The Stone in the Path

Long time ago, a small village between two mountains contained a boy named Arman. This boy was curiously more than all the boys in his villagetownre inclined towards adventure and exploring. Such a village on all sides was surrounded by dense and winding paths of forests and an ancient road leading to the mountain's highest pinnacle. This path was known for a weird stone that rested at its centre. No one knows how the stone ended up there, but it has long been part of village legend. Some said it was cursed, while others claimed it was a test from the ancestors.

Arman wanted to climb the mountain, be on top of it, and have the wind on his face, but the stone terrified him. It was not just the size was the stories attached to it. The elders would say to him, "No one who tried to move the stone has ever succeeded. Many have tried, but they all returned defeated, with their spirits broken."

Despite his fears, Arman's desire to climb the mountain grew stronger every day. One day, he decided that he could not wait any longer. He packed some food, tied his worn-out shoes, and began his journey. The sun was just rising, casting a golden hue over the trees, and the village was still asleep as Arman left.

It was peacefully quiet at the start, with birds chirping away and the fragrance of pine in the air. However, Arman was rather confident as he approached the stone. Close up to it, he could sense his heart running at racing speed. It was that huge and unmovable, blocking his way precisely as the villagers had promised. He felt tiny compared to the immense size that stood before him.

He thought that he could now turn back, but a few words were left for him by the father before he disappeared, his passing away: "Every stone is a lesson in disguise, my son. Fear not the stone; know it."

With that in consideration, Arman took another few steps closer to the stone. He reached out, running his hand across it to feel its cold rough texture. He attempted pushing but failed. Then again, he tried to drag it, but it was simply too heavy. It must have been hours because finally, Arman felt his tired legs drop him into sitting, defeated, much like those who had sat on it before him.

But as he lay there, a thing presented itself before him. Small cracks on the edges of the stone like some sort of wear and tear through time. He knew that perhaps the stone was not meant for forcing. Perhaps it was something else after all.

Arman stood up and looked around the stone in all directions. He found that one side of the ground was not levelled. Something lit up his brain. Instead of dragging the stone to another position, could he pass alongside it? Carefully, he started cleaning the ground on that side. He had tough work ahead; the sun would soon set down, but he didn't give up. Slowly, a little passage came into view.

By evening, he could make a narrow path out of stone. Arman stepped back exhausted but proud of himself. He realized the stone is not something that needs to be conquered but something to be understood. The lesson was not in moving the stone but in finding a way through persistence and creativity.

The next morning, the villagers were stunned when Arman returned from the mountain. His clothes were dirty, his face tired, but his eyes shone with triumph. It spread like wildfire and everybody wanted to know how he did it. Arman just smiled and said, "The stone was never the problem. It was how we looked at it."

From that day forward, the stone in the path was no longer a reminder of defeat but instead represented the biggest hurdles we face in life not to stop us but to teach us a new way to move on.

Then the story of Arman became all over, and that story stirred people to change the way they look at challenges, understanding that, if patience and determination will only prevail, the hardest of ways will lead to a destination.