I stand on a rock in the middle of the river. The water roars on all sides. I take a minute to absorb my surroundings. Somewhere under this pre-dawn sky is my Island of Hope. A paradise of uninterrupted tranquility, where the bronze-back bass leap into the sky as if to joust at windmills. In the name of forgotten ideas and in search of lost adventure, I have come to this place, at this time, to look into my soul and battle with everything that makes no sense; to face my greatest adversary -- myself.

Armed with honest intentions and enough enthusiasm to make me dangerous, I head into the water as it rages on all sides. Under the waves lurk the ghost of my future mocking me to battle the evil and to right the wrongs. Most people have better sense than to discard all of their inhibitions to seek the origins of truth, but I'm not one of them. The long, empty expanse of this river of life holds my heart, giving me a deep, clear, and unwavering thirst for the slightest possibility of success. The tide of self-doubt with its deceptively narrow appearance, rolls on by to disappear over the horizon. My heart jumps through my chest, offering a variety of tasty slices of reality that I sink my teeth into. The sun falls, as the Technicolor evil threatens all that I hold dear -- my freedom!