Lonely traveler, you must understand that you cannot stay here with me.

This is not because of anything you say or do, this is simply because I have learned not to open my gates up to travelers such as yourself.

The last traveler to come through left a mess.

He came to me with a hurting soul and asked to stay just one night.

I tried to tell him that he wouldn’t want to stay here.

I tried to tell him to turn back and never return to me.

He didn’t listen.

Instead he set up camp.

He took caution with me at first, being careful not to re-open old wounds.

He lit lanterns and brought in a light that I had never known before.

I taught him how to swim in the depths of my mind without drowning,

I showed him how to navigate my body in the dark without tripping on any roots,

And I eventually told him the dark tales of intruders past that wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Something about them must have inspired him because then he started exploring on his own.

He burned every path he came across to the ground, claiming that it was out of love.

He dried up every lake, telling me how much better things would be now.

Eventually there was nothing left for him to do but destroy my heart itself.

Despite my protests, he ripped down every barrier surrounding it.

He forced his way in and destroyed it from the inside out.

He then left me in the ruins of the mess he created without a word.

                        So, forgive me lonely traveler, but I can’t let you stay here, for I am still picking up the pieces he left behind, hoping to find something that will inspire me to rebuild everything he destroyed.