[A road paved with checkpoints.]

Stephan doesn't remember when it began, but for as long as he knows, every 31st December of a year, when he sinks into sleep, a dream surfaces.

In his dream, he is standing on a road that stretches far ahead, and overhead is a ring of soft, blue neon. Then, he takes a step forward, across the line sprayed across the path- into another road.

Throughout the nights, he continues to dream.

At his seventh checkpoint, he watches with inquisitive eyes as his road begins to morph slightly. It is littered with multicoloured dazzling jewels amongst small pebbles. He stumbles over many, but manages to collect almost all of the vividly coloured gems. Patches of grass sprout from every of his steps as he makes his way through the next few. Trees and flowers gradually spring and grow, fringing his path as he picks the multiplying gems off the ground.

At his fourteenth checkpoint, the road begins to shift. The laterite ground is no longer blooming with new greenery at every step, and the pebbles have whetted from fine round edges to sharp and cracked corners. Small cuts begin to litter his feet as he crosses them all to get the jewels until the next checkpoint.

As he passes through his sixteenth, the road slopes upwards. The journey to the next checkpoint stretches longer and longer, and Stephan feels the strength in him dwindling more and more the further he trudges. He soon renders to partially climbing as he tries his best to conquer one boulder after another, and savours whenever the road (finally) evens and he is rewarded with diamonds and sapphires and rubies and sometimes even small critters that accompany him along the way.

They remind him that even after all the sweat and wounds, those rest points are what makes the arduous journey worth it.

He continues to advance, and at the twenty-first checkpoint, he secures a unique stone. It glows a brilliant pink, and he holds it close to his chest, where his heart thumps along the pulsating radiance of the gem. He glances forward to see his road levels just a little, and he regains some vigour to push himself just a little faster.

At his twenty-fifth checkpoint, the road morphs drastically. Now, it steeps downwards, and Stephan finds himself tumbling down the slope bestrewn with thousands of glass shards. The pink on the fragments were pale, barely enough to illuminate the way down in the darkness that creeps in like a mist as they bury deep into his flesh, drawing out fresh crimson. The squeaks and chirps of his "friends" have vanished, leaving him alone with the voices that plague his mind and consume his thoughts.

Still, down he goes, past the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh checkpoint. The neon blue now flickers a sickly, dull glow, as if it will collapse any moment, and the greens around him droop and wither. Finally, he rolls to a stop, and when he peers ahead, all he could see is the swallowing blackness. He is unable to muster the courage and strength to venture into the unknown anymore- if there even is a path to continue ahead.

He watches helplessly as the jewels he has collected begin to rust and disintegrate, one by one.

A loud boom detonates ahead of him, and he peers over to vaguely make out the shape of a chasm. But he doesn't care. He's exhausted and empty. He feels done.

Just then, a tiny light flickers. He trails his blank stare towards the odd thing. Now, as the light nears, he makes out the shape of a firefly. It dances in the air for a little bit, then eventually flies over across the chasm, and through the dim glow Stephan sees it.

A log props itself between the rift, and just beyond that rock is another ring, but this time a brighter, lighter glow of blue.

At last, he gradually gets onto his feet. Slowly and body screaming in agony, but he does it all the same.

He makes his way to the log. He inhales, and lifts one foot to balance on the wooden surface.

The light glows brighter on the other end. He wills himself to sober up, before crouching and crawling across the thin, precarious makeshift bridge. The process is turtle's pace and incredibly onerous, but he pushes himself further and further, before he finally tumbles off the log onto flat ground.

As he lies there to catch his breath, he hears a familiar chirp, and spots a bird above him. He is unable to resist the smile that worms its way across his lips, and with newfound determination, he picks himself up to crawl through the awaiting checkpoint.

The darkness above cracks, revealing azure through the small crevice, and it is enough for Stephan to catch a glimpse at the asphalt road ahead. It is still mounted with sharp spikes and rocks, but at all the obstacles, he feels the spark in his chest reigniting, along with the remaining traces of fear. He accepts both feelings and spurs himself forward.

Now, as he scales past the sharp edges, he realises that the grazes against his skin barely affects him, let alone draw out blood. Past his twenty-eighth checkpoint, a mouse sneaks onto his palm just as he is reaping a piece of gold bar from the ground, and drops the very pink gem that dug into his skin once. Fissures lace and web across the crystal surface, and Stephan cradles it tenderly. Warmth rushes through his veins and patches his skin with barely-visible scars, marking him with abiding reminders of his journey, and he welcomes the sensation.

Not long after, he crosses his thirty-first checkpoint, and along the way officially binds himself to the pink, cracked gem.

Stephan smiles as he recalls the climb across the log. If he had allowed himself to fall down into the abyss, he wouldn't be able to witness the many more treasures ahead. He is glad of everything he has endured thus far.

The path ahead is filled with many more hurdles, but knowing it is worth seeing past the next checkpoints, he is determined to triumph the barricades with great tenacity.

His scars are the proof of his words, as they linger on until he passes his final checkpoint.

♧[30/5/2020]♧

FINAL ONE TOMORROW !!