There was once a land full of people, and these people were divided into many, many different companies, most of which declared they were on the road to Heaven. Each company had a leader who carried a chart and a book; the book was the same, but the charts differed, and the chart was the explanation of the book. Some charts were yellow with age, and sorely worm eaten; but the older the chart, the more people followed it. There were also smaller bands whose leaders held charts, but no one book. These followers were not as close and constant as the others, but wandered restlessly from group to group. Still another company declared they knew nothing about the way to Heaven, and that there was nothing to be known but these, too, marched on, and whether they knew it or not, expected something better at the end of the way. Many men, also, walked apart on the hill-tops, gazing with telescopes into the Fast and Future, into the earth and sky and, most of all, down upon the masses of people that surged beneath them. These carried great piles of books, and were trying to discover new charts of the way to Heaven.
Now all these people were on the same road, while they imagined themselves to be on different routes. The name of this road was Time, leading to a gate called Death, and all men believed alike that behind this black gate lay Heaven. So the many men differed only in regard to the footsteps and the land-marks. About this they had quarreled bitterly; but, now, many had been taught of the sages on the hill-tops to see the unity of all men seeking a common goal, and a feeling of tolerance and harmony had grown among the varied assemblies.
Among all these was a Child who was lost. She came up with a man who was following with a great company, and he said to her, "You must come with us or you will be lost forever."
