The Stone with a Sign

She remembered feeling exhausted and proud. And hollow.

There was, and there was not, a wide clearing where creatures came to prove themselves.

At its center sat a large, immovable stone, smooth, heavy, round. And beside it, a small wooden sign that read:

Push Me to Prove You Belong.

The Raven landed in a nearby branch and watched.

One by one, creatures approached the stone. A squirrel ran up and shoved with all four limbs. A fox circled it three times, then leaned in with her shoulder. A goat had built a special harness for torque. A pigeon wore a badge that read Stone-Pusher Level 4.

They pushed and pushed. The stone did not move.

A lizard wearing a sunhat paced along the edge, holding a tablet and a stopwatch.

“Effort metrics are trending well,” he murmured. “We’re almost at goal. One more week of sustained pushing and we’ll submit the impact deck.”

The Raven hopped down, curious.

“Does it roll?” she asked.

The lizard glanced at her. “Not really.”

“Then what’s the point?”

“It builds resilience,” the lizard replied. “And team culture. And stamina. And proof.”

“Proof of what?”

“That you belong here,” he said, as if it were obvious.

The Raven tilted her head. “Does anyone rest?”

The lizard blinked. “Rest is not a tracked outcome.”

She walked toward the stone. She placed one claw on it. Cold. Solid. Unyielding.

Nearby, a parakeet with a clipboard shouted, “Great form!”
A beaver was taking notes on optimal grip angles.
A raven-shaped diagram was etched into the dirt: Wingspan vs. Output.

The Raven looked around. She had once done this, pushed things that didn’t move, measured effort instead of impact. She remembered feeling exhausted and proud. And hollow.

She stepped back from the stone.

Behind it, in the shadow it cast, a patch of wildflowers grew, unnoticed, unmeasured, quietly blooming.

The Raven crouched and planted a lotus seed there.

She glanced once more at the creatures still pushing.

Then she flew away, light and whole.

© 2025 Sarah Dooley. Story and images by the author. All rights reserved.