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This week’s prompt: It can be a physical journey, a spiritual journey, a hypothetical journey, a journey of two minds or as many as you can fit in there, a journey of pure fantasy……whatever way you go have fun and take us to where your mind goes..

“Some journeys are a walk in the park. They require no thought just the energy to undertake them. Anyone can do them.” Lily Woods 2015

“Some journeys require strength and resilience and they make us doubt ourselves and think of our lives as a great fuck up.” RG Cook 2016

I decided it was time to make the journey from Insanity to Sanity. They were neighbouring towns one across the hill from the other. The road from Sanity to Insanity was a smooth flowing easily negotiated path but the return journey, the one I was about to make, was marked by road blocks, obstacles and the voices of self doubt and loathing.

Insanity for its occupants was a safe place to live. Here you could be in your own space away from the prying eyes of anyone who might decide to question your behaviours and after all the whole purpose of living in Insanity was to do your own thing.

And everyone did, including me. The sheer thought of living wrapped up inside your own mind, where the isolation that provided you was the fertilizer you needed to face another day.

Every so often there would be that prick of reality when you thought was this all there was. But that was quickly killed because to think other than inside your chosen parameters was a foolish place to go.

There were days when the streets were deserted. When people stayed indoors away from the heat, the cold and every one else. If you were game and ventured out you’d find the outside dwellers in the park. Ned with his cart chained to his wrist as he slept. Crazy Marcy with her dolls all spread around her on the ground and at times you’d hear her admonish one as it did something she didn’t agree with.

Most outside people felt safe in the outdoors. They had their stuff and knew no one would steal anything as to do so was to take on someone else’s insanity and most people felt comfortable enough inside their own version of it, why tempt fate and take on someone else’s.

But today was to be my day. I hadn’t been outside in a long time. Everything I needed I could order in. I knew I was insane but I did know how to order on line.

I had in recent weeks begun to question why I was who I was. It occurred to me that I wasn’t right in the way I behaved. The SUP man (Support for Unusual Psychos) had been visiting me and asking me questions about who I was and what I was all about.

I still felt the same, the urges that resulted in my finding solace in Insanity still existed, I still had those cravings to go out and watch the blood flow and even though the SUP man had me on a few pills all they did was allow me to sleep.

It took me a few weeks to understand that I was not normal. Realising that he said was the first step to getting out of Insanity. Most people in Insanity were in denial and refused to accept that their world was anything but normal. As I explained to the SUP man they felt comfortable inside their minds and who were we to suggest otherwise.

My first step was literally going to be stepping out of my house. It was a nice place, and I had maintained it well. I wasn’t a destructive person of property but more so with people. Needless to say I lived alone.

You see inside your own place the world is what you want it to be but mostly it is not real. Outside your place was reality, that was where the urges began and I was thankful the SUP man was with me as I made my way out of Insanity and began my climb up the hill towards Sanity.

I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Not every one was allowed to stay in Sanity. Many were rejected and sent back. The border protocols were very stringent.

Today I am going to the half way house. I will stay there for three weeks as they assess my sanity away from the safety of my place.

I am feeling confident and with each step I feel a sense of achievement. But I do also feel other things. There are people around me, each with the potential to be a victim and inside me the lust to act is overwhelming but I know if I am have a shot at this other life I must keep my focus on the straight and narrow.

We have stopped at a roadside café. It’s where the travellers and visitors call before going down into Insanity. Families are there discussing their relatives, couriers and conversing over shipments to this address and that address shaking their heads and muttering to themselves. I suddenly feel ashamed that they are discussing me and I ask the SUP to allow me to go to the toilet. On the way I see the fire axe……

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/tale-weaver-59-journey/