27 Resolution

[Stephen Whiteside]

27 Resolution

© Stephen Whiteside 08.11.2011

Horatio stopped. A wave of relief and euphoria swept through is body. He knew who the footsteps belonged to, of course. Magnifico had changed his mind!

He turned to greet his friend.

It’s so great to see you!

Well, after you left I looked at the creeks, and the banks, and thought, who am I kidding? I felt flat as a flood-plain. How can I allow my best friend to walk out of my life like this? I’ll be miserable here. Miserable and bored. Food, water and shelter, it might be survival, but it’s not life, is it?

No, it’s not life. I don’t think so, anyway.

But if I join you, things are going to have to be a bit different. You have to agree to stop and smell the flowers every now and then. Staying in one place all the time might not be life, but neither is constant travel. The novelty wears off. It becomes just as dull and routine as its opposite. Variety. That’s what we need. Variety is the spice of life.

I like that, Magnifico. It has a nice ring to it. I reckon that little phrase might just catch on. But you’re right. Variety is the spice of life. The variety of most lives anyway. Personally, I’d be happy to travel constantly. But for the sake of you, and our friendship, yes, I agree, Magnifico, we will travel at times, and we will stop and rest at times. That sounds fair. It’s a deal.

Good. It’s a deal.

And so the two resumed their nocturnal sojourn beneath the moon and the stars. But in his heart, Magnifico knew that Horatio had chosen to abandon him, and he wondered if things could ever be quite the same between them.