The Path Not Taken

A man named Joshua walks down a beaten path. Along the trail are a barring wasteland of dead trees, brown grass, and small whirlwinds of dirt in every direction. Joshua is wearing tattered clothes, brown opened-toe sandals, and a cloak making his way down the path with his direction unknown. He reaches a fork in the road, where he meets another man wearing the same clothes. He is drinking muddy water, his sandals are worn to the heel, and he is eating rotten meat from a dead animal. Joshua looks at the two ways he can only go, then face the man sitting in the center of the crossroads.
"I wouldn't go that way." the man says, pointing to the left, "Unbearable storms, scorching heat, and an unclimbable mountain await you that way. Take the easy way to the right. You'll be okay."
Joshua nods his head and takes the path to the right. He uses his cloak to cover his face from the dirt so that he does not inhale any of it. For miles, he sees nothing but dead land but then walks upon another crossroads. Two men sit in the center of the crossroads, holding knives, watching one another, trying to stay awake so the other won't eat them. They wake up fully when Joshua walks up to the crossroads.
"I wouldn't go that way." said one of the men pointing to the left, "The storms could drown you standing, the heat can burn your skin…" "…, and a falling rock can crush your head." the other man finished, "Take the path to the right. It will be easier."
Joshua nods his head and takes the path to the right. He gets thirsty, sucking on his spit to believe that he is keeping himself hydrated. His eyelids start to get heavy due to a lack of sleep. He does not know when he will reach his destination. He reaches another crossroads, this time with three men. Well, he thought it was three men. One of the men is dead, his arms missing, and his leg is rotating over a fire with the two men sitting by it. At first, Joshua is afraid to approach, but they see him and wave him over.
"Don't mind us. We are preparing dinner." said one of the men, "You are welcome to join us. Unless you have to keep traveling."
"Yeah, if you do, I wouldn't go to the left." said the other man, "We tried to go that way, and we gave up. The travel was just too hard. We came back down and figured we could live our lives here in peace."
"I would go right. That is the easier way." said the first man rotating the human leg over the fire.
Joshua nods his head and goes right. He is determined to make it to where he is going. I must get out of this wasteland and find food, water, and shelter. He looks around and starts to notice something.
"Is that the same dead tree that I have seen earlier?" Joshua asks himself, "The terrain is starting to look the same. No, it can't be. The travel must be getting to me. There is no way that I'm…."
Joshua is back at the first crossroads he encountered with the man eating rotten meat and drinking muddy water.
"Ah, you are back." said the man, "I hope you found what you were looking for. If not, you are welcome to sit with me. All that walking can make you lose weight. And we can't have that."
Joshua takes a step back, realizing he has done a complete circle. He thinks, "Was I led astray by these men who are only looking for something to eat? Am I the victim of my own laziness and sloth? No, I must get out of this circle of purgatory."
Joshua takes the left path without hesitation. The man at the crossroads watches him and laughs.
"You won't get far! None of us did! You'll be back here right with us. Then I'll be able to hold off death a little while longer once I taste your flesh!"
First is the scorching heat, the lack of oxygen, and the sun's blinding light. Joshua drags his cloak to the ground leaving a trail in the sand. Unable to raise his arms due to exhaustion and dehydration, Joshua pushes forward with small, uneven steps, not wanting to return to the circle of death. He constantly asks for water; unknowingly, he will get more than he asks for.
Next are the hurricane-like winds, pulsating rain hitting him like needles and blinding him to where he can't see his hands in front of his face. With his cloak back on, Joshua wraps himself with it as best he can, holding the cloak on his body with one hand and holding the other hand out in front of his face. The ground turns into mud, making every step harder and heavier. But he pushes on, not wanting to get eaten in the circle of hell.
Last is the climb of the unclimbable mountain. The rain and wind continue as Joshua climbs the mountainside step by step, rock by rock. The wind blows so hard as if it has a mind of its own, not wanting Joshua to go up that mountain. The whistling of the wind in his ears is deafening. He stops along the mountainside and looks around as if the wind is talking to him.
"Give up. Go back down. You'll never reach the top." The distant voices are heard within the ear-piercing wind. Joshua shakes his head, gets that voice out of his head, and continues up the mountain.
Joshua reaches up slowly and grabs a stable rock with every climb. Once he holds one, he shakes it to ensure it is not loose. He does this with every advancement, slowly and carefully. Joshua reaches up for another rock and shakes it slightly, feeling that it will not come loose, but as soon as he attempts to pull himself up, the stone comes loose. Joshua's body swings to the side, barely holding on with his other hand as the rock tumbles down the mountainside. He looks down, still holding on with one hand as the rock tumbles until it is out of sight. Joshua swings his body back on the mountain and holds on with both hands. He holds on tight, like a child that does not want to let go of their mother.
"If I fall, I will die." Joshua says, "If I go back down, I live but die. No, I must continue."
Joshua looks up, barely seeing in front of him, with the rain smashing on his face and the unpredictable mountainside in front of him. He takes a couple of deep, hard breaths and reaches for the next rock. Step by step, rock by rock, and climb by climb, Joshua goes up the mountain. His body feels heavy from the rain drenching his clothes. His hands are cramped and tired from holding on to the mountainside and climbing. He wants to give up. He has to give up. He can't climb anymore.
"Either I fall or stay here." Joshua says, "I only have one more climb in me."
Joshua reaches up one more time, as long as he can, and grasp his hand above him. His eyes narrow at first, unsure what he feels. His breathing starts to flow erratically, slow then fast, then fast to slow. His eyes then grow wide, taking in deep breaths from his mouth as he starts to pull himself up. Joshua climbs up finally onto level ground. He lays flat, eyes closed, chest down, head turned to the side as he no longer feels the rain beating on him. But something else is touching his face, which he hasn't felt in ages.
Joshua opens his eyes and sees blades of emerald green grass as he pushes himself up to his feet, takes emotional breaths, and starts crying. He had made it. The beautiful valley has grass, fruit trees, clean and open waterfalls, and wild animals. He falls to his knees, overcome with emotion and joy at the valuable lesson he had to learn on his own.

Sometimes you must take the path not taken to get where you want to go.