The Red Sail Boat ...

So there was this red sail boat - with a single huge billowing white and red sail, and two additional small red hulls on either sides.

I was perched on a small seat in the front, looking out and around

and, there was this vast expanse of the backwater lake in front of me; its deep dark grey waters gently rippling away close to me, so close that if I just stretch my arms out, it will touch my fingers.

The lake was littered with floating islands of water weeds, hundreds of them - from tiny little ones, to really big ones covering large areas of water, and floating tree logs, and resting cormorants perched on stumps jutting out of the dark water - their wings spread wide, looking like prehistoric flying dinosaurs.

and, there was my trainer, sitting behind me, in the rear seat of the boat.

and there was wind gushing across the lake; the direction of which I could not quite gauge. I kind of concluded that it definitely is not blowing in a direction that would propel us directly on to the shore. I was wondering how we are to get this boat there with a wind like this.

but my trainer was unfazed. The boat was gently and surely being blown off in a direction; some direction; definitely not towards the shore. He did not seem to be paying even a tiny resemblance of heed to this rather discomforting fact.

then he loosened the sail, did some flap flaps with it, did some manoeuvring and then pulled at it. The white and red sail billowed again. The sail boat was now being blown off in a sort of opposite direction; but still definitely not towards the shore.

I sat there watching, keenly observing where this was all going, literally.

he deftly weaved the boat through floating islands of water weeds, tree logs and prehistoric flying monsters perched on stumps; now in this direction and now in the other - but never towards the shore, or so it seemed to me.

So I asked him,

"Master, if we keep going like this, this way and that way, wherever the wind is taking us, how can you be sure we will reach where we want to go?"

He smiled and said,

"Because I know where I want to go."

:-)

P.S: Did I forget to mention what to do when there is no wind? You have to paddle.