks, in Coos Bay, Oregon. She became sad because the Oregon coast was once her home. She remembered Astoria, the Ocean and moving on big  foamy, flowing tides that carried her and her Rock family to Rockaway beach. There she lived with her rock family and had little pebbles of her own. They all lived on a gigantic rock with starfish cousins, moss friends, mussels and squiggly crab families.  It was at Rockaway beach where she first became free. It was a fisherman and his lady that set her free for the first time.

The fisherman and his lady began knocking off mussels off the Rocks. The little Rock was lodged tight between many family Rocks and mussels. She felt safe there, secure. It was her home after all. Her brother the stone Rock broke off first. The little Rock screamed to see such a man Rock, so strong break so easily. He was lost to her now, in the ocean floating far away from her.
Gus, the fisherman knocked his hammer straight on the other rocks knocking mussel after mussel for his food. His lady, Mercedes, picked up the mussels and put them in her bucket.
Crash, the little Rock fell. Mercedes felt a jolt in her heart after seeing this. She felt this was no ordinary rock. She quietly put the little Rock in her bucket without Gus seeing her.
When they got home Mercedes snuck the little Rock in and placed her in the most beautiful garden. She said, “you will be safe here little Rock. “

For some time the little Rock was safe and cozy. Wormy friends would dance under her feet and the Oregon rain reminded her of the majestic Ocean, the Ocean she could never forget.
When you stand in front of an ocean you are humbled and surely you feel God’s presence there. That is how the little Rock felt.
Mercedes came out every other day to spray the flowers. And she and the little Rock spoke, like the way it used to be before rocks were silent. They exchanged stories of their families, the places they had been, and the beautiful sights they had seen and were just silly.

The sun was little seen in Oregon and the little Rock became sick. She started dreaming of places far away where she could feel warm. She told Mercedes. Mercedes told her of a wonderful place. A place that was warm and wet and sunny. The little Rock was listening.
Where is this place, asked the little Rock? Well in Texas, said Mercedes. There is a river there I know you will love. It is in Wimberley, Texas and you will fall in love and never, ever come back. “When will you take me there,” said the little Rock. “Soon, said Mercedes, soon.”

Years went by and Mercedes grew older. The little Rock stayed young. She did not age. Every day she asked Mercedes to take her there to this Wimberley, to her River, for by now Mercedes had told her so much of this river that tempts all to jump in on warm Texas summer days that she, little rock, started to fall in love with this river.

Gus , Mercedes husband,became suspicious of Mercedes walk in the garden for she would stay for hours and hours.
One day he followed Mercedes and spied on her and the little Rock. As soon as Mercedes left Gus picked up the little Rock and threw her in his truck. He drove for miles and miles thinking where he could throw her. What would he say to Mercedes? After all the little Rock was just a friend, she never harmed anyone.

He stopped at a gas station that was by a small post office right outside of town. As he got out of his truck he said to the little Rock, “speak, I know you can speak, I heard you talking to Mercedes.” But the little Rock was silent. You see only those with pure hearts and thoughts can talk to rocks.

Gus was angry. He tossed the rock as far as he could throw her. The little Rock landed right by the post office never to see her friend Mercedes again.

Chapter 2

The kids were out on a field trip that day from school. Nicky was collecting rocks and things for his science project. He stumbled and fell right on top of the little Rock. “Ouch, you stepped on me.” What? “Wait, you can talk, said Nicky? “Yes I can, so what’ your excuse?” “But you’re a rock, and one with an attitude”, said Nicky.
“Yeah, well if you had been through all that I have been through you would have an attitude too”, said the little Rock. Nicky laughed and they started to exchange stories. It was getting late and he had to be back in school. Little Rock said to Nicky, I will be here for you always. Please find a way if you can to send me to Wimberley, I really wish to live there. I have a date with a friend called the River and he has been waiting for me for quite some time now, said little Rock.
Ok, ok little Rock, I will find a way, I promise, said Nicky.
Two days went by and in the late afternoon when Nicky came out of school he came over to see little Rock. He had his backpack with him and pulled out a box. He told little Rock to trust him. She did. He lovingly kissed the little Rock and put her in the box addressed to Wimberley, Texas care of the The River. What a clever boy Nicky was.

The box arrived in Wimberley and the postmaster laughed when he saw who it was addressed to, Care of the River, Wimberley, Texas. He took the box out and opened it. There he saw the little Rock cuddled in a corner with big lovely kind eyes smiling back at him. It was as if all those times he skipped rocks as a kid flashed back into his mind at that moment. He knew what he had to do.
Five o’clock came and he walked down to the River. Under his arm was little Rock. He gently placed her there waiting for her love, the River.

The first time little rock saw the River she rolled herself right in it. The first time she was knocked around and struck other rocks and trees. She did not care. She was happy again. She knew that someday the River would take her back to Oregon, to the coast to see her children the little pebbles she left behind.
“Little Rock, said the river ,are you listening? Are you ready? “  “Yes River, sorry I was day dreaming.”
“It may or may not be easy little Rock but I will stay with you forever. I will always be there. Just trust me, break free of your little muddy home and just come with me. Little Rock stood up and proudly dusted herself off. “Ok, I’m ready,” said little Rock.
With a blink of an eye little Rock was freed. As she tossed and turned the river roared and laughed to see her so happy. With a gush of water he tossed her up and down through moss and leaves, Brother Rivers and streams, father brooks, waterfalls and big, big Rocks that seemed to kiss the sky.

They finally reached the Oregon coast and little Rock could see the rocks in Coos bay reaching up to the sky in prayer. She made it to Astoria, then Rockaway beach. And there she saw her little pebbles. She kissed them and told them of her many journeys, her friend Mercedes, and the little boy Nicky who mailed her to the River in Wimberley, Texas.
                      “  The pebbles laughed so hard they skipped all on their own. “

The time came for little Rock to flow once more with the River. It was time. So she kissed the pebbles with all her heart and lived happily ever after with the River.
And the little Rock was happy again.

Copyright 2008, All rights reserved, revised  12.08.10