The Drowning Cell

I woke up with my cheek against the cold, my mind was blurred and as my eyes looked around the space where I was. It seemed like it was crystal so i knocked on it and realized it was crystal, then kept on knocking, stretching my hand on the darkness knocking on the crystal as the clinging noise bounced inside the space and it was shortly replied by the echo, it wasn't such a big space.

Slowly I stretched out my arms and was able to touch something cold, I knock on it and after hearing the clinging again I realized it was glass, and it seemed that it was some sort of wall, i started knocking up, it was high. Then i started moving through it caressing the cold surface with my fingertips, after moving  for a while breathing that cold air my hand bumped with another wall and i kept turning and bumping with walls as i realized that it seemed to be a cell but there seemed to be no door.

When those ideas crossed my mind a rush of fear went down my spine and I fell down on my knees looking for a trap door, but nothing was to be found on the crystal floor. I got up and stretched my arms up to the celling trying to reach it, sweat drops were falling down my forehead. I was nervous and scared when i started jumping to reach the celling, but the efforts were unsuccessful all of them, it seemed that the celling was too far up high.

I pressed my back against the glass and backed down, when my legs finally were extended on the floor. It seemed like I wouldn't be able to get out of that place, everything was out, all my dreams and goals and wishes and yet, I couldn't got to reach them and as my mind was drifting on my wishes a small light materialized before my eyes, out side of the walls.

It seemed to be a candle of some sort dimming before me, I got up and walked towards it smashing my face against the glass. I went backwards and my back felt like a sac of flour on the ground, slowly I stood on my feet once more then pressed my face against the glass and looked at the small light.

Under the candle, poorly illuminated was the phrase "Abandon all hope", after reading it a sigh escaped my lungs however a soft sound took me back to where I was, it was a sound like water flowing, I turned my head back and when I moved my foot it sounded clearly. A soft splash and so the announcement, my box was getting filled by water.

The anxiety filled my body and I started moving back to the wall hearing the splashes of my feet against th water as i moved and went on knocking hard against the glass. After a few hits my hand ached and I felt down on the floor with my knees and hands against the glass, feeling my hands completely underwater then the phrase came back to my head, abandoning hope seemed quite the only thing to do now, the glass didn't seemed to give up and the water was rising quickly.

The cold of the room made my bones chilly, the water around me whispered that the end was here and the trapped area stood glorious as my tomb, it had been decided and I wasn't leaving the place. All hope shall be abandoned when the souls of the dead went into the underworld and so mine hope should be gone. The message was pretty clear, it was my end.

I closed my eyes and gave up on my dreams and my hopes and felt my body weak, tired of holding on. Then suddenly the despair started fading away giving room for peace, I was letting go, giving up on the fight, surrendering to fate.

Far away the voice of my teacher was clear: "When life spits you in the face, then is when you hold on to your goals, when everyone is against you, even your trusted and loved ones, then is when you hold on to your goals, and you keep hoping keeping the spark of hope alive within you and miracles will be made. There is no obstacle to him who has hope, because hope will move mountains and change the course of rivers. Keep hoping and nothing will be impossible."

I opened my eyes and saw the water on my elbows and realized, it was gonna be me abandoning all hopes to move ahead what would drown me down on this watery grave. I pulled a piece of fabric from my shirt and wrapped it around my left hand then the same to the right one. I looked at the glass and let out a punch making it vibrate.

I kept punching the glass which didn't really seemed to notice my efforts to pass through, punch after punch I delivered my blows on the icy surface feeling the water on my knees I hit the crystal harder shouting out in rage holding on to my desire to live and make my dreams come true, one blow after another my fist kept slamming itself against the intact glass, but I didn't backed off, my fists kept moving on delivering punches on the wall.

The water lever was on my hips and i wasn't very free to move from my hips and below, but my fists were working hitting the crystal barrier before me, blow after blow, one after the other my energy kept rising up as I fought against the glass for my freedom, one blow followed by an intense scream made the glass finally spit out a fragment of glass and before me was a crashed glass so I kept hitting it with the water on my chest my eyes could see the hope of the shattering glass, the crashed appearance was giving me hopes and a feeling of certainty that suddenly left when the water lever touched my chin.

I began to see my work as a waste of time, as a failure, and was ready to give up on everything, then I saw the crashed glass and gathered my courage, if it was my time to go I shall do so fighting, for life with hope and almost blindly I kept delivering punches against the glass one after the other the water made me slower but I kept hitting my eyes were shut and my heart pointed my blows on the direction to be, this could be the last stand and I was gonna held my head up high.

The water had completely submerged me, not even leaving my hair visible on the surface when finally a crashing sound following by a splash announced that the glass had finally shattered. My body was expelled of the crystal prison and pushed into the ground by the water in the cage. I coughed on the floor as my lungs were filled by air again and  raised my head and tilted it down to look at my bloody hands. Then I turned my head and looked back to the cube were I was held, the work had at last offered a reward. I was to live fully and enjoy life, every minute of it. Because Tomorrow happens when we create Today.

Magic

It was a rainy evening and the cold wind was blowing through the trees in the park, I walked through the benches and reached a little covered area with a table were I finally was able to take shelter from the increasing storm that was over me.

I crossed my arms over the cold stone table and rest my face there, I could feel the heat of my breath warming up my face as my eyes drifted into the darkness of my arms against the table, then slowly I began to notice the sound of the wind through the leaves, the sound of the grass moving close to my feet, further away the drops of the rain smashing against the sidewalk making small pools where the drops splashed lightly when they fell on it.

The next thing that happened it was me opening my eyes after what it seemed that I had fallen asleep, I looked up and there was a night dark gray sky, the rain was still pouring around me and out of nowhere a figure materialized before me.

It was a girl wearing a velvet dress and a hat, my mind started spinning. Where did she came from?! I started to wonder that probably she arrived while I was asleep, however when I got to cover the rain was already pouring down and she looked dry.

"Um, hi" I finally said.

"Oh ... hi!" She said back at me with a smile.

"Are you okay?" I managed to ask, to that she left a giggle and nodded, then I asked "How did you got here?"

After a quick giggle she said "With magic"

And that wasn't an answer I could just accept quietly, so my common sense send out a quick strike back after a laugh "Magic doesn't exist"

"Oh but it does" She said "It's just that people like you don't really understand it or think of it as something else, no wonder why you never actually see the magic" After saying that she left out a giggle.

Then I asked her what did she mean by that, she looked at me with her big blue eyes and said.

"Magic is something that exists, there are two kinds of people we can find in the magical world, those who believe in magic and those who don't believe in magic, simple as that. To those people who believe in magic, magic is real and it gives them a sense of security. Do not expect magic to materialize within the material realm, because it does not belong in here. That is usually the biggest problem, people want to see magic happen, how to fix a broken plate, how to bring someone back to life, but no, magic happens in a more um ... spiritual realm"

"Spiritual realm? So it means you can't really proof magic works" I replied

She giggled as if that was exactly the answer she expected and then continued.

"Magic does exist to those who believe in it, because magic is also something very personal, it can not be explained because magic is the unexplainable. When you want to be at some place and you wish for that hard enough and give your heart and soul into that wish, there is no HOW things will happen, there is just WHAT will happen, the rest you just trust it to magic, and when you do and you are willing to do ANYTHING to make your wish come true, then magic happens, because magic also can't manifest itself on your heart if you are not willing to do what you are asking for. If you are not prepared and ready to do something, no magic will be able to do it for you."

"Then what is magic good for?" I asked with triumphant feeling.

"Magic is not an ability to change the out world, is an ability to explain the out world to yourself and create a wonderful inner world for you where everything is right, a world were you can keep your emotions and feelings stabilized, that is what the act of magic is, that is why you can't see magic without love, that is also why determination is the key to make magic happen." Her eyes were like stakes going through mine.

That answer had left me stunned, it was clear, direct even if it was quite a personal and not able to be proven right, that reply had got in my head, I looked down to the table. Then when I looked up. I was alone.

Was that a dream? Had that conversation really taken place? There so many questions in my head but when I got up from my seat there was something of what I was pretty sure, magic was deeper than what we thought of it, it was amazing and it really allowed us to make our existance better, it could turn the gray days to happy and colorful ones.

That night a learned a magic spell for happiness.

It is very simple.

The moment you wake up,  look up and thank the existence for allowing you to be awake, then go out with a SMILE on your face.

Sparkle Today

Days had been gray so far and life seemed to become tasteless, all the spark was lost and there was no spirit to move forward within me, nothing to be doing in life.

The air was heavy on my lungs, my eyes were tired, I was thirsty and no matter what I drank or how much i drank there just seemed there was no drink capable of satisfying my thirst. The weather all around me seemed to have stoped, there was no cold, no fresh breeze to feel, no hot days, it was just warm, a spectral fixed motionless warmth all around.

There were no scents near that were easy to catch, no sweet fragrances everything just seemed plain, a motionless paint were everything just stood there for the eye to watch it, yet despite the beauty captured within the photograph-worthy scene, it was just dull, there was no excitement and being there created a space within the soul that just wanted to make you run away from there to find a place where life was detectable once more.

The surreal environment made me feel that i was moving within a bubble of jelly, everything in slow motion, my stress and desperation was the only growing thing, and life suddenly seemed worthless and pointless to be cared for.

It seemed that there was no reason on holding hope for something better to come along, life didn't seemed to change, it was all the same story, and it looked like it would be like that always.

Then suddenly I got sick of it all and life put a puzzle before me, it all seemed different, exciting, life had a promise of excitement for me and as a challenge suddenly a spark burst within me, it was passion, my whole time was wrapped within those moments.

The air I breathe got lighter, it felt fresh to inhale it. The weather around me helped me to be calm when needed to be and to be active and excited when the time called for it, suddenly it seemed like the universe stand on its two feet and decided it was time to give life a spark and add some flavor to everyone's day.

Life was back into our time around and it became clear that it was worth to hold on to the life we had and to make a good mark with the time we had.

So remember to look up at your dreams and when you want to reach them, keep in mind that the road to get there is full of sparkles, the way to find happiness and a fullfilling life is going through the ups and downs with the head held high living life and enjoying the sparkles of passion, love, hope, fun and excitement that came along the way. 

Twelve Wishes

It was New Year's Eve and after the dinner everyone seemed to go towards the dancefloor or the bar, however there was something buzzing on my mind because the time of the twelve wishes was approaching. Not that I was really believing those things, I thought of it as a fun practice that some people took actually quite seriously and yet I was there struggling with my wishes to make.

I could fill the gap with the usual wishes everyone made: a better job, finding love, having a better body, health, family, stability and the list goes on and on, however there was something within me pushing me to take this year's toast seriously and just for once, just this year, make an effort to actually achieve those wishes.

I went to the corner of the room, on one of the lonely tables and sat there, burried my head on my hands and ignored the noise that seemed further and further away. Suddenly I found a folded black paper which I thought could be a note of reserved table, but on the far location I quickly ditched the idea and bend over to pick up the paper.

When I turned it around there were a couple sentences written in golden letters on it. I pressed my back on the chair and started reading silently:

"An HONEST soul will find PEACE within the today and the tomorrow/

A PRACTICAL man will be FREE OF STRESS in simple decisions/

A PEACEMAKER will be able to generate PROGRESS with the human effort/

A SENSITIVE eye shall preserve the escence of the HUMAN soul/

A PASSIONATE hand shall bring the glasses of DELIGHT to the time being/

A DETAIL mind shall bring ORDER into schedules/

An AFFABLE look shall open the doors of COMMUNICATION/

A BOLD temper shall conquer the DREAMS once thought impossible/

An INDEPENDENT spirit shall find the routes of FREEDOM/

A PERSISTENT mind will break through hardness and REALIZE their goals/

An IMAGINATIVE heart shall always find the way around to meet JOY/

An INTUITIVE love shall guide you to the road of HAPPINESS"

I put the paper down and started thinking. Maybe this year I shall ask for something I need to become a better person and then probably my wishes and goals will come closer to me, mabye this time life is giving me a chance to start up bright and shinning.

I looked up and realized the countdown had already started so I grabbed my glass and gathered with my family and friends, as soon as the clock hit zero dozens of fireworks were launched into the skies and as I looked up I could feel hope for a prosperous new year flowing through my veins and the joy of the promise of happiness gave me a smile as I started taking my twelve wishes with each grape enjoying the certainty that the choice I had made were the right ones.

This year I will work to become a better me from within so that it will show on the outside, the greatest joy was to actually feel the change and realizing everything was going to be alright, the wish were taken, all we had to do now was smile and take steps into becoming that being of light we wanted to be this new year.

I hope this New Year you can all shine with your own beautiful light and bring joy and love to your surroundings. Blessed days and Prosperous moments are coming your way, be ready to spot them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR