You dream of the gate. It is black. It is old. The iron is cold against your skin. You are not holding it. You are part of it. The rust is your blood. You wake. The room is dark. Rain taps the glass. You sit up. Your hands shake. You look at them. They are steady. They are still. You reach for the cup on the table. It is warm. You drink. The water is bitter. You go to the window. The night is deep. The woods are black. You see a light. It is far away. It is small. It is yellow. You know it. You have seen it before. In the dream. You stand. You put on your coat. It is heavy. It is wool. It smells of smoke. You take your sword. The metal is cold. You take your cloak. You go out. The air is wet. The grass is wet. Your boots sink. You walk. You do not look back. The house is behind you. The light is ahead of you. You walk fast. Your heart beats. It is loud. It is hard. You hear it in your ears. You hear it in your chest. You do not stop. You run. The branches hit your face. The branches hit your eyes. You do not care. You see the light again. It is closer. It is a window. It is a house. It is a cottage. It is small. It is round. The roof is thatch. The door is wood. The wood is pale. You stop. You breathe. Your breath is white. The fog is thick. You walk to the door. You knock. You knock once. You knock twice. You knock three times. There is no answer. The door opens. The door opens inward. You step in. The room is small. The fire is low. The embers are red. The embers are dying. You see a chair. The chair is empty. You see a table. The table is bare. You see a mirror. The mirror is dark. You look in the mirror. You see your face. Your face is pale. Your eyes are wide. You see the sword. You see the blood on the sword. It is not yours. It is red. It is bright. You turn. You see a figure. The figure is tall. The figure is thin. The figure is wearing a robe. The robe is gray. The robe is old. The figure has no face. The figure has no eyes. The figure has no mouth. The figure stands. The figure does not move. You raise your sword. Your arm is strong. Your arm is steady. You swing. The sword cuts the air. The sword cuts the dark. You hit the figure. The figure does not fall. The figure does not bleed. The figure stands still. You swing again. You swing again. You swing again. Your arm burns. Your arm aches. Your lungs burn. Your lungs ache. You stop. You are tired. You are weak. You lower your sword. Your hand trembles. The figure moves. The figure steps forward. The figure reaches out. The figure touches your chest. The touch is cold. The touch is wet. You feel a pain. The pain is sharp. The pain is deep. You fall. You fall to the floor. The floor is hard. The floor is cold. You look up. The figure is gone. The room is empty. The fire is out. The room is dark. You are alone. You get up. Your legs are weak. Your legs are numb. You walk to the door. You open the door. The rain is falling. The rain is cold. You step out. You close the door. You walk back to your house. You walk fast. Your feet hurt. Your feet bleed. You do not stop. You reach your house. You open the door. You step in. You close the door. You lean on the wall. You slide down. You sit on the floor. You look at your hands. Your hands are clean. Your hands are empty. You have no sword. You have no blood. You have no mark. You are whole. You are safe. You are alone. You think of the figure. You think of the touch. You think of the pain. The pain is gone. The fear is gone. The rage is gone. You are calm. You are still. You close your eyes. You sleep. You dream again. You dream of the gate. The gate is black. The gate is old. You are not part of it. You are holding it. You are holding the handle. The handle is warm. The handle is soft. You turn the handle. The gate opens. The gate swings wide. The light is bright. The light is white. The light is pure. You step through. You step into the light. You do not see the figure. You do not see the dark. You see the sky. The sky is blue. The sky is clear. You see the fields. The fields are green. The fields are soft. You see the people. The people are happy. The people are free. You see a woman. The woman is young. The woman is beautiful. The woman is smiling. The woman is looking at you. The woman is waiting for you. You walk to her. You take her hand. Her hand is warm. Her hand is soft. You walk together. You walk into the light. You walk into the day. You are not a soldier. You are not a guardian. You are not a fighter. You are a man. You are a lover. You are free. You wake. The room is bright. The sun is up. The rain is gone. You sit up. Your hands are steady. Your heart is calm. You look at the cup. The cup is empty. You look at the sword. The sword is gone. The sword is not there. The rack is empty. The wall is bare. You look at the wall. There is a stain. The stain is dark. The stain is old. The stain is round. The stain is fading. You touch the stain. The stain is dry. The stain is clean. You stand. You go to the window. The woods are quiet. The woods are green. The birds are singing. The air is sweet. The air is fresh. You take a breath. The breath is deep. The breath is easy. You feel the light. The light is on your face. The light is on your hands. The light is in your heart. You are not angry. You are not afraid. You are not strong. You are not weak. You are human. You are alive. You are here. You open the door. You walk out. You walk to the woods. You walk to the edge. You look back. The house is small. The house is white. The house is quiet. You turn. You walk into the woods. You walk fast. You walk far. You walk until you cannot walk. You sit on a rock. The rock is cool. The rock is hard. You look at your hands. Your hands are empty. Your hands are free. You have nothing. You have everything. You close your eyes. You listen. You listen to the wind. You listen to the leaves. You listen to the birds. You listen to your heart. Your heart is beating. It is soft. It is slow. It is steady. You are not fighting. You are not running. You are not hiding. You are resting. You are letting go. You are letting go of the sword. You are letting go of the gate. You are letting go of the dark. You are letting go of the self. You are becoming nothing. You are becoming everything. You are becoming the wind. You are becoming the light. You are becoming the love. You are becoming the peace. You open your eyes. The world is still. The world is quiet. The world is kind. You stand. You walk on. You do not know where you are going. You do not care. You are going. You are free. You are home.

The story ends here. The man walks. The woods close behind him. The sun sets. The stars come out. The moon rises. The moon is full. The moon is bright. The man is small. The man is alone. The man is safe. The man is free. The gate is closed. The gate is gone. The figure is gone. The pain is gone. The love is here. The love is inside. The love is true. The love is real. The love is eternal. The man smiles. The man is happy. The man is at peace. The man is whole. The man is one. The man is all. The man is none. The man is here. The man is now. The man is forever. The story is done. The words are gone. The silence is here. The silence is sweet. The silence is deep. The silence is true. You are here. You are awake. You are alive. You are free. Go.