In the tumultuous gathering of life, every color was visible and every sound was being heard. Beasts and creatures of all shapes and sizes quarreled with each other for the stage - bright feathers, masks of all shapes and sizes, and teeth, and nails, and threat displays, all conjuring up a dizzying, bewildering storm. And every sight was impressive, every sound was compelling, every bark and every roar and every ear-splitting shriek had plenty to offer. Everyone was in the business of being seen, and heard.
Hours into the melee, as the energy gradually evaporated into the surrounding air, some monsters eventually felt that it was their time to leave - often amidst one final, deafening expulsion of their manifestos. That the windows of the hall were left in tact is a proud testament to their resilience.
And in the final moments of this scene, a lone cockerel sauntered across the now empty hall to declare itself the winner before retiring for the night. But in its passing, it eyed a lone, silent creature in the corner. It was mild, soft-furred, and hardly batting an eyelash.
Quite taken aback by the prospect of not being the last one left in the arena, the cock eyed its opponent. “Who are you?” it asked threateningly.
“I’m the truth,” came this creature’s very simple answer.
Not sure what to make of this, the cockerel was ready to charge and have it done with. “Get out of here!” it snapped.
But the truth didn’t budge. “I don’t leave,” it said quite calmly. “I never leave. I am always here.”
Incredulous, the cock blazed at the truth with its most terrifying glare - the one that was meant to convey that its victim’s chances were up. But the truth didn’t budge. Not a hair on its body was stirring.
“If you’ve always been here,” challenged the rooster, “Why couldn’t we hear you?”
The truth answered quite plainly: “Everyone was just making way too much noise. If you want to hear the truth, you have to silence yourself.”
“Well, even if I do see you now… How am I supposed to know it’s you?”
“Because even if you stop believing in me, I never go away.”
Photo by Adva Bar-Lev