One, two, three…
Another soul set free…
“Over here, young one.” The man in white cassock beckoned the girl to follow him. He held her hand and led her down the marble-stoned road. There were others like him watching as they passed. They waved, some bowed but all in friendly smiles. Their eyes followed the couple as they walked by, greeting them in their humblest gesture. The air felt familiar. But for a moment there, the girl felt a shiver. Where in the seven heavens was she? There was something about the place which made her uncomfortable at first. She stopped for a moment and looked around…
Not far from where she stood was a big book, floating in the air, above a 4ft. pedestal. The man nodded at her. “Go ahead,” he said. Curious, she walked towards it and stepped on the small stairs to have a look. The pages flipped as she approached, revealing names she knew and names that were strangers to her. These names, they had small icons next to them. The girl shrugged. A very peculiar book indeed, she thought. She stepped down and returned to the man who was waiting for her.
“What was that all about?” she asked. Her hand was holding his. For some reason, she didn’t want to let go. “I will explain later,” he replied. “By the way Emma, I am Raphael.” The girl looked at the man. “How did you know my name?”
“Oh, I’ve known you since the day you were born.”
“You did? Are we related?”
“In a way, you can say we are,” smiled Raphael.
Raphael led her to a fountain. Emma stared at the waters. “Something wrong?” asked Raphael. Emma shook her head. “It’s just that I know this place, this fountain…”
“I see…you’ve come here before I assume?”
“Perhaps…”
They sat down on the edges. Emma scanned her surroundings. The people walking in cassocks were very friendly with each other. Whenever they happened to turn at the fountain, they would smile. Emma smiled back, though she was feeling uneasy inside. A young girl approached them and sat herself next to Emma. In the next few minutes they chatted away as if they have known each other for a long, long time.
“I heard you came from a crazy place out there. How do you find it here?” the girl asked.
“I don’t know…where I came from, it was pretty normal to me. I don’t seem fit in this place,” Emma replied.
“Oh, but don’t you just love it here? I mean, that place of yours, it’s just crazy,” the girl giggled.
“Hahaha…” that was all Emma could say. The girl told her they would meet again later and left. A firefly fluttered passes Emma’s eyes. Not believing what she was seeing, she blinked but the fluttering bug was there still, its light flickering in daylight. She turned to Raphael but decided to keep quiet when she saw him reading a book.
Time passed slowly. It was an equinox. The moon rose in the beautiful night sky, its amber glow radiating a warm feeling. There was a table set for four by the nearby lake. Thanks to the moonlight, Emma could make out the moving figures. One was a tall, lean woman. As she sat, she tossed back her hair in a sassy style. She was having a good time with her friends. She was laughing her heads off with them. Emma thought she was nuts. How someone can have a wonderful time in such a weird place, she wondered. “Don’t worry, she is sane all right. She just loves her friends.” Raphael whispered in her ear. Her friends – one of them was a rather chubby guy. His eyes were a glowing beauty. The other two were twins. They looked so alike as if they were looking in the mirror. One was serene though, and the other was rather talkative. Emma smiled. Something was playing in her mind but she can’t seem to figure out what it was.
“Say, Raphael…”
“Yes?”
“What are you reading?”
“Huh? Oh, this book? It’s a journal, my dear…”
“You keep journals?”
“I do. Keeping one is a good self-therapy. But this is not mine. It belongs to a friend. A friend named Enreal. Want to have a look?”
Emma nodded. “Does karma truly exist?” she asked all of a sudden. Raphael looked at her. He smiled again. “Well, karma is the term your people believe in. Here, it’s simply a thanksgiving, a sign you are grateful for those who have been good to you. You return their kindness.”
“And what about those that weren’t good to you?”
“That is the authority of the Almighty. Vengeance is not an option for us.”
“But from where I come from, some people do it all the time…the vengeance thing…”
“In time they will know…they will learn sooner or later. Just steer out of the way. It is bad for your soul.”
“Raphael…”
“Not know, young one. Come, you must sleep. It’s getting late. I’ll tour you around in the morning, okay?”
Raphael stood and held her by the hand. As they walked away from the fountain, Emma took one last look at it. There was a man sitting in Raphael’s place. He smiled at her. Reading his lips, Emma figured he wished her a good night.
…to be continued
