Janus Proceeds
Janus paused at the garden gate, his hand on the latch.
"Might we rest a while," he asked from the back of his head, "Must we hasten already to the next path?"
"every year," his front face grumbled. The great figure withdrew his hand from the gate and sighed. Resigned, he slumped onto the marble bench next to the path. Almost immediately, the uncleared snow began to melt and seep into his toga uncomfortably. He fidgeted in silence, looking simultaneously at the frozen garden around him and at the path beyond the gate.
At last, one face spoke, "I think you increase the pace every year, my fellow. We travel so fast, I fear we have not seen all there is to see. What wonders we may have missed! Perhaps, we should return?"
"Dude, we're a god. We saw it all."
Janus shrugged and gazed longingly backwards at the sandal tracks through the snow. It seemed so recent that they had crossed into this garden from the one before it. He recalled the bare branches and frost-painted fountains of that winter place, the marble bench, like this one, created for their brief comfort before they passed through that gate. He remembered fondly the buds of spring as they made their progress and the full honey-scented days of summer. The flames of autumn foliage had mixed their crisp souls with memories of other gardens, other paths.
"Yep, time to go!" the front face announced briskly.
"Wait," Janus barely contained the impulse to spring to his feet, "Let us linger here. This year cannot end yet. Mankind has done little this span. All greatness is behind them."
Janus rolled his eyes. "What do you mean? They do what they do, same as always - live, talk, run, laugh, fight, build, heal, think. You just think they did more stuff in the old days because your memories are all mixed up."
"My memory is beyond reproach," he asserted. "Tell me you don't recall the pyramids. Tell me that Rome was not grand. What of the wonders of the industrial revolution? What of-"
"None of it a single year."
The silence was thick as the other face sulked.
"Hey, there's a whole new garden out there to explore. Just need to get up and go after it."
Janus looked wistfully at last year's garden sparkling in the setting sun. "I shall miss this year most of all," he said with a customary tinge of melancholy.
"Yeah, yeah. You say that about every year. Can we go now? The seat of our toga is never gonna dry out."
"I am weary of this march. Will we never be able to stop? When shall we merely rest and reflect on the golden past forever?"
Janus smiled, his eyes twinkling with possibilities, "Got news for you, buddy. There's always another garden, always another gateway. But hey, look at it this way: You like looking back at the past; I'm just making sure there's more of it to look back at."
"Damn your impatience," he responded, but secretly, part of him warmed to the idea of collecting another past year. The figure rose slowly from the bench and took a final look at this year's garden.
"Ready now?" he asked, "I think I smell springtime ahead."
Janus made a noncommittal noise which he, of course, took for assent.
He took a couple of steps backward to furnish himself with a running start and leapt the gate in one soaring movement. Snow scattered as he slid to a stop on the other side.
"You are supposed to use the gate," his startled back face reprimanded.
Janus laughed. "Just be quiet and enjoy the ride. Welcome to 2010."
* For those of you unfamiliar with Janus, I recommend you explore Godchecker:
"Might we rest a while," he asked from the back of his head, "Must we hasten already to the next path?"
"every year," his front face grumbled. The great figure withdrew his hand from the gate and sighed. Resigned, he slumped onto the marble bench next to the path. Almost immediately, the uncleared snow began to melt and seep into his toga uncomfortably. He fidgeted in silence, looking simultaneously at the frozen garden around him and at the path beyond the gate.
At last, one face spoke, "I think you increase the pace every year, my fellow. We travel so fast, I fear we have not seen all there is to see. What wonders we may have missed! Perhaps, we should return?"
"Dude, we're a god. We saw it all."
Janus shrugged and gazed longingly backwards at the sandal tracks through the snow. It seemed so recent that they had crossed into this garden from the one before it. He recalled the bare branches and frost-painted fountains of that winter place, the marble bench, like this one, created for their brief comfort before they passed through that gate. He remembered fondly the buds of spring as they made their progress and the full honey-scented days of summer. The flames of autumn foliage had mixed their crisp souls with memories of other gardens, other paths.
"Yep, time to go!" the front face announced briskly.
"Wait," Janus barely contained the impulse to spring to his feet, "Let us linger here. This year cannot end yet. Mankind has done little this span. All greatness is behind them."
Janus rolled his eyes. "What do you mean? They do what they do, same as always - live, talk, run, laugh, fight, build, heal, think. You just think they did more stuff in the old days because your memories are all mixed up."
"My memory is beyond reproach," he asserted. "Tell me you don't recall the pyramids. Tell me that Rome was not grand. What of the wonders of the industrial revolution? What of-"
"None of it a single year."
The silence was thick as the other face sulked.
"Hey, there's a whole new garden out there to explore. Just need to get up and go after it."
Janus looked wistfully at last year's garden sparkling in the setting sun. "I shall miss this year most of all," he said with a customary tinge of melancholy.
"Yeah, yeah. You say that about every year. Can we go now? The seat of our toga is never gonna dry out."
"I am weary of this march. Will we never be able to stop? When shall we merely rest and reflect on the golden past forever?"
Janus smiled, his eyes twinkling with possibilities, "Got news for you, buddy. There's always another garden, always another gateway. But hey, look at it this way: You like looking back at the past; I'm just making sure there's more of it to look back at."
"Damn your impatience," he responded, but secretly, part of him warmed to the idea of collecting another past year. The figure rose slowly from the bench and took a final look at this year's garden.
"Ready now?" he asked, "I think I smell springtime ahead."
Janus made a noncommittal noise which he, of course, took for assent.
He took a couple of steps backward to furnish himself with a running start and leapt the gate in one soaring movement. Snow scattered as he slid to a stop on the other side.
"You are supposed to use the gate," his startled back face reprimanded.
Janus laughed. "Just be quiet and enjoy the ride. Welcome to 2010."
Have a Happy New Year!
What a fun little story! I can easily imagine that conversation, too. Thanks for the smile this morning. :D
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