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Sport 40: 2012
Vanishing acts
Vanishing acts
Here is a mountain, small enough to sit in the palm of your hand. It has physical properties. It is snowing delightfully. This mountain has a cave and the cave is filled with bats. The bats are smaller than cashews but they can still fly admirably.
Will this mountain grow? It will grow to enormous proportions. The bats inside this mountain will grow until they are large as aeroplanes and just as kind. The mountain’s seeds will be carried by the resident bats to desirable locations.
The bats must be very careful when selecting a place to plant. There are many predators that feed on young mountains. They are vulnerable and nutritious. Bats must take care to avoid open spaces such as deserts, moors and carparks.
We’re just crazy about these bats. They fly enormous distances, but they cannot sustain the weight of their own bodies for long. When they have found a good place, they dig a shallow hole and plant the seed. When they die, their bodies decompose and become fuel for the mountain. Soon they vanish entirely, leaving us asking; was that it? Where do we go from here? Can I have the last two minutes of my life back please? How can we be certain the moon won’t fall out of the sky and crush us all as we sleep?