Corded
As I walked across the sky blue cord, I watched as it grew. It would often twist with other cords and gain specks of color from them. The blue cord became thicker and more vibrant as it met new cords, until I came to a junction with another cord, one with an earthen brown core. The two began to intertwine, braiding together to form a strong connection. You could move these cords, but they would return to their position. The bond between them appeared to be very strong.
As I followed these cords, frays began to appear, sometimes in the brown, sometimes in the blue. In several areas, patchwork had been applied, but try as they might, the patch was ever present. After each fray and each patch, the cords became a little thinner.
At certain points, thinner cords intersected with the brown and blue, sometimes helping them regain thickness. But at others, the intersection began at a fray, and the supporting cord seemed to deepen the damage. The frays became more frequent, and the blue cord grew darker and more worn.
Eventually, the brown cord unraveled itself from the blue and split off. I continued to follow the blue cord.
Though many thin cords intersected with it, only a few returned multiple times. Each repeated intersection caused the blue cord to thicken and its color to lighten.
After a while, a thin rose red cord intersected with the blue and began to wrap around it. At first, the wraps were loose and spaced apart, but the further I went, the tighter they became. At times, the blue cord wrapped around the red, and each wrap grew tighter. Soon, the two cords were fully intertwined.
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The red cord quickly gained thickness as it traveled with the blue. Occasionally, the blue cord thickened as well. The two cords continued intertwining, and at some point, a royal purple hue emerged at their core. There were small frays, some left unattended, others patched. Overall, the condition of these cords was far better than when the blue and brown cords had been connected.
As I followed them, it became clear that the red cord had become equal to the blue, and both continued forward together.
After a time, a clash of thunder and a strike of lightning revealed the return of the brown cord. It ran parallel to the red and blue cords, and at times looked as if it were trying to reconnect. After each attempt, a fray appeared on the blue and red cords.
I watched as the purple hue began to fade, and more frays appeared. Then, as suddenly as it had returned, the brown cord disappeared again. But the damage had been done. The red and blue cords continued, but frays increased and patches became less frequent.
Eventually, the red and blue cords were no longer fully intertwined. They were clearly separate cords wound together. When that became apparent, the blue cord did something new. It split itself into two.
The split cord was a pale blue, almost gray, and very thin. It ran parallel to the red and blue cords, often trying to weave itself into them but never fully integrating. As more frays appeared on the red and blue cords, the pale cord grew thicker.
When the blue and pale cords became the same size, the red cord split off. The blue cord continued forward, with the pale cord beside it.
I continue to follow these two cords that were once one. As they move forward, so do I. They fray at the same time and connect to other cords as one, but they are clearly split. And still, I follow them wherever they lead.
