Big Rock, Little Stone

The big rock rolled and bumped it's way down the river, the swooshing, gushing water carrying it most of the way. It bumped off other rocks but it kept rolling. Then one day it got wedged between the side of the babbling river and another smaller rock. Well, this was more of a little stone. One that had probably been thrown in by some over eager little person with big dreams and one which had probably created a few ripples as it landed. This was a nice little rock. I mean stone. The big rock wedged himself in between the river bank and a huge price of bedrock. The little stone was also wedged. With each passing day they swayed and rocked, the water lapping over them but they didn't budge. They were stuck here.

The season was turning from spring to summer and with that the sun came out to play. They basked in a few days of sunshine here and there. They watched the cotton candy clouds roll by. This was nice. Steady. All the while their movement in unison together with the water was beginning to change their shape. The little stone got used to the big rock being there. One side of its outer even began to mould into the shape of the big rock, so close was their current predicament. Wedged here between the river bank and a giant bedrock, remember. They got used to each others movement. A gentle sway. A little budge. A protection from the wind. This was now their reality.

Suddenly, the seasons began to change again. It wasn't really sudden. It had been a few months, but it didn't really feel like that. From summer to autumn was the change. With that brought heavier rain, stronger, gusty winds, grey skies and this uneasy feeling that something was about to give. The little stone wasn't sure what was happening. It had gotten used to being here, by the side of the big rock. Steady.

The water began to flow faster. And there was more of it. More and more rocks and stones tumbled down past them, down to where though? They didn't know. The little stone clung on for dear life. Then one day a large stone came along and bumped into them. This larger stone was somewhat funny shaped. One end round and large, the other end flat and small. Funny colour too. When that bump came together with a huge flow of fast flowing, bubbling water it was too much force and soon they were all tumbling their way downstream. The little stone eventually came to a halt. A halt so sudden that it made it dizzy. But, luckily it was wedged into the side of the river bank again in some soft fresh mud.

The big rock and large stone kept tumbling. Who knows where they ended up...

Months passed and the little rock was still stuck in the mud. Only, one half was sticking out and feeling the full force of the strong river flow. The was shaping the little stone. It was grateful for the place to stay and this reshaping would be good for it, it told itself.

The seasons changed again, autumn to winter. The water turned freezing and it was everything the little stone could do to stop cracking in two. Something made it hold on. It often wondered what fate the big rock and large stone had met. Never mind, the warmer weather would be here soon.

At the waters edge the little stone waited, waited until the freezing water began to flow strong again. Waters from high up flowing and bubbling again all around it. This meant that the seasons were changing, winter to spring. Little cute flowers started to grow near the river bank and butterflies started to flit, fly and hover around.

Then one day the river bank gave way and the little stone was soon on its way again. Rolling and tumbling downstream. This time with much more grace due to the weather and water reshaping it. As it tumbled, it bumped into something familiar. The big rock! Only this time it kept rolling, but only a little farther until it was at the edge of the water. A much shallower pool. It swayed slightly in the flow. It could see the big rock which was wedged again. But the large stone was nowhere to be seen. It wondered what had happened over that fairly long winter. It wanted to be wedged in with the big rock again, on the other side of the river bank. It was soon on its way again because unusually rainy weather brought much more water to the river.

Over the next few weeks the big rock and the little stone tumbled and rolled their way downstream, occasionally bumping into each other. Sometimes they got wedged together because their shapes still fitted despite the partial reshaping of the little stone. Other times they drifted off on separate journeys. But somehow they always managed to be wedged together, somewhere along the river bank, between a mud bank and a huge piece of granite.

Summer was now well and truly here and they found themselves heading to the coast. Rolling and tumbling and gently swaying and eventually they found home in a rock pool on the edge of nowhere. All was clam here, except for the occasional tiny crab crawling over them, they enjoyed their new resting place. Not wedged this time, but close enough to feel comfort. That comfort they felt back when they were wedged between the river bank and a bedrock.

The little stone rolled over and then back again looking up to the once familiar cotton candy clouds in the sky and secretly smiled. Home.