Or, travelling on a budget.
“So,
what are you going to do this weekend?” This question is asked again and again
at work on a Friday. Well, there are the usual errands and a nap (if you’re
lucky), but there is also the mind-travelling. Technically, I’m going to spend time reading. But that is quite a
boring way to say: “Well, actually I’m off on a quest this weekend. Off to slay
a dragon (or save a dragon), save a world, and probably ride a horse and wield
a sword. Or perhaps I’ll visit another country, planet or universe.”
And,
if you’re also writing over the weekend, you’ll probably be packing a bag and
heading off into the unknown with a half-drawn map (and some extra paper to jot
down any new towns or landmarks you come across). You’ll be wearing a cloak of
invisibility and yet change everything you come into contact with. That ‘castle
over yonder’ is no longer just a hazy outline of stone, but filled with the
bustle of people and intrigue. Maybe you’ll even add a wall or a scheming king
while you’re there. Stories will unfurl, rewind, move in another direction or
even abruptly stop; the story half told; the world half built.
“So,
what are you doing this weekend?”
I
think I’ll read a bit. Maybe write a couple of pages. But we’ll see.
Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still around the corner we may meet
A sudden standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!
Still around the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run,
Towards the Moon or to the Sun.
Apple, thorn and nut and sloe
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We'll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And to bed! And then to bed!
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still around the corner we may meet
A sudden standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!
Still around the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run,
Towards the Moon or to the Sun.
Apple, thorn and nut and sloe
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! Fare you well!
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We'll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And to bed! And then to bed!
- JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
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