But the river does not care for gentle beginnings. Before he could settle, before he could stretch towards the sky, the flood came. The waters swallowed him whole, submerging him for seven relentless days. The river tested him, but he did not break.
When the floodwaters receded, he stood, baptized by the storm, named by the trial. He had not just survived; he had earned his place.
Now, he grows beside his ancestor, his roots deepening, his branches reaching. He is young, but he is not weak. He is Voetsoldaat Vloedvas, a soldier of the flood, a survivor of the storm.
📅 Printed on this day, March 18, 2025.
