The two Knights were now in sight of their goal, in the far distance they could see a High Castle, the final destination of their Quest. As they entered a narrow valley, through which they must pass, their way was blocked by a large crowd of people who appeared to be all following somebody way up ahead. It was impossible for them to pass safely through the crowd and so they dismounted and led their horses into the melee. Unable to ascertain what or whom the crowd were following, Vivainne and Constance took it upon themselves to interview some of the people around them.
This, then , is the story that they were told.
A Philosopher, fascinated by the idea that, “Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of our language,” had decided to block his ears in an attempt to improve his intelligence. He spent his time not reading, not listening and not partaking in anything in which words or language might be involved. It was not, as yet, proven as to whether his intelligence had been sharpened or impaired, but it had brought him some renown in the region where he made his home. Although he had no direct communication with anyone, he had somehow given the impression that he was extremely wise. This may have come partly from his appearance, his white beard, ragged robes, sandals and staff seemed to impress people. Soon enough, people were seeking him out in order to have difficult questions and decisions made by him.
Now, one may have supposed that this was impossible, considering the nature of his retirement, but ingenious methods were found to satisfy the demands of his growing group of followers. For instance, a simple Yes/ No answer could be obtained by placing a Yes apple and a No apple in his path and seeing which one he chose to eat, or, for more subtle decisions, scraps of paper with various choices inscribed on them and folded correctly so as to avoid words passing before his eyes, could be put before him, and the one that he chose to start his fire with, would either be the correct or the incorrect decision, depending on the interpretation.
This had been going on for some time when the philosopher suddenly started walking away for his humble abode, with no signs of his intending to return. His followers took this as a sign also and some hundred or so of them followed him in expectation of further insights and revelations.
This journey had gone well for a few days, the philosopher had travelled some way from his home, wandering from tree to stream in what appeared to be a random way. His followers arguing over interpretations of his actions to their hearts content. Unfortuately, on the seventh day, the philosopher had, for no apparent reason, suddenly turned around and started walking backwards. At first this did not precipitate too many problems; he did bump into a few trees and stumble through some thickets but, by and large, he had not put himself in any situations that required the assistance of his disciples.
But now, his followers had discovered that he was drawing inexorably closer to a precipice. The discussion amongst the crowd raged, should they intervene in some way? What was their duty? Should they break his rules and communicate with him in some way? Was there a way to save their hero without introducing words or language.
When Vivainne and Constance arrived, the followers estimated that the philosopher, at his present rate of travel, would reach the precipice in about five minutes time. They were horrified at the apparent madness of allowing an aging eccentric to walk backwards towards his death without intervening. Leading their horses, the two knights shouldered their way through the crowd and saw the philosopher teetering backwards towards his demise. Handing the reins of her horse to Constance, Vivainne walked quickly to the area between the philosopher and the ravine. Grasping him firmly by the shoulders, Vivainne turned him around, so that he could see the ravine, the philosopher, without batting an eyelid, continued to walk backwards, now safely away from the ravine.
The crowd of followers formed a corridor through which the Philosopher could pass, watching his every move as he slowly made his way back the way he had come. As he passed, the corridor closed behind him and his disciples turned to follow him once more.
Vivainne and Constance watched the backs of the crowd as they slowly made their way back down the narrow valley and away into the distance.
‘I suspect,’ said Vivainne at length. ‘That he may discover that it is not so simple to forego the seduction of language, which is after all, the vehicle of our thoughts even when we are insensible to the world around us. Perhaps he should bend his mind to expanding the limits of our language and understanding, rather than attempting to escape it completely.’
Having remounted their horse, the two knights prepared to make their final approach to the High Castle wherein the Die of Destiny was incarcerated.
The Guardians of the Cave 