A treasure seeker was finding his way through the woods when he came upon a bridge. On the other side of it was the most beautiful sight. When he approached the swinging limb and old man stopped him. This old man had and old torn robe and dirt stained skin. His hair was gray but painted brown by the mud. He had many cuts and bruises, scars to remind him of his mistakes he made. The old man spoke, "You must not cross this bridge until you have left everything you posses right where you stand."
"But", the man begins to plea, "All my gold and all my treasures, it has taken me a lifetime to gather them."
"To cross this bridge with so much weight will make it shake, for it is not strong after many years it has worn out and can't stand strong. Sir you must leave your valuables or you will fall!"
"Nonsense." Says the wanderer, "I have no time for this foolishness!"
And the wanderer walked up to the bridge before staring down into the black river waters.
"Old man, why do these waters run so dark?"
"Because every time a man falls in he is consumed by the waves and his sin colors the water blacker than the darkest night."
"So you say it is evil that makes the waters run black rather than blue in this here river?"
"Yes, every crooked man has bled his very pain to color this river."
"Why is no other river as dark as this, when men have fallen into them."
"Because all rivers lead to this river, and this river flows on forever."
"This is a myth, and you make a mockery of my intelligence. Evil has no color and there is no river that will go onto eternity! This must be a joke you play on travelers to keep them from crossing this bridge. I bet when a man crosses it you take his belongings for yourself, and you sell them to the highest bidder. You are nothing but a thief, and I will have no tolerance for you!"
"If you are worried I may steal, then I will cross the bridge with you."
The wanderer was lost for words, and before he could speak the old man told him,"Drop your treasures, throw them into the water, and follow me. If you feel that you need them then you can dive right back in to get them."
The wanderer was angered but did as the old man asked, curious about what resided on the other side, and confident of his own strength. The old man went first, holding onto the ropes for balance they began to cross with the wanderer just a few steps behind.
Many times the wanderer fell but the old man caught him. He would slip but the old man would set him back on his feet. He was worried about his ability to cross this bridge, and wondered how the old man could cross it so easily. Time and time again this bridges trials proved to better the man, and he grew confident that the bridge will stand.
As they neared the end the old man's scars began to fade. His torn robe turned into a silk one which would lift your hopes at the touch. His skin became pure of blemish, and his hair grew long and beautiful. The wanderer looked at the sight with to many questions. They reached the end, to a gate built high with pearls. The old man was now a beautiful being, and for the last time he spoke, "These waters have darkened, but it has yet to consume another soul, you left your glory behind to accept glory of a higher standard. You had many trials but your faith held strong, and now the bridge was your last problem."
The angel opened the gates, and the light shown out brighter than the sun. A peace overcame the wanderer and beautiful music filled his ears. The wanderer entered the gates, and this beauty was forever his.
