Living in the Dark

There was once a race of creatures who, by strange circumstance, were compelled to live underground. They lived there for generations, and settled down and settled in, and slowly stopped wishing for the up-lands. Their eyes forgot the brightness of the sun, and their noses forgot the smell of fresh air. Indeed, some even forgot there was an over-land.

But the Overseer of the land above had not forgotten them. He knew that they were made for the up-lands, and was sorry to hear of them crawling about in the dark of the middle-earth. He was making plans to go down and bring them up. But in the meantime, so they would not forget, he sent them pictures of the up-lands.

These, when they were received, caused great stir among the people below, and their desire for the up-lands was reawakened. But some of them said, "See these! They show what our land will one day become." And many believed them, and desired even less to be drawn out.

This was not at all what the Overseer wanted: for how could he teach them the joys of the over-land if they clung stubbornly to their own little land? So he decided to make them discontented with their land, and sent them pains and troubles--hoping that once they were discontented below they would again look above. And some did: but some only grew bitter, hating the pains of their land, yet hating their memory of the Overseer.

And that, I am afraid, is where the story must end. Those people still live in the dark in their little world. Some are bitter and miserable; some are still contented with their condition. But some look ahead expectantly to the day when the Overseer himself will come down, and the ground will be rent beneath his feet and the glorious light of the over-land will pour in.