The last legend - a story

The legends represent rememberance, proud story-telling, localization in a unique way, yet popular across a larger geography and lot of magical conjuring-up. This is the regular legend... the legend of Bhagat Singh, the legendary Sachin, the legend of Ala-Udal and many more... but what happens to the last legend. Does it last or is it lost? That depends completely on the legend and its connect with the people who carry the legend forward.
While the fist legend is the torch-bearer, the last one is a trailblazer and the most recent one that can create memorable stories around itself. The last legend is burdened with the lineage to which it belongs, to the philosophy (or rather idea) it represents but at the same time it is free to express itself uniquely. However, the irony is the last legend does not know if it is the last. What matters is the purpose it served and the purpose or meaning it gave to its people.
Zen Churney was the last legend and he knew it from start that he was the last one. How he knew that got buried deep in his heart which just stopped one night when he was contemplating on his relationship with his people. His people were no one else but the resident locale of Timber Kink Mystery (TKM) Road. The residents of TKM slogged a lot but sad part being not at all smart. Why do they need to be smart? Is slogging enough? Were they fools? Stupids? Idiots? Not at all. It is just that TKM Road was a self-reliant community dwelling. The road began and ended in the dwelling itself. Slogging was just enough... until one day when our protagonist Zen Churney churned up a hornet's nest in the community by indulging into a broil with the community leader Ms. Serene Erlang. Ms. Erlang was not at all serene. She was a siren. Everywhere and whereever she went she made sure that people were on their toes and slogged really hard as if the stoppages or breaks during the work were a sin which shall be a bad omen inviting a road leading elsewhere, to meet the TKM road.
Mr. Churney was a confused person (legendary of a legend). Not comfortable with Ms. Erlang's style of leadership he for once cast away his confusion on the particular matter of leadership of TKM Road community dwellers. Funny part? He did not know who among Erlang's followers (all of them on TKM Road) were to be the next leader. Churney had a peculiar habit of sniffing with a snorting sound before he expressed his suppressed emotions and thoughts. He snorted like a pig when encounter happened with Erlang. Erlang's hatred for Churney turned black with disgust and frustration at this habit of Churney's. So whats the whole point. Nothing, Erlang versus Churney began. Long time elapsed since the first encounter happened and since then Churney has always been pushed back. People of TKM Road had some kind of sympathy (very much resembling a helpless pity leading to prayers in the church for the subject of sympathy) for him but admiration and awe for Erlang. Erlang was young, beautiful, dashing and forthcoming. Among TKM Road dwellers these qualities were a little out of world, little charming, little charismatic and little fear instilling.
So everyday sun rose and set on TKM and life went on. The road lay like a carpet to TKM but not at all leading out to the world out. Nestled in the cocoon of safety and one-principled life, TKM dwellers held up Erlang's leadership, nurtured and lived the tradition of the dwelling and longed for nothing along the road. A dark discreet ending on the road ends were only there to stay.
One not so fine morning when one of the dwellers complained of some sort of unease yet unheard of in TKM, work stopped. No one slogged and rather gathered around the dweller and looked on at his pain, unease and restlessness. No one was restless accept a little anxious for the fact that Erlang was missing. So no one knew what to do now. Churney spoke in few words and then went on and on... "In this situation of uncertainty your leader is missing and now it is time that you hold on and come up with a solution for this." Slog... and see what happens. Dwellers despaired and echoed the feeling that they did not know about this situation and cannot slog. Churney said, "then will you let your bro writh in pain over here?" "No" was the unanimous reply. A long silence creeped in which was broken with a heavy sigh of the dweller in pain. He became motionless. Completely motionless. This was something the TKM dwellers saw for the first time. Death was unknown to the slogging community which only knew motion and activity. Erland enters and declares "no use stopping, he was trying to go beyond the road end... something made him uneasy and he became motionless... go and slog else you shall be motionless too..."
This was too fearful and TKM slowly hummed back into its daily slogging. Churney, too disturbed by this, went upto the end of the road on the sun rising side and wet himself with inflammable oil. He lit a match and immolated himself. "Keep slogging.... he is not in this world, he is walking out... let him" , urged Erlang. Churney got charred. But no char left behind at the spot. TKM dwellers went close (Erlang was not happy now). They could not see anything. But lo! the light at the end of the road, Churney was still on fire. No more charred, but as plump as he was before self-immolation. TKM was only watching. The humming of the slogging was replaced by the crackling sound of fire. Erlang closed up and what happened next was truly incredible. Erlang walked beyond the end of the road and merged in the fire that burnt Churney. A long road emerged visible to TKM dwellers and they walked that road to pick the ashes of the leader and the churner. TKM Road merges with the road veining into other roads connecting to the outside world. Slogging continues but not for the heck of it... Churney is dead but not for the heck of it. The leader sacrificed but not for the heck of it.