Inner beauty.
It was a bright Spring afternoon, I walked through the thick
forests of Gogoon island. Whenever the cities were too busy,
this was the perfect place to explore and relax. As I broke
through the lushious forestry, I stumbled upon a vast,
golden beach that I had not seen before. The sand was
showered with beautiful arrays of shells, which glistened
in the sun. Yet one caught my eye more so, it’s dazzling
light was blinding and I could not quite make out exactly
what it looked like.
As I slowly approached, I then realised it was a glass
bottle that had been washed ashore. How long had it been
here? I grasped the bottle and lowered myself to the warmth
of the sand. I shook out the contents upon my lap; a few
pieces of scrappy parchment and a tiny carving of a lotus
flower.
Such a devine flower! It was perfectly carved, and as I
turned it over, it had inscribed “No one’s journey is ever
complete”. I unravelled the parchment to reveal a series of
logs from a young aspiring Monk.
“I have never been so far from my home before! As excited
as I am to finally be out of those dreadful cities, I must
remember why I am taking these steps. I must learn to let
go and end my mental suffering of desires.”
“It has been 30 moons now. Last night, I arrived at a small
fishing village. Unfortunately, due to the wars that swept
the lands, there was little to this village. Yet they were
so welcoming and their smiles were infectious!”
“Everyday, the whole village has been helping an old lady
to rebuild her shelter. She had lost her only family, her
two sons, in the war. And she was left with nothing. One
night, as we finished up work, I accompanied her the shores
of her village. We sat in silence as she looked longingly
at the horizon. After what seemed like hours, she then
turned to me and said, “There isn’t a day that goes by, that
I don’t come to these shores and see my boys faces in the
clouds as the gentle sunrise kisses them with colour. I
know they are safe now, where they belong. You see, even
after we die, our journey in life still carries on. For we
rebirth and become what karma we have produced for
ourselves.” At this, she smiled.. “my boys are happy, for
they did all they could to keep the wars from us. They
sacrificed their life, and for that, we keep going
everyday”.
“I shall place these parchments and small lotus that I
have carved, with the old lady’s inspirational words. I
have found my inner peace, and will remain here to keep
this wonderful village in their delicate harmony. I hope
that my work finds someone who will truly appreciate it”.
I put down the parchments, and smiled deep within. Rolling
them back up, I placed them inside the bottle, along with
the lotus flower. With a deep inhale, I threw the bottle
back into the sea, for another to find.
+- Merchant Affare -+