This story is about a young guy named Finn who lived and survived in a dark thick forest where snow fell often and anything that could move was still and frozen. Finn was ice fishing with his regular gear, near a hut he had found which was made from tree bark and vines growing over a structure formed from ice. He smiled as he reeled in a large catch, and he began to dance. However he slipped on the ice and hit his head on a rock. Looking around for any witnesses of his embarrassment, he saw nobody. He sighed relief, looking at his fish once again, holding it and wishing there was someone around, to witness his catch. He felt so lonely most of the time, and some of the days, he lost track of motivation as to why he was surviving if there was no one around to see it. What did it matter if he caught an adequate dinner if he were only providing for himself. Finn had thoughts of dying on the mountain he lived on, and his whole life being erased with him. He had thoughts that perhaps his life was not even a life, if there was no one to ever see it. A small ant had crawled out from under the rock at his feet, and looked up at him. Finn had hit his head on a magic rock, and the ant was here to grant him a wish.
“I wish for their to be a witness to my achievements.” And the ant granted his wish. The dark clouds above had parted and a pair of giant human eyes peered down at Finn from the sky above. They were as still and as towering as the sun or the moon, being as mysterious in their presence to him. Finn looked up and felt small, but then he smiled at the eyes. “Look at what I caught.” He lifted up the fish to show the eyes, and although the eyes could not show an expression, he saw them as sharing his joy. And from the pride he felt beaming on to him, he began to dance again. Finn began to feel a love which was missing in his life. His body felt warm and full and he felt safe knowing someone was watching him as he was alone on the mountain. If he died, someone would know. The eyes peered down, watching.
However as Finn danced, he once again slipped on the ice and felt embarrassed. He looked up at the eyes, and although the eyes could not show any expression, Finn could see that they thought less of him. “You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” Finn shouted into the sky. “You think that I am not intelligent. I didn’t mean to slip on the ice. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, you’ll see.”
Finn went home to his cabin and peering through an open window, which was a hole in his wall covered by a door, he looked at the eyes. “Tomorrow, you will see the greatness which is my life.”
Finn went to sleep that night rolling around in his bed. He had felt inadequate. One being had witnessed his life today, and within that one day he had shown that he was clumsy. ‘Maybe being seen isn’t so good.’ Finn thought as he lay in bed. He could see the light of the moon peak through his walls, but he could feel under his skin, the eyes which could see him sleep.
Time had passed and Finn was growing frustrated of the way which the eyes tore into him, the laser of pain and judgement which was cast down from the sky. Frustrated at his witness, he began to throw rocks at the eyes however they were too far away and none could touch them.
“I’ll show you, I’ll escape from this prison.” Finn yelled from atop his mountain to the eyes above, and then he set out to travel far, further than he had ever ventured before. As Finn got to the bottom of the mountain, and along the river, he came across a settlement of people. Finn had not seen others in a long long time, and although they looked different than him, Finn rejoiced in the comfort that his life and his story would be shared. They welcomed him in, and Finn began to tell them of the eyes which judged him from the mountain top, and as he pointed to the large open sky, the eyes were there no longer. Finn smiled, he felt free for only a moment. He looked at the ground and felt foolish that perhaps they would not think his story was the truth. When Finn looked up at the others around the campfire, he saw on their faces, the same evil eyes which haunted the sky and his dreams. They now all had the eyes of judgement and knowing.
Struck with fear, Finn ran off into the forest until he ran out of supplies, and running from fear of the unwelcome eyes, he perished in the wilderness.