And looking at his reflection, on this pool of water that had been waiting for him to arrive on a rock of an island, the shape of eye, the man said, Thought I knew myself pretty well. Thought I was a catch and more than that. But when I took a real look at myself I saw nothing but lies, a fraud, a fake, a master at wearing disguise after disguise. I’ve been pretending for so long, no one knows me. I don‘t even know myself. So much wasted time and energy, building a life of lies. Looking at my reflection, he said, I saw that I was nothing but a hollow man, worthless. That’s what I saw, and it is no way to be. The man shook his head, So I decided right there and then to fix my life, drop all the masks, to let go of all pretenses, and just be whomever I happen to be. Be true. True to myself. Yes, I decided to do things right, once and for all.
The man chuckled and pointed at the massive mountain behind him, But you see, it’s not that simple. Everything has a price, including all those lies, all that pretending, all that dishonesty, everything I’ve sown along the pathways of my past. They have to be answered to. It is my debt. It is my load, this mountain you see here, to clear out. Make it disappear. Erase all of it. Recycle. Yes, recycle. So I carry it along as I go. I know, there is so much of it. But, I have nothing but time to take care of it. One handful at a time. That’s all there is to it.
Having said that, he smiled, eyes deep as the night, serene and filled with hope, thrust his hand into the mountain, pulled out a handful, and began to eat. Tears welled up in my eyes. I wished I could help. But what could I do? What could I say? And it was then that I remembered a dream I’ve had a few nights ago. A strange dream. A dream that seemed clearer than reality. A woman, dressed in white, surrounded by a sea of wailing and crying people who seemed to be coming from everywhere, converging towards her, spirals of humanity, in total despair, while she remained in the center, calm, smiling and singing, receiving it all with, I could feel it, love, taking it all in, removing burdens, erasing debts, giving love, giving love.
Following my intuition, I spoke of the woman. Immediately, upon hearing my narrative, the man jumped to his feet and began dancing. I asked him what warranted such reaction. And he laughed, until tears began flowing from his joyful eyes. Then, after calming his breath, he proceeded to explain. He said, Strangely enough, I had the same dream, more than a year ago, and having inquired about its meaning at many a teacher’s feet, I came upon a beggar who had shared a meal with a caravan of travelers headed East, past the desert, to join the silk road, which was to lead them this woman. Since then, I've been on a quest to reach her.
Hearing this, a wave of joy overtook me. My heart expanded, and love, love born in the shape of and eagle of pure light, tore my ribcage into thousands of little shards, shimmering crystals embedded in the walls of a dark cave, a sky of burning stars on a moonless night. I embraced this stranger whom I felt I knew better than many friends and acquaintances. I thanked him for his honesty, wishing him success on his journey, bid him farewell, and got back on the road, for each has a journey, and all lead back to Her.
To be continued
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