A TALE
Once upon a time in a not so distant past, there was a girl named Nora. She was your typical little girl who loved to play in the garden, climb trees and read books under the shade of her favorite mango tree. She got good grades in school and played jackstones or pick up sticks in the corridors of her school during recess. On weekends, she played marbles or tex with her brothers and dutifully went to mass every Sunday with her family. All in all, she was not any different from any other girl from an average middle-class family during those times.
One day, while picking gumamela flowers in the backyard, she heard a voice calling out her name, softly but audibly. Straining hard to hear where the voice was coming from, she walked around the garden. There, it seems to come from there, a spot in the farthest corner.
Still clutching the bunch of red gumamela, she inched closer and closer to the voice. There, the voice was coming from where a tall caimito tree stood. The voice did not sound ominous and, mesmerized, she moved closer and closer, her curiosity aroused by the clear, bell-like sound of the voice.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared under the shade of the tree—a beautiful lady with long, shining white hair draping the shoulders of a white gauze-like gown. She had the kindest and merriest eyes, big and black as two dark pools of liquid water. About her neck was a shimmering necklace sending sparks of white rays with every small movement she made.
“Come,” she beckoned. “Don’t be afraid.”
Together, we walked to a stone bench and sat down, side by side.
“What have you there?” she asked.
I showed her the flowers as I asked her who she was and what she wanted from me.
She answered softly, “I have been watching you play in this garden for several years now and I have singled you out for a very special mission—a special adventure, you could call it that.”
“But who are you and how did you come here in the first place? I have never seen you before and you are scaring me with this talk of a special mission”, Nora said.
I was beginning to feel nervous. Is she an enchanted being like those my mother used to talk about, a diwata, a nuno sa punso, a what have you? What if she was an apparition, a being from the underworld about to spirit me away?
Shhh, she answered gently as she stroked my hair. I am who you are to become many years from now. I have come from the future so you will know what the adventure of your life is to be. Not many people are blessed with this opportunity, to know early in life what they were put on earth for. Listen closely to what I have to say and do not forget.
She whispered, “Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Relax and calm any anxieties you may have. Now, tell me what you see with your inner eye.”
Obediently and with a lot of trust in the kindness I could feel in her voice, I looked inside of me.
Immediately, I see a lush green landscape forming in front of me. I am in a valley tucked between mountains. Full-grown trees, flower-studded bushes and luxuriant plants surround me. I follow a winding path, breathing in the scent of lavender and roses, the fresh dew caught on the tips of ferns and the cool mountain air. In the distance, I can hear the faint rush of a waterfall and birds twittering from unseen heights. Entranced yet fully alert, I walk up the path which slopes upward in a gentle ascent. With each step, I feel the stirring of a marvelous discovery waiting ahead of me.
Up, up, I walk up a winding road until I reach a waterfall tumbling down in wild abandon. Nearby, deer are drinking from a pool of crystalline waters. As I approach, they look up at me as if they had been waiting for me. Then, with a bound, they jump over the rocks and enter the waterfall. I follow, clambering over the moss-laden rocks carefully but quickly.
Passing through the curtain of water, I find myself in a huge, golden-brown cavern. Here and there, stalagmites rise from the ground like cathedral spires straining to pierce the heavens, In the central space of the chamber, the dome opens up to the sky, letting in streams of yellow sunshine, shafts of light, clear translucent-golden light.
I stand in the center of this life-giving warmth as I stretch my arms upwards.
Immediately, the question arose; “What will you have me do? Why am I here?
Remain still and quiet your thoughts, says a whispering voice.
Standing under that shower of light, I, once again, obey.
Slowly, slowly an immense feeling of joy and happiness begins to radiate from the center of my chest, slowly engulfing me. I feel transported to another time and space.
There, I see myself, now grown old, in a city I have never seen. Around me, children with bright smiling faces urge me on as I tell them stories or answer their inquisitive questions. A pulsing circle of warmth and energy moves around us as we talk in the late afternoon sun.
A dark-skinned boy of about ten years old asks, “Why are we here? Why do we have to be born?”
Without much thought, I answer, “To discover the mystery of life. It’s like we go through a lot of adventures –and misadventures—to uncover who we are. And as we go, we shape a life. Hopefully, it is a life that will go on and on, unceasingly.
And, what did you discover on your adventures?
“Well, for one, I discovered that, as human beings, we have to surrender ourselves to everything that happens, to give everything we’ve got for the sake of others, for life itself. And, paradoxically, in giving everything, we gain everything.”
Nora was speaking these words when she found herself transported back, back to the garden, sitting by the stone bench, flowers in hand. The lady was gone or did she just imagine her?
