the rock

they approached an outcrop of huge rocks jutting out of the barren desert floor, like a monstrous growth on the sand. he wondered how it got here. was it the last survivor of the punishing desert winds?

"look at that," the traveler said. he looked up to where his finger was pointed to. there was an enormous rock perched precariously over a thin slab, high up on the rocky outcrop.

"that thing has been there for the past, i don't know, fuck, the past million years? it looks amazing, doesn't it?" before he could say anything, the traveler rambled on. "the natives had a name for it, they used it as a landmark to navigate because it could be seen from miles away."

"now it has a new name and people come from faraway lands just to look at it. amazing, isn't it?"

"yeah..." he said, sounding more like a croak because his head was tilted up to the sky, still staring at that rock.

"well take a good look because after i'm done with it it'll be no more."

it took him a few seconds to process this. "wait, whaaaat?!"

"yeah you heard me," the traveler said. "i've got all the stuff i need in here," he said, patting his backpack.

"are you mad? what are you going to do!"

"just think about it," he smiled. "a million years of history now in the palm of your hand, a snap of your fingers and it's gone forever. isn't that amazing?"

"besides, it is just a rock. all of its beauty and history was prescribed onto it by man, and now it'll all be erased by one man..." he smiled again. "... and that man is you."

he stared back at the traveler, dumbfounded. a million years of history... in his hands... the traveler started to hike up the outcrop, and he, as though in a trance, began climbing too.