THE  HIDDEN  RIFT

   Next morning, while traveling along the edge of a wooded strand, Seth heard a call, then saw a man beckoning to him from not far away. He started to walk toward the man, only to feel Maturity grab him suddenly and violently, pulling him back to the path.

   "That was close!" exclaimed Maturity.

   Too stunned to respond at once, Seth only stared. "I'm sorry to have acted so unceremoniously," explained Maturity, "But I was sure you didn't know what danger you were in. Yelling to you might have startled you, causing you to go even deeper into trouble."

   "Thank you," replied Seth, "But I don't see any danger. All I see is a man standing over there. I just intended to talk to him."

   "What you can't see from here is that the patch of woods hides a deep chasm - in fact, the very chasm that you had to cross to enter the Kingdom. We have been paralleling it for some time."

   "Oh, my! So I could have fallen into that bottomless crack! Then, the man is... "

   "Correct. The man is on the other side of the chasm. He appears near, but (with no exaggeration!) he is worlds away."

   The man was still beckoning and calling, but Seth couldn't hear his words.      

  "Now that I know the chasm is there, may I go closer?"

   "Certainly. There's no problem talking to those outside the Kingdom. In fact, you should, as long as you recognize your constraints and limitations."

   Seth tested every foothold as he moved closer to the chasm. At last he could see the rift before him, and he could make out the man's words.

   "Greetings!" said the man. "You took a long time coming over. You didn't have anything to worry about."

   "But I didn't know about the chasm," replied Seth.

   "Oh, that. That's nothing, just a little crack. I would have warned you about it, anyway."

   "Nevertheless, I'm glad Maturity slowed me down."

   "Him!" the man snorted. "I suppose he's company for you, but he certainly is a troublemaker. He probably told you not to come over here to see me. Well, didn't he?"

   Seth hesitated. "Not exactly, but he did warn me about the chasm."

   "Chasm! Chasm smazm! That's all I hear from you people! You'd think it was the Grand Canyon, or something. It's just a crack in the ground, nothing less and nothing more."

   "But..." Seth groped for words. "But it makes a real difference which side of it you're on."

   "Hah!" exploded the man. "Sheer nonsense! What difference can it make? I'm a man, a human being like you, aren't I?"

   "Yes, but..."

   "I dress like you, and I talk like you?"

   "Yes, but..."

   "Yes, but what? We are not more than ten feet apart, standing on ground that looks identical, and you tell me there is a difference!"

   The man glared at him, and it gave Seth a quick moment to partially collect his thoughts. "Well," he began, "Here in the Kingdom, the King has special ways that he does things, and..."

   The man interrupted. "I know all that. I have a copy of The King's Handbook, right here." He produced it. "And I have read it - cover to cover - several times. Have you?"

   "Not all of it," replied Seth, a little bewildered and subdued.

   The man pressed his attack. "Next, you'll tell me about your learning stops, how you meet to discuss The King's Handbook, and similar things. So what? I also go to such a place, often several times a week." He emphasized that last part. "And we discuss The King's Handbook, too!"

   He stood back, triumphantly, hands on hips, waiting for Seth to speak. But, just as Seth was about to respond, the man began, again. "Are people better on that side of the chasm? Before you answer, remember Settled, that old lady I'm sure you've met. How about Postapostle? Is he better? Or Charismatic? Is he better?"

   Seth felt almost on the verge of tears, when he sensed Maturity close behind him. "Enough talk!" Maturity said. He didn't yell, but there was a finality in his voice. "We've been through all this before, and there's no sense going into it, again. You know where the bridge is."

   The man stared at Maturity, said "troublemaker" half under his breath, then turned and walked away. Maturity took the befuddled Seth by the arm, and led him out of the woods and back onto the road. Seth felt weak and drained, and still felt like crying.

   "I know," said Maturity, to Seth's unexpressed thoughts. "Such meetings are difficult ones. Still, you have to meet such people."

   Seth was recovering somewhat, now. "You were awfully blunt with him, weren't you? I mean, he was rude and frustrating, but even so... "

   "No," interrupted Maturity. "If he had really wanted to talk sensibly, I wouldn't have treated him that way. But he is always there, and his job is to confuse new citizens like you. He argues a well-formed argument, one aimed at discrediting the King, and enticing new citizens either back across or into the chasm."

   "You mean he wouldn't have told me that the chasm was between us? He would have let me fall in?"

   "Yes, he would have. Or he would have beaten you down with his arguments until you felt like going back across the bridge to join him."

   "But why would he do that?"

   "He would do it because he hates the King and everything the King stands for. But there are others who have similar jobs who are merely stupid, and don't realize the seriousness of what they are doing."

   They had been walking as they talked, and now Seth stopped. "The fact is,”"That I really am confused by what he said. He anticipated each of the defenses and objections I might have raised, and responded rather convincingly."  he began,

   "You mean about The King's Handbook, and learning stops, and the goodness of men?"

   "Exactly. There doesn't seem to be much difference."

   "But," asked Maturity, "How did you get to be a citizen of the Kingdom? Was it by reading The King's Handbook?"

   "No. I never did before I came here."

   "Well, was it because you went to learning stops?"

   "No. I hadn't been to them, either."

   "Were you especially good?"

   "Of course not!"

   "Well, how did you get here?"

   Seth pondered a moment. "I was asked if I wanted to be a citizen. I said yes, and I came across the bridge."

   "Exactly! We can talk forever about goodness, rules and regulations, and all the rest, but the fact is that admission to the Kingdom is that simple: you find out about it, and you come in. As far as whether or not the chasm makes a difference - whether it matters which side you are on - it does. It may not look any different, and it really isn't that big of a crack, but the King says the only way - the only way! - you can become a citizen is to come across it. It doesn't matter whether it seems logical or not - the King made the rule, and all the talk in the world can't change that."

   Seth looked back over his shoulder, and could see the line of trees marking the chasm. The man was still standing there. "I know there's a difference. I can't explain it, but I know that being a citizen of the Kingdom is more than just having a new address. It's all the difference in the world. I'll never go back!


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