STORYTELLER
At the world's cradle
"Here I am, floating in the midst of a spring and a river, in the shade of a luscious foliage of trees deeply rooted in the mountains secluding me from the cruelness of the other side . .. . I am in its bosom, at the world's cradle."
My body as light as a leaf, falling floating in the air, the water was cold, my face warmed by the sun streaking through the leaves making its way to touch me. The wind softly blows and dry leaves fall hypnotizing me in a state of bliss. Everything is big huge and magnificent. I am small, fragile and vulnerable. And the world feels like my guru's lap, the palm of Buddha, Jesus' Christ feet and Allah's temple. I am blessed and lucky to be right here right now. I feel so extraordinarily special and loved. I am selfish to get all the attention I want from my creator. For three days I indulge myself in His care.
First day
I've never been here before, every step is an adventure, the mountain is like a big house with so many doors and windows to open. Every time I opened it, everyone seems to welcome me like I am a child. While making my way in the trail, a butterfly leads the way to a garden of yellow wild flowers to another garden of tall grass with violet flowers until we reached an open space where I could see other adjacent mountains and the big river I am about to cross. We continued our way until the trees becomes taller, bigger and thicker, we are in the middle of a forest, it's 10am in the morning but it feels like the sun had set. For a moment I closed my eyes to feel and hear everything that surrounds me, my imagination took me to my childhood when I picture myself cross sitting in a pile of dried leaves with my violin. Before I began to play I looked up to the cloud of leaves above me, with wild orchids hanging from them like fragrant stars. As I started playing, the orchids starts to fall together with some leaves in a very slow motion, I was an altar, surrounded by garland of flowers and wreaths of leaves and a gentle streak of the sun confirmed the offering was accepted. When I opened my eyes, I glowed in the darkness.
Second day
Before the sun showed itself to warm the morning, I was warmed by the smoke and heat of woods burning in the kitchen, hungered by the smell of fried rice, sautéed mushroom and ginger tea.. Half awake I was drawn to it. I found a cat curled up in a pile of ashes and myself sipping tea. After breakfast I went to the river. I stumbled and fell in the mud giggling in my carelessness, my feet followed my ears to the rushing river. Here I am all alone at the side of a raging river, at the center of two giant mountains and it was great. I wanted to shout but I am consumed with the space, the sound and the freedom. I took my clothes off and covered myself with mud, lied in the grass for two hours to dry, while I amuse myself with emptiness. Stiff and robotic, I submerged myself in the cool water until I was completely cleansed. I wrapped myself with thin a scarf and played with the stones, I piled them up like what I've seen in Japanese gardens, from afar it looks like tiny villages, some are complicated, others are simple and few looks impossible. I stood there, my arms crossed and my head nodded in approval for a new found creativity. When I went back to the cottage I realized I've been away for seven hours and have missed lunch.
Third day
I looked for my own food, gathered wild mushroom springing from moist half burned logs. Pulled some lemon grass and ginger for tea and helped in pounding rice kernels, also gathered woods for cooking. I never joined the girl scouts, thought I'm too old to be one right now but I pretended that I was and felt proud for my accomplishments. It was my last day in the mountains, felt like holiday. As I traveled back to the now familiar trails, I recalled all that I've done.
I remembered I took off to the mountains with 50 pesos in my pocket, and I went down with my red bill untouched, but I lived for three days without spending a single cent, I never was hungry, deprived or felt insecure. In fact, I was well nourished with the bounty of nature, I had a whole package of spa services, mud bath, foot scrub, detox all for free, and most of all the taste of freedom, of emptiness, of loneliness away from any body, away from myself and anywhere is in the bosom of the earth, in the cradle of the world in the love of God.