Journey to Eternity

A BETTER DAY FOR FRIEDRICH

The morning of Friedrich’s third day of travel came, after a quiet night of peaceful rest, but abruptly interrupted by a feminine booming voice at the far end of the hallway. She loudly announced breakfast was being served from seven o’clock to nine o’clock, requesting interested guests to make their way to the dining area.

Friedrich rubbed the sleep from his eyes and painfully climbed out of bed. He ached all over from his head down to his legs and feet. He had places on his body he didn’t know hurt when he barely moved. His battle and exhausting struggle with The Valley had left him with muscles and joints that were stiff and sore with the slightest movement.

After a few minutes of gingerly and slowly moving around, he was able to lessen the pain and stiffness. He soon dressed and briskly walked down to the dining area. He sat down at the same table as before, the sole patron in the room. He was mildly hungry, but not starving, after the wondrous dinner he had but needed a good breakfast to start his day.

A pleasantly plump blond middle-aged woman named Heidi soon appeared at his table, bowing and making eye contact. She wore a flowing light blue dress with a short white apron that wrapped around her waist, tied in the back, covering the area between the hips and knees. She asked his preference of coffee, milk, apple juice or water with his meal.

He preferred having coffee with two sugars and a chilled glass of apple juice. She returned with his beverages two or three minutes later. He was greatly impressed by her polite, kind spirit when she returned with his hot breakfast of two slices of ham, poached eggs, rye toast and peach jam.

He was also served something called Greissbrei, a traditional semolina (sweet) pudding cooked with milk and served warm with sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, real maple syrup or various fruits. The steam again rose from the eggs and ham that was as thick as the tip of his ring finger covering half his plate.

The eggs nearly covered the remainder of the plate with the toast, jam, pudding and pastry placed on a separate but smaller plate. Heidi promised he would not leave hungry as she returned every few minutes to make sure his coffee was refilled and reheated with extra sugar. He ate and drank until he was full.

She kept checking to see if he needed anything else to eat. She brought out a strawberry pastry for him to take as an added treat while he traveled. He thanked her for the excellent service then headed back to his room to retrieve his belongings, safely repacked, as he walked to the front desk one last time.

He walked out the front door then refilled his canteen with fresh water from the pump five feet past the front door. He was ready and eager to begin as he looked where the Narrow Road started again. He scanned to his left and his right before spying a tall wooden sign that provided him the information he needed.

He walked another fifty yards before rediscovering the Narrow Road. He looked upward to gauge what kind of day he might have. The sun was rising against a sky peppered with transparent white chiffon-like clouds, revealing different shades of yellow, orange, peach, pink and red. No dark clouds were present.

Both sides of the worn and grassy path were still damp and slippery from the previous night’s rain making walking more difficult with large puddles of muddy water presenting minor hazards. He fully expected the sun, with a gentle warm breeze, to help dry out the path as the day progressed.

He was as cautious as possible with the early challenging conditions of the Road. The muddy path slowed his progression, trying not to slip and fall, twist an ankle or possibly injure his back. It was very important to travel as far as he could go since precious time and distance was lost crossing The Valley.

He was fully energized from a good night’s sleep, two fantastic meals and ideal weather, wishing the entire day would remain near perfect. He kept walking at a steady pace except when he needed to clear out the occasional overgrown brush and vegetation which impeded his way.

The oppressive heat and humidity returned as he continued his steady pace. He took out the pastry he was given earlier eating it while walking giving extra energy. The sky appeared to be a shade darker than baby blue with clouds that resembled white cotton-ball-like clouds gently pulled apart.

It would be noon in about an hour based on the sun’s position when he would take a lunch break and take time to rest, renewing his energy. He tried keeping the same steady pace he had when he started but noticed a slower gait as he tired. Lunch and rest had to wait as his top priority was to go as far as he could physically endure.

He wanted to take advantage of the spectacular weather conditions, making the progress possible. The once damp and muddy route had dried out making it safer to walk. The blazing sun had migrated directly above him signaling it was noon and time for a lunch break and a few minutes to rest in shade.

He removed the backpack from his shoulders and pulled out some dried beef and a couple slices of bread for a sandwich. He sat down by a sprawling oak tree shielding him from the hot sun while enjoying much needed rest and relaxation. It was good to get off his feet for a while, enjoying a few sips of water.

He grabbed some dried figs and dried cranberries to enjoy with his sandwich as he sat down. He took a quick glance at the sky, finding nothing had changed from his earlier view. He was cautiously optimistic the near perfect weather would remain constant the rest of the day, taking nothing for granted.

He finished his meal then hoisted the backpack over his shoulders, taking a glance at the sky which reminded him the sun was slowly descending in the west. He took a few steps toward the Narrow Road, prepared to resume his journey. He was appreciative his unspoken prayer of safe passage and drier conditions had been divinely answered.

He was grateful he hadn’t injured himself as he looked skyward and whispered, “Thank You”, acknowledging the mercies and blessed protection from the Maker of Heaven and earth. White fluffy clouds still dotted the azure sky with no gray clouds found anywhere. He kept a close watch overhead in case gray and black clouds appeared.

He also paid close attention on the sun’s position which was advancing slowly in the western horizon, about halfway down from its earlier place. He estimated he’d have three more hours before dusk and darkness settled, wanting to make the best progress he could possibly make.

He needed to gradually increase his pace after resting and eating as he’d have to keep moving, despite tired and achy legs and feet, before finding somewhere to spend the night. He was not guaranteed if tomorrow would be just like today. He discovered that the hard way when he battled the rain and swampy conditions of The Valley.

He hoped history wouldn’t repeat itself, keeping a slow but steady pace as daylight fled. He plodded along until finding an open area along the left side of the pathway with a small bench and a steel fire pit ring, covered by an iron grate. Dusk gave way to darkness when stars formed an assortment of unique constellations accompanied by other shimmering heavenly bodies.

The nearly full moon provided adequate natural light for his surroundings as he settled down for the evening. His weary and aching body couldn’t go any further as he unloaded his backpack and sat several minutes on the bench. He started a small fire with nearby broken twigs, branches and small logs he collected.