We all need mirrors.
"... Have you ever wondered what life would be like if mirrors did not exist?"
"Young Man, you've got quite a mind, I must say" said Eplier's Uncle. "And that's why," he continued "you are my most favorite nephew of all! We are both great thinkers alike-- but you, my dear boy, you are quite a sport!"
"But uncle, have you ever wondered that?"
"No, I'm afraid not. But I will have a reply for you in some days if you'll let me. There's an answer to everything you know. Maybe not in a lifetime, but there is certainly an answer to everything. And the answers are in everything, dreams too."
Now, let me back up for a moment and present this story to you, the reader. For I imagine you are quite confused with the dialogue above this writing. You see, this short story takes place in a town called "Town of the Middle" which is located (if you look on a map) on the geography of a land called "Yorks Of The New." It is, quite a land, a marvel. As New York is the empire state of the United States (if you've ever been to the States that is) then you would know right off the bat, that the Town Of The Middle was quite a busy place. New York is known as the state that never sleeps, but here in the land of the York's the motto is "the land that always reflects." For unlike New York, or any "modern" place of that matter, any building that stood in the land of the Yorks Of The New Middle was made of glass. Any kind of stone, whether it be cement, or ground rubble, and any kind of wood was quite foreign to this land.The land was glass-- complete glass, and so where the things that existed in it, except the people and animals that inhabited the land of course. Now, a land of glass? Why would such a thing exist as that? And even better yet-- how did such a place come into existence? (Bear with me my friends, for this is quite the tale)
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There is an old myth, quite renown in its value, which the people from the land of the Yorks Of The New have put their faith in, for this is the only tale of why they exist! You see, because people believe what they hear if it explains their very reason for existing. You may have heard in past years, maybe thorough a television, or a radio, or maybe some sort of public writing, "faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the word of God." And if you have, then let me tell you about this God, who out of his own mind created the land of The Yorks Of The New, and along with it two other terrains to cover the expanse of a planet named Tenalp.
Aricles, the myth begins, was his name. It is said that everything that exists came into being through him: from the flowers of the ground (all kinds), to the beasts of the ground (all kinds), to the birds of the air (all kinds), to the separating of day and night, and to the illumination of the night sky with an expanse of bright stars, and to the very people who inhabited the planet Tenalp (Male and Female of course), it is believed that Aricles had brought all of these things into existence. He created three lands on a planet called Tenalp: the first was Anep Ymerej (the land of peace and wealth), the second Seyer Lamay (the land of Barbarians), and the third the Yorks Of The New (the land of glass).
He had placed each land right next to each, Anep Ymerej to the farthest left of the world Tenalp, Semer Lamay in the center of the planet Tenalp, and the Yorks OF The New expanse towards the right of the planet Tenalp. The planet wasn't very big, but big enough to hold these three lands. In the first two lands, Anep Ymerej, and Seyer Lamay, Aricles provided water; on the third land Aricles thought it silly to provide water, so he did not. "But how can the people who inhabit the Yorks Of The New survive without water? Ah I know! I shall create a water that does not reflect." And he did so, for he did not want in the land of the Yorks Of The New to be any sort of reflection; whether it was through water, or glass made from the sand of the sea, in the land of The Yorks Of The New, there was no instruments for reflection.
And Aricles thought it good that he provided no form of reflection for the land of the Yorks Of The New; for already he was seeing selfish deeds being done under the sun by the lands Anep Ymerej, and Seyer Lamay because Men fell in love with their own beauty through their own physical reflections. And through the love for their own beauty came about Greed, and pride, the worse of all things. Immediately after Aricles had finished creating Anep Ymerej, and Semer Lafay, Men began to despise one another, for they were in competition of who looked better and who could get more women than the other. Aricles wanted beauty to rule these lands, and he thought that by giving men a reflection they would see the beauty in themselves to help one another prosper and grow, but the opposite thing happened. These men, fell in love with what was outside of themselves, and began to murder and quarrel with one another over who was more "beautiful. (isn't it funny, how we still see much of this today?)"
This is why Aricles thought it Good for the people of the land of the Yorks Of The New to not have any kind of instrument for reflection. He removed also from their eyes the reflection to see one another. And for some time, this method proved to be Good. There was no murders as the other lands had had, for there was no conceit. Everyone had a sense of the beauty in themselves, so why would it matter to know their outward appearance? Well..
Though the people of the land of the Yorks Of The New knew who they were inwardly, they lusted to know what they looked like outwardly. They had invented certain methods to outsmart the system of "no reflection" in the land they lived in. This "no reflection" system proved to be quite bothersome after a few years to the people of the land of the Yorks Of The New so they began to become bitter towards Aricles, for they felt cheated by him. They groaned and groaned for years on end, and prayed to Aricles that they could see their own reflections, like the other lands that were near them (for they had heard amazing stories about Men and Women who could see themselves from the lands of Anep Ymerej, and Seyer Lamay, but they did not know the evil things that happened because Men and Women could see themselves).
Aricles, sat in silence for a good while. He did not answer the prayers of the people from the land of The Yorks. He didn't want too because he knew that it would not be good for them. But after sometime, Aricles began to see a pattern develop: because the people from the land of the Yorks had no reflections of themselves, they were falling in love with the image of others; and though they knew the beauty inside of themselves, they lusted, and even hoped that they looked like those who occupied their environment (for every person in the land of the Yorks was beautiful, in and out).Aricles at that moment realized that even though people had no form of instruments to see their own reflection, people themselves could be mirrors for one another.
For this, he understood, was the problem: seeing beauty, is different from understanding beauty. In the first two lands, the Men who inhabited the lands Saw their beauty but did not understand it. And because they did not understand their beauty, they did wicked, grievous things. In the land of the Yorks, the Men there didn't see their beauty, but they understood it. But when one can't see evidence of something, though he can understand it, he begins to doubt it. So in the end, there is to be a balance; and this balance in between seeing, and understanding one's own beauty is brought about through Faith.
How so, you may ask? Well if one sees their own beauty, they may not technically think of themselves as "beautiful" hence why they would not understand how anyone can call them beautiful, for they do not see beauty in themselves. If one understands that their beautiful, but cannot see that their beautiful, then what is the point in knowing if that "knowing" doesn't reflect itself? Faith ties all these things together. For if one sees his own beauty, and has faith, and believes that he is in fact beautiful, then will he unlock the true understanding of what it means to be "Beautiful." You see, because true beauty flows out of one's character, not out of one's appearance. And when someone fully believes that they are not only beautiful on the outside, they will understand that they are truly beautiful inside. And the things from the outside always feed from what's on the inside.
So, Aricles thought a solution: make the land of the Yorks into glass. The land was to be a place for reflection. The water inland also reflected itself now, and aricles sat back, and watched to see what the people who inhabited the land (oh I forgot to say that these people look like you and I, but there is just something odd about them, like an alien kind of feeling about them, but they still look like you and I nonetheless) would respond to this change. This proved even worse a plan: for the people of the yorks of the new had become like the other lands: greedy, and prideful. Not all though shared that evil, for there were quite many people who still understood what true beauty is, even with a reelection at hand. And that, my friends is where the myth ends. Is it true or not? Who knows, but it is the only things in this land that explains their Glassy environment, and why things are the way they are; which brings us back to our present day.
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It is the year 3242 A.G (instead of "After Death", here its "After Glass") a bright Tuesday. It is quite busy, and everyone is on foot rushing to work (for there are no cars in this place). It is, as I hope you would imagine, quite hot. I mean, glass when hit by light always heats up, and that is something that the people from the land of the Yorks have not quite adjusted to yet. But let us travel to a town named The Town Of The Middle.
Here there lives a family, a family of people who have seen their outward beauty and grown quite prideful in it. Among this family there is a child of the age 12, who, might I say, is way too brilliant for his age. If I could put it into words, it is as if he is the child form of Albert Einstein! This child, named Eplier, loves to read and question. If he is not hanging out with friends, you will find him almost always reading. His family is quite large: 14 male cousins, 11 female cousins, 4 brothers, and 5 sisters. Eplier though is the most brilliant of all. He's been gifted with a mind that accelerated in thinking, and though the older men and women find themselves in awe whenever he expresses himself, whether it be thorough writing or speech, Epliers find his gift to be quite troublesome. For when someone is good at something, he will often find a feeling of isolation from those who don't quite understand the gift. A gifted man, can be an alien to the world. Despised. Looked over. Mistreated. (Don't we see that with super heroes? Spider-man? Superman?)
I had to tell you all of that isolation stuff, because, well, not to make this story a sad, or pitiful one (because I'm sure Eplier wouldn't want you to feel pity for him!) but unfortunately he is quite distant from his family. His family does not find him interesting at all. They just see a mere boy, who loves to read when he is not out with friends, and who thinks "too much." But is the problem really thinking "too much" or is that that some people just don't"think enough?" Eplier feels like an educated zebra amongst dumb lions, and in the wild, you know how those stories end (excluding the "educated zebra" part of course). The only person that has a true sincere connection with Eplier is his uncle. I wont mention the rest of his family much, but they are the kind of people who you and I would consider a nuisance. They are gossipers, and we all know, that gossipers are hypocrites (and that is something Eplier, of course being wise and intelligent at his age, despises!). They are the kind who favor a materialistic kind of world view, meaning that they always want, and want, and want. They collect things, that they think will fulfill them in some way, but of course, just like everything on the planet earth (oh if they knew how much we suffer!) nothing satisfies them. Isn't it funny, how we can imagine something we want, and when we imagine how much more better it will make our lives we get so excited; and yet when we get that thing we wanted, a month or so after its use, we find it lost in a closet, or face down on top of a wardrobe, collecting dust? They ridicule those who aren't as "well off" as them, and are quite prideful-- Materialistic-- beings.
Oh! I forgot to say, that though Eplier's family is a handsome family (everyone in the land of the Yorks is) he is the most handsome of all. For when one realizes their inner beauty in the land of the Yorks, they become more beautiful than what they already were. He is a not too small, or too tall, narrow nosed, light eye-browed, black hair, brown eyes, peachy skinned child. His uncle, looks rather like a mad man: long, stringy hair, a mustache, long sturdy body with lengthy arms, silver eyes, very hairy eye brows and a wide nosed person, with peachy skin, of course. If Eplier has Einstein's smarts, Eplier's uncle, Uncle Vedemir, surely has Einstein's appearance!
The two always did eventful things: they went out to see the glass mountains just a bit north from the town of the middle almost every Sunday. And on occasion, usually at the end of every other month, they would visit the other lands (for the other lands came down to compromises about their out of control murder rates, and made it so that their lands were not dangerous enough for visitors to come and see their beauty) and ride the river called the This river which ran through the lands of Anep Ymerej and Seyer Lamay. Eplier would always enjoy his time with Uncle Vedemir, for Eplier had a father who rarely acknowledged his very being. And in the gap of a father Veldemir did a very good job of filling it. What made every event with Uncle Vedemir amazing was that he would always ask Eplier intricate questions: like, "how are you?" or "How was your day? Did that crazy sister of yours put a hole through your bedroom floor again?" And at the end of each day Uncle Veldemir would share a story with Eplier (which eplier, might I add, enjoyed very much. In fact when Uncle Veldemir told a story, Eplier crossed his legs, as a kindergärtner often does to prepare for story time, even at the age of 12).
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A couple of days ago, Eplier proposed to Uncle Vedemir an idea. "Uncle, can we go to the Glass mountains again? I want to see their beauty."
"Sure" agreed Uncle Vedemir (for it was almost a week or two since their last visit, and Vedmir was growing angst to see the beautiful glass mountains). They walked, and walked, having conversations about the "Ole myth of Aricles" and how things came into existence on the planet of Tenalp. When they finally arrived to the mountains it was noon, but the sun was still shining, and to them, though a bit of its strength had dissipate, its rays felt evermore worse, though it was quite windy up in those mountains, which did help a bit. What made these mountains so beautiful, was that when light shone on them, there poured a ribbon of colors down its entire length: a long stride of yellow, fire red, purple, blue, green, and red-orange. But to see the colors on the mountains when the light shines on them it is said that one must have faith in their beauty. Every time Uncle Vedemir and Eplier went, they only saw the light on the mountains, but no colors. This was okay to them, for they still enjoyed the view.
When they arrived, they stood in awe. There was a balcony, high up in the land of the Yorks where one had the perfect view of the mountains. There they stood in silence, for about an hour or so. Then..
"Eplier" said Uncle Vedemir with a grin. Eplier turned to look at his uncle, and what he saw on the side of his face was a smile, and a tear at the corner of his eye, it was getting ready to drop. This amazed Eplier for Uncle Vedemir is not one to cry. And though Eplier and Uncle Vedemir had been here many times before, something clicked in Vedemir's mind.
"Yes uncle?" said Eplier.
"I think, I think I've go--" And for a moment Uncle Vedemir froze. There was a shaking in his chest, as he resisted the tears, and if you've ever had a moment of "awe" like Uncle Vedemir was just having, and if during that moment you wanted to cry, but not in front of another person, then you would know that it is hard to speak when one is holding back the tears in his chest. And so for a moment he had trouble breathing, and speaking. Then finally:
"Eplier, I think, I think I've got a response to your questions some days ago. The one about what would life be like without mirrors. Remember?"
"That I do. I've been wondering about it for the last couple of days too. Really, think about it, what if we never had any mirrors to see ourselves? What would life be like then, Uncle?"
Uncle Vedemir smiled. He grabbed a handkerchief from his left pocket (did I forget to mention he always carried one for expenditures like this?) And for a moment he looked at the vibrant mountains again. He plopped himself back to stature, and postured himself confidently for his response.
"Young man, I've never wondered that until you brought it up to my conscious. And ever since that day, I thought about the insanity that life would be like without a mirror where we could see what we look like. But I had to take the question a step further, because the question presupposes something: the very fact that we want to know what we look like. And if we want to know what we look like, then there must be a reason why obviously. And I think that reason is this: above all other discoveries, the discovery of ones own beauty is something that cannot be compromised. IT must be sought out and reflected.
"Now, in conclusion my boy, I think that we wouldn't at all be too miserable in Life without mirrors."
"Why is that so, uncle?" Responded the boy.
"Well" said Vedemir, gripping his chin with his index and middle fingers, "I believe that even without glass mirrors, people themselves can be mirrors."
"How can that be?" said Eplair dazzled.
"My fine boy," said Uncle Vedemir grinning once more. "You are a thinker, and you cannot even guess the answer to this? Look at the mountains; what do you see?"
"I see a broadband of colors, running to and fro all round the mountains" responded Eplier.
"Do you know about those colors, my dear boy?"
"Not quite," responded Eplier.
"All those demn books you've read, and nothing? Intelligent still. Anyhow, Eplier it is said that only those who recognize their own beauty see the colors on the mountains."
For a moment Eplier stood, and when he looked again at the mountains he immediately understood something.
"Uncle! Uncle!" cried out Eplier, extending his arms in a wave of excitement. And if you've ever had one of those moments when the "light Bulb" goes on in your mind, then you would understand his excitement.
"Yes eplier, yes!?" Cried out Uncle Vedemir in joy, awaiting to hear Epliers insight.
"Indeed, I think if we did not have mirrors, it'd be a bit difficult for us to really understand our beauty. But this mountain here, even if there were no mirrors for us to see our own reflection, reflects what we really are."
"Ooh" responded Vedemir in wonder. "And what's that my boy-- what are we really?"
"Well if the myth is true about Aricles" Eplier continued, "then may it be probable, that when he created the land of glass, in a final act of showing us what we really are when one asks the question 'what if there were no mirrors in life?' he provided his own mirror?"
"And by the grace of Aricles! What may be his mirror?" Said Vedemir half stumped.
"The mountains Uncle! The mountains! And what they are supposed to show, is that when one thinks about life without mirrors, and when we wonder how torturous it may be to not see our own reflection, Aricles provided his mirror to show us once more what we truly are."
"And what is that, my boy?" Uncle Vedemir was now gripping his handkerchief once more, for there was a wave of tears preparing themselves to collapse off the border of his eye lashes.
"What we truly are" Eplair responded, "Is a broadband of beauty. Colors of all sorts. And the colors themselves represent our intricate value. We all need mirrors, not only mirrors that reflect ourselves. I think we can add another definition to the word 'mirror' uncle; and that is something that defines the defined. Because when we have no mirrors, Uncle, I think that, like you said, people become our mirrors, or the things that surround us. And, without getting too emotional Uncle, in the absence of my family, and most of all my father, you are my mirror. I must say, Aricles had the last word."
There was silence for another five minutes, as Uncle Vedemir wiped the warm tears running down his cheek. Then slowly the light faded on the mountain, and the colors were whisped away. Uncle Vedemir and Eplier were smiling as they saw the light and the colors along with it vanish. Then they walked home together (not realizing that they too, were now a broadband of walking colors).
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And somewhere up above the stars sat Aricles, smiling. "They needed a mirror" he thought. "And they found it. Blessed are those who find the mirrors that give them my beauty, my broadband of colors."
"Young Man, you've got quite a mind, I must say" said Eplier's Uncle. "And that's why," he continued "you are my most favorite nephew of all! We are both great thinkers alike-- but you, my dear boy, you are quite a sport!"
"But uncle, have you ever wondered that?"
"No, I'm afraid not. But I will have a reply for you in some days if you'll let me. There's an answer to everything you know. Maybe not in a lifetime, but there is certainly an answer to everything. And the answers are in everything, dreams too."
Now, let me back up for a moment and present this story to you, the reader. For I imagine you are quite confused with the dialogue above this writing. You see, this short story takes place in a town called "Town of the Middle" which is located (if you look on a map) on the geography of a land called "Yorks Of The New." It is, quite a land, a marvel. As New York is the empire state of the United States (if you've ever been to the States that is) then you would know right off the bat, that the Town Of The Middle was quite a busy place. New York is known as the state that never sleeps, but here in the land of the York's the motto is "the land that always reflects." For unlike New York, or any "modern" place of that matter, any building that stood in the land of the Yorks Of The New Middle was made of glass. Any kind of stone, whether it be cement, or ground rubble, and any kind of wood was quite foreign to this land.The land was glass-- complete glass, and so where the things that existed in it, except the people and animals that inhabited the land of course. Now, a land of glass? Why would such a thing exist as that? And even better yet-- how did such a place come into existence? (Bear with me my friends, for this is quite the tale)
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There is an old myth, quite renown in its value, which the people from the land of the Yorks Of The New have put their faith in, for this is the only tale of why they exist! You see, because people believe what they hear if it explains their very reason for existing. You may have heard in past years, maybe thorough a television, or a radio, or maybe some sort of public writing, "faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the word of God." And if you have, then let me tell you about this God, who out of his own mind created the land of The Yorks Of The New, and along with it two other terrains to cover the expanse of a planet named Tenalp.
Aricles, the myth begins, was his name. It is said that everything that exists came into being through him: from the flowers of the ground (all kinds), to the beasts of the ground (all kinds), to the birds of the air (all kinds), to the separating of day and night, and to the illumination of the night sky with an expanse of bright stars, and to the very people who inhabited the planet Tenalp (Male and Female of course), it is believed that Aricles had brought all of these things into existence. He created three lands on a planet called Tenalp: the first was Anep Ymerej (the land of peace and wealth), the second Seyer Lamay (the land of Barbarians), and the third the Yorks Of The New (the land of glass).
He had placed each land right next to each, Anep Ymerej to the farthest left of the world Tenalp, Semer Lamay in the center of the planet Tenalp, and the Yorks OF The New expanse towards the right of the planet Tenalp. The planet wasn't very big, but big enough to hold these three lands. In the first two lands, Anep Ymerej, and Seyer Lamay, Aricles provided water; on the third land Aricles thought it silly to provide water, so he did not. "But how can the people who inhabit the Yorks Of The New survive without water? Ah I know! I shall create a water that does not reflect." And he did so, for he did not want in the land of the Yorks Of The New to be any sort of reflection; whether it was through water, or glass made from the sand of the sea, in the land of The Yorks Of The New, there was no instruments for reflection.
And Aricles thought it good that he provided no form of reflection for the land of the Yorks Of The New; for already he was seeing selfish deeds being done under the sun by the lands Anep Ymerej, and Seyer Lamay because Men fell in love with their own beauty through their own physical reflections. And through the love for their own beauty came about Greed, and pride, the worse of all things. Immediately after Aricles had finished creating Anep Ymerej, and Semer Lafay, Men began to despise one another, for they were in competition of who looked better and who could get more women than the other. Aricles wanted beauty to rule these lands, and he thought that by giving men a reflection they would see the beauty in themselves to help one another prosper and grow, but the opposite thing happened. These men, fell in love with what was outside of themselves, and began to murder and quarrel with one another over who was more "beautiful. (isn't it funny, how we still see much of this today?)"
This is why Aricles thought it Good for the people of the land of the Yorks Of The New to not have any kind of instrument for reflection. He removed also from their eyes the reflection to see one another. And for some time, this method proved to be Good. There was no murders as the other lands had had, for there was no conceit. Everyone had a sense of the beauty in themselves, so why would it matter to know their outward appearance? Well..
Though the people of the land of the Yorks Of The New knew who they were inwardly, they lusted to know what they looked like outwardly. They had invented certain methods to outsmart the system of "no reflection" in the land they lived in. This "no reflection" system proved to be quite bothersome after a few years to the people of the land of the Yorks Of The New so they began to become bitter towards Aricles, for they felt cheated by him. They groaned and groaned for years on end, and prayed to Aricles that they could see their own reflections, like the other lands that were near them (for they had heard amazing stories about Men and Women who could see themselves from the lands of Anep Ymerej, and Seyer Lamay, but they did not know the evil things that happened because Men and Women could see themselves).
Aricles, sat in silence for a good while. He did not answer the prayers of the people from the land of The Yorks. He didn't want too because he knew that it would not be good for them. But after sometime, Aricles began to see a pattern develop: because the people from the land of the Yorks had no reflections of themselves, they were falling in love with the image of others; and though they knew the beauty inside of themselves, they lusted, and even hoped that they looked like those who occupied their environment (for every person in the land of the Yorks was beautiful, in and out).Aricles at that moment realized that even though people had no form of instruments to see their own reflection, people themselves could be mirrors for one another.
For this, he understood, was the problem: seeing beauty, is different from understanding beauty. In the first two lands, the Men who inhabited the lands Saw their beauty but did not understand it. And because they did not understand their beauty, they did wicked, grievous things. In the land of the Yorks, the Men there didn't see their beauty, but they understood it. But when one can't see evidence of something, though he can understand it, he begins to doubt it. So in the end, there is to be a balance; and this balance in between seeing, and understanding one's own beauty is brought about through Faith.
How so, you may ask? Well if one sees their own beauty, they may not technically think of themselves as "beautiful" hence why they would not understand how anyone can call them beautiful, for they do not see beauty in themselves. If one understands that their beautiful, but cannot see that their beautiful, then what is the point in knowing if that "knowing" doesn't reflect itself? Faith ties all these things together. For if one sees his own beauty, and has faith, and believes that he is in fact beautiful, then will he unlock the true understanding of what it means to be "Beautiful." You see, because true beauty flows out of one's character, not out of one's appearance. And when someone fully believes that they are not only beautiful on the outside, they will understand that they are truly beautiful inside. And the things from the outside always feed from what's on the inside.
So, Aricles thought a solution: make the land of the Yorks into glass. The land was to be a place for reflection. The water inland also reflected itself now, and aricles sat back, and watched to see what the people who inhabited the land (oh I forgot to say that these people look like you and I, but there is just something odd about them, like an alien kind of feeling about them, but they still look like you and I nonetheless) would respond to this change. This proved even worse a plan: for the people of the yorks of the new had become like the other lands: greedy, and prideful. Not all though shared that evil, for there were quite many people who still understood what true beauty is, even with a reelection at hand. And that, my friends is where the myth ends. Is it true or not? Who knows, but it is the only things in this land that explains their Glassy environment, and why things are the way they are; which brings us back to our present day.
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It is the year 3242 A.G (instead of "After Death", here its "After Glass") a bright Tuesday. It is quite busy, and everyone is on foot rushing to work (for there are no cars in this place). It is, as I hope you would imagine, quite hot. I mean, glass when hit by light always heats up, and that is something that the people from the land of the Yorks have not quite adjusted to yet. But let us travel to a town named The Town Of The Middle.
Here there lives a family, a family of people who have seen their outward beauty and grown quite prideful in it. Among this family there is a child of the age 12, who, might I say, is way too brilliant for his age. If I could put it into words, it is as if he is the child form of Albert Einstein! This child, named Eplier, loves to read and question. If he is not hanging out with friends, you will find him almost always reading. His family is quite large: 14 male cousins, 11 female cousins, 4 brothers, and 5 sisters. Eplier though is the most brilliant of all. He's been gifted with a mind that accelerated in thinking, and though the older men and women find themselves in awe whenever he expresses himself, whether it be thorough writing or speech, Epliers find his gift to be quite troublesome. For when someone is good at something, he will often find a feeling of isolation from those who don't quite understand the gift. A gifted man, can be an alien to the world. Despised. Looked over. Mistreated. (Don't we see that with super heroes? Spider-man? Superman?)
I had to tell you all of that isolation stuff, because, well, not to make this story a sad, or pitiful one (because I'm sure Eplier wouldn't want you to feel pity for him!) but unfortunately he is quite distant from his family. His family does not find him interesting at all. They just see a mere boy, who loves to read when he is not out with friends, and who thinks "too much." But is the problem really thinking "too much" or is that that some people just don't"think enough?" Eplier feels like an educated zebra amongst dumb lions, and in the wild, you know how those stories end (excluding the "educated zebra" part of course). The only person that has a true sincere connection with Eplier is his uncle. I wont mention the rest of his family much, but they are the kind of people who you and I would consider a nuisance. They are gossipers, and we all know, that gossipers are hypocrites (and that is something Eplier, of course being wise and intelligent at his age, despises!). They are the kind who favor a materialistic kind of world view, meaning that they always want, and want, and want. They collect things, that they think will fulfill them in some way, but of course, just like everything on the planet earth (oh if they knew how much we suffer!) nothing satisfies them. Isn't it funny, how we can imagine something we want, and when we imagine how much more better it will make our lives we get so excited; and yet when we get that thing we wanted, a month or so after its use, we find it lost in a closet, or face down on top of a wardrobe, collecting dust? They ridicule those who aren't as "well off" as them, and are quite prideful-- Materialistic-- beings.
Oh! I forgot to say, that though Eplier's family is a handsome family (everyone in the land of the Yorks is) he is the most handsome of all. For when one realizes their inner beauty in the land of the Yorks, they become more beautiful than what they already were. He is a not too small, or too tall, narrow nosed, light eye-browed, black hair, brown eyes, peachy skinned child. His uncle, looks rather like a mad man: long, stringy hair, a mustache, long sturdy body with lengthy arms, silver eyes, very hairy eye brows and a wide nosed person, with peachy skin, of course. If Eplier has Einstein's smarts, Eplier's uncle, Uncle Vedemir, surely has Einstein's appearance!
The two always did eventful things: they went out to see the glass mountains just a bit north from the town of the middle almost every Sunday. And on occasion, usually at the end of every other month, they would visit the other lands (for the other lands came down to compromises about their out of control murder rates, and made it so that their lands were not dangerous enough for visitors to come and see their beauty) and ride the river called the This river which ran through the lands of Anep Ymerej and Seyer Lamay. Eplier would always enjoy his time with Uncle Vedemir, for Eplier had a father who rarely acknowledged his very being. And in the gap of a father Veldemir did a very good job of filling it. What made every event with Uncle Vedemir amazing was that he would always ask Eplier intricate questions: like, "how are you?" or "How was your day? Did that crazy sister of yours put a hole through your bedroom floor again?" And at the end of each day Uncle Veldemir would share a story with Eplier (which eplier, might I add, enjoyed very much. In fact when Uncle Veldemir told a story, Eplier crossed his legs, as a kindergärtner often does to prepare for story time, even at the age of 12).
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A couple of days ago, Eplier proposed to Uncle Vedemir an idea. "Uncle, can we go to the Glass mountains again? I want to see their beauty."
"Sure" agreed Uncle Vedemir (for it was almost a week or two since their last visit, and Vedmir was growing angst to see the beautiful glass mountains). They walked, and walked, having conversations about the "Ole myth of Aricles" and how things came into existence on the planet of Tenalp. When they finally arrived to the mountains it was noon, but the sun was still shining, and to them, though a bit of its strength had dissipate, its rays felt evermore worse, though it was quite windy up in those mountains, which did help a bit. What made these mountains so beautiful, was that when light shone on them, there poured a ribbon of colors down its entire length: a long stride of yellow, fire red, purple, blue, green, and red-orange. But to see the colors on the mountains when the light shines on them it is said that one must have faith in their beauty. Every time Uncle Vedemir and Eplier went, they only saw the light on the mountains, but no colors. This was okay to them, for they still enjoyed the view.
When they arrived, they stood in awe. There was a balcony, high up in the land of the Yorks where one had the perfect view of the mountains. There they stood in silence, for about an hour or so. Then..
"Eplier" said Uncle Vedemir with a grin. Eplier turned to look at his uncle, and what he saw on the side of his face was a smile, and a tear at the corner of his eye, it was getting ready to drop. This amazed Eplier for Uncle Vedemir is not one to cry. And though Eplier and Uncle Vedemir had been here many times before, something clicked in Vedemir's mind.
"Yes uncle?" said Eplier.
"I think, I think I've go--" And for a moment Uncle Vedemir froze. There was a shaking in his chest, as he resisted the tears, and if you've ever had a moment of "awe" like Uncle Vedemir was just having, and if during that moment you wanted to cry, but not in front of another person, then you would know that it is hard to speak when one is holding back the tears in his chest. And so for a moment he had trouble breathing, and speaking. Then finally:
"Eplier, I think, I think I've got a response to your questions some days ago. The one about what would life be like without mirrors. Remember?"
"That I do. I've been wondering about it for the last couple of days too. Really, think about it, what if we never had any mirrors to see ourselves? What would life be like then, Uncle?"
Uncle Vedemir smiled. He grabbed a handkerchief from his left pocket (did I forget to mention he always carried one for expenditures like this?) And for a moment he looked at the vibrant mountains again. He plopped himself back to stature, and postured himself confidently for his response.
"Young man, I've never wondered that until you brought it up to my conscious. And ever since that day, I thought about the insanity that life would be like without a mirror where we could see what we look like. But I had to take the question a step further, because the question presupposes something: the very fact that we want to know what we look like. And if we want to know what we look like, then there must be a reason why obviously. And I think that reason is this: above all other discoveries, the discovery of ones own beauty is something that cannot be compromised. IT must be sought out and reflected.
"Now, in conclusion my boy, I think that we wouldn't at all be too miserable in Life without mirrors."
"Why is that so, uncle?" Responded the boy.
"Well" said Vedemir, gripping his chin with his index and middle fingers, "I believe that even without glass mirrors, people themselves can be mirrors."
"How can that be?" said Eplair dazzled.
"My fine boy," said Uncle Vedemir grinning once more. "You are a thinker, and you cannot even guess the answer to this? Look at the mountains; what do you see?"
"I see a broadband of colors, running to and fro all round the mountains" responded Eplier.
"Do you know about those colors, my dear boy?"
"Not quite," responded Eplier.
"All those demn books you've read, and nothing? Intelligent still. Anyhow, Eplier it is said that only those who recognize their own beauty see the colors on the mountains."
For a moment Eplier stood, and when he looked again at the mountains he immediately understood something.
"Uncle! Uncle!" cried out Eplier, extending his arms in a wave of excitement. And if you've ever had one of those moments when the "light Bulb" goes on in your mind, then you would understand his excitement.
"Yes eplier, yes!?" Cried out Uncle Vedemir in joy, awaiting to hear Epliers insight.
"Indeed, I think if we did not have mirrors, it'd be a bit difficult for us to really understand our beauty. But this mountain here, even if there were no mirrors for us to see our own reflection, reflects what we really are."
"Ooh" responded Vedemir in wonder. "And what's that my boy-- what are we really?"
"Well if the myth is true about Aricles" Eplier continued, "then may it be probable, that when he created the land of glass, in a final act of showing us what we really are when one asks the question 'what if there were no mirrors in life?' he provided his own mirror?"
"And by the grace of Aricles! What may be his mirror?" Said Vedemir half stumped.
"The mountains Uncle! The mountains! And what they are supposed to show, is that when one thinks about life without mirrors, and when we wonder how torturous it may be to not see our own reflection, Aricles provided his mirror to show us once more what we truly are."
"And what is that, my boy?" Uncle Vedemir was now gripping his handkerchief once more, for there was a wave of tears preparing themselves to collapse off the border of his eye lashes.
"What we truly are" Eplair responded, "Is a broadband of beauty. Colors of all sorts. And the colors themselves represent our intricate value. We all need mirrors, not only mirrors that reflect ourselves. I think we can add another definition to the word 'mirror' uncle; and that is something that defines the defined. Because when we have no mirrors, Uncle, I think that, like you said, people become our mirrors, or the things that surround us. And, without getting too emotional Uncle, in the absence of my family, and most of all my father, you are my mirror. I must say, Aricles had the last word."
There was silence for another five minutes, as Uncle Vedemir wiped the warm tears running down his cheek. Then slowly the light faded on the mountain, and the colors were whisped away. Uncle Vedemir and Eplier were smiling as they saw the light and the colors along with it vanish. Then they walked home together (not realizing that they too, were now a broadband of walking colors).
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And somewhere up above the stars sat Aricles, smiling. "They needed a mirror" he thought. "And they found it. Blessed are those who find the mirrors that give them my beauty, my broadband of colors."
A lesson on death.
This Story Begins At An Apartment And Ends At A Park. The "In Between" Is The Adventure We All Must Walk Through. For In Life There Is A Promised Begining To Those Who Have Been Brought into Existence, And A Promised End to The Already Existing. The Middle Is What Life Hides From Us Until Death Steals Us FromThis Life. At The End Of Each Life, Living Becomes A Review, And The Basis For That Review Is A Question: "Did My Life Matter?" With Each Beginning There Is An End, And With every End A New Beggining. Our Story Begins At An Apartment, And It Will End At A Park Where Life Abounds, And Children Know No End To Their Endless Playing. Our Main Character, Jack Is A Young Man Of 23. He Is Tall, About 6 feet, Very Handsome With A Butter Pecan Tone tio His Skin. He Has Long, Thick Curly Hair That Reaches His Ears. He Is A Barrel Chested Man; Wild Body Hair Ravages All Over His Sturdy Chest, Long Legs, Massed Arms And Every Edge Of His Chin, From The Right Cheeck To The Left, And Also Under His Chin. He Has Hazel Colored eyes, And A Smile That Stuns Even A Gliding Bird In Mid-Air. He Is A Single Man, Who Lives In His Own Apartment, And Though He Lives Alone He Enjoys It.
"This Way" He Thinks To Himself, "I Don't Have To Adjust To Someone Elses Personality. I don't Really need A Girl Anyway; For As Long As I Am Able To Club every Wednesday, Pick Up Any Girl I Want, Bring Her To My Place And Get What I Want I Don't Need A Wife, Or Anyone In My apartment But Myself. That's The Benefit Of Being Single."
At The Corner Of His Apartment Exists A Bike Shop-- His Father's Bike Shop. It IS The Bike Shop That Everyone In The Town Goes To For It's Renown Quality. Of Course, Being That He's The Son Of The Boss, He Has The Responsibility Of Being The Manager At The Bike Shop, And He Loves It, Not Because He Loves Bikes, But Because Of The Wealth He's Been Able To Reel In From The Shop. From Childhood To Manhood Jack Has Known No Poverty, For His Dad's Wealth From The Bike Shop Has Made Him Live A Complacent Life. At The Age Of 5 He Had A PS2, Gamecube, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, And A Gameboy Color. At The Age Of 10 He Had The Most Amount of Yugioh Cards In His Town, And When Yugioh Got Boring He Switched To Pokemon, And Of Course, He Had The Most Pokemon Cards In His Town. At The Age Of 17 His Dad Bought Him A 2010 BMW 128i Coupe Right After He Got His Junior License, And My, Did His Friends And Grilfriends Love That Car.
Jack's Wealth Makes Up His Personality. Unlike His Father, He Is A Greedy Young Man Who Appreciates Nothing in The Present Tense; Meaning He Is Always Looking Forward To The Next Thing IN Life. He Is A Heartbreaker, A Thief Who Steals Love To Give None Back To The Other Party. He Cares About Himself, And Is A Master At Manipulating People Into Getting What He Wants. He Is, Indeed, The Renown "Asshole" Of The Town, And Though Many Girls And Guys Know This, They Insist On Hanging Out With Him. He's Always Had It Good From The Beginning Of His Existence, And, He Thinks That He Will Have It Good Until The Very End Of His Life. Death To Jack Is But A Mere concept. Like PLuto To The Rest Of The Planets, It Is A Distant Thing.
There Is An Irony In Having Everything From The Beginning; For Where There Is Complacent Living, There Is Comfort. Where There Is Comfort Without Toil Of Reaching That Comfort There Is No Appreciation. Where There Is No Appreciation There Is No Care For What Is At Your Disposal. Life Becomes A Game To Those Who Don't Appreciate It. It Becomes Less Of Being Content With What You Have, And Increases It's Focus On Who Has What, And How You Can Get Something Better Than That "What." Unfortunately, This Is Where Our Friend Jack Is At.
The Town Where Jack Lives Is Called Pine Hill. Its An Ironic Name, Because In This Town There Are No Hills At All. Every Road Is Flat. It Is The Summer, And On This Particular Day It Is 83 Degrees Out. The Day Of The Week Is Tuesday. The Humidity Level Is At It's Peak, And Jack Figures Now Is The Right Time To Burn The Fat From The Three Mcdonald Snack Wraps He Had 2 Hours Ago-- And There Is Nothing Else In This Life He Loves More Than Running. It Gives Him A Sense Of Accomplishment, A Confidence Of Some Sort. This Was The Only Thing He Appreciated Because It Was The Only Thing He Had Ever Worked For-- Running.
"Now Should Be The Right Time To Go On This Run" He Thought To Himself, While Lacing His Nike Zappos. It Was Evening, 4:32 pm To Be Exact. "It's Still Pretty Hot Out There, Disregarding The Time Of Day" He Thought. He Grabbed His Ipod Touch, Looked Around If He Was Missing Anything Before He Left, Took A Look At His Watch-- 4:34 p.m.
He Left His Apartment, Got His Playlist Ready, And Began The Excruatiating 6 Mile Run He Ran Everyday. His Running Route, Of Course, Was Easy-- It Was All Straight. It Began At His Apartment, And Ended At Pine Hill's Public Park. Pine Hill Park Is A Beautiful Park: It's Full Of Swings, Slides, And Best Of All, It Has A Lake. Ten Feet From The Shore Of The Lake Sits A Wooden Bench That Can Seat Two People. At The End Of Every Run, Jack Takes Sometime To Sit And Cool Down At The Bench. It's His Favorite Spot To Think And Daze Off into The Lake's Beauty. In Fact, It's The Only Place He ever Really Thinks, And If He Does It's Nothing Ever Significant.
On The Way To The Park Jack Always Passes His Father's Bike Shop, A Couple Bodegas, And Even The Shop Where He Bought His Yugioh And Pokemon Cards. They All Give Him A Sense Of Pride, Because It Reminds Him That He Had It The Best Of the Best In His Town. No One ever Beat him In a Yugioh Card Duel, nor A Pokemon Duel. He Was A Bully When It Came To That At Best.
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It IS Now 5:22 p.m And Jack Is Well Underway His Sixth Mile. His Plain White T-Shirt Has A Tint Of Gray Due To The Amount Of Sweat His Body Has Leaked Throuhgout His Run. His Curly Hair Has Unknotted Itself, and Has Become More Of A Big Poofy Fro Of Frizzy Hair. His Legs Ache, And His Chest Is Sore From All the Heavy Breathing.
"The Bench" He Thinks To Himself, "It's a Few Minutes Away. C'mon Jack Do It." It Is 5:34, Jack Spots The Bench, But To His Surprise There Is A Man In A Sharp Black Suit Seated On It. This Angers Jack Because There Is Never A Person At The Bench After His Run. Never. "Maybe He'll Leave When I Get There" He Thinks, But Upon Reaching His Destination, To His Surprise Yet Again, The Man In The Sharp Black Suit Doesn't Move.
Jack, Infuriated, Walks Up To The Man Planning On Yelling At Him To Move. "That's My Spot! Damn Idiot I Swear" He Thinks To Himself, But Upon Reaching The Man There Is A Sharp Shift In His Emotions. He Sees The Man Is An Old Man, Maybe About 71, With Short White Hair, Wrinkled Hands, And Small Torso With A Disfigured Posture. The Man Is Leaning Over His Body, Crouched To His Knees-- His Elbows Resting On His Knees. The Man Covered His Face With Both Hands, Hiding Any Facial Appeareances, But What Had Caused the Shift In Jack's Emotions Was Not This Man's Bodily Posture; He Saw Streams Of Tears Running Through The Cracks Of The Man's Hands. The Man Was Silent, But His Tears Were Telling A Story Of Torment One Could Only Imagine.
"He Has To Be A Business Man. His Shoes Are Polished. His Suit Is Sharp. He Has A Blue Collared Shirt Under His Tux, And A Red Tie. He Seems Like An Important Man, But I'm Not Sure. Maybe He Lost His Business. I Can't Even Fathom The Thought Of Losing My Dad's Business. I'll Leave Him Alone." For The First Time, Jack Learned What Sympathy Was. He's Heard Of It, But Never Experienced IT. He Left The Man In His Weeping, Walked Passed Him, And Walked The 6 Miles Back Home, Which He Didn't Mind Because He Was Able To see All The Bodegas And The Store Which Reminded Him Of His Cards, And His Father's Bike Shop.
It Was 7:11 When Jack Reached His Apartment. Runner's High Had Creeped Every inch Of His Body, and All He Felt Like doing Was Eating And Falling Asleep, Which Is What He Does After every Run. To Jack, Everyday Is The Same, So Today He Will Do The Same After every Run-- Eat And Sleep. He Ate Some Left Over Pasta He Had For Dinner Yesterday, Drank Some Lemonade And Called It A Night.
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Today it Is Wednesday, Jack's Favorite Day. The Day He Gets Paid, And The Day He Goes To the Club, Manipulates A Girl into coming Over His House, And Through A Matter Of Word Play Gets Laid. It Is 4:32 p.m And Jack Plans On Going On His Run Again, Like every Other Day. But Today, Unlike Every Other Day Of The Week, He Does Lots When He Gets Home after His Run-- He Showers, And Prepares Himself To Go Clubbing. Jack Laces His Shoes, Makes Sure Everything He Needs For His Run Is Ready, And Walks Out Again.
He Runs Past The Bodegas, The Card Store, The Bike Shop, And Reaches The Park. He Sees The Bench, And To His Amazement, The Same Man Was There-- Still Weeping. Jack Was Confused. He Ddin't Understand Why Someone, Or How Someone Could Cry For So Long. He Froze For A Minute And Just Watched The Man Weep, And Weep, And Weep. Jack Felt Humbled. This Is The First Time He's Ever Seen Anyone Cry This Long. "I Should Ask Him What's Wrong. Maybe He Needs Some Help." Upon Reaching The Man, Jack Shyed Away. He Couldn't Muster Up The Courage To Ask The Man, Nor Did He Realy Care. Jack Walked Past The Man, Went Home, Showered, And Went Clubbing. He Came Home With A Girl, Had A Couple Of Drinks, Used His Mainpulative Word PLay, And Got Laid.
It Is Now 1:30 a.m. The Girl He Brought To His Apartment Had Left, And Jack Lay Awake, Thinking Of His Trophy For The Night. "Life Coudn't Be Better." For A Quick Second He Thought About Death, "I Don't Need To Think About It. I Have Many Years To Live, I'm Young, And I Want To Live My Life To The Fullest Before That Day." With That Thought, He Fell Asleep.
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Thursday. It Is 4:32 p.m Again, Jack Laces His Shoes, Walks Out Of His Apartment, And Is Back On His Run. "I wonder If That Man Is There Again. This Time I Wont Shy Away; I Want To Know what's Wrong With Him." And Sure Enough, There Was The Man In The Black Suit again, Weeping.
Jack Stood There For A Moment, Trying To Think Of Ways On How To Ask The Man If He Was Okay. "I'll Just Be Simple And Ask 'Need Help?' That Should Do It." Jack Walked Up To The Man, Inhaled, Exhaled, And Asked Away.
"Sir, Need Help?"
The Man Wept.
Jack Felt Uneasy, But He Sat Down, Next To The Man And Asked "Sir Why Are You Crying So Hard? You've Been Here The Past Three Days. I don't Understand."
The Man Removed His Hands From His Face, Looked At Jack, Sighed And Asked "Young Man, Have You Ever Thought Of Death?" Jack Stunned, Flew Back, And Responded.
"Yes, Yes I Have, How Come?"
"No Young Man, Have You Really Thought About it?"
"Yes. I Mean, No Not Really. The thought Comes And Goes, but I Never Really Thought About It. Why?"
"I Lost Business Three Days Ago."
"Ah, I See. I Understand Hiow Hard That Could Be. My Dad Owns A Bik--"
"No, No. That's Not All. I Lost My Wife And Three Kids As Well, On The Same Day To A Car Accident. For The Past Three Days I've Been Pondering What A Gift Life Truly Is, And I've Been Grieving With Many Tears The Things That I Never Really Truly appreciated In My Life. Now That My Wife, Kids, And Business Are Gone, I Appreciate Them Much More, Sadly. I Didn't Get To Tell My Daughter And Two Sons How Mch I Truly Loved them, and I Never Got To Thank My Wife for The Awesome Woman She Was. I Was Too Caught Up In My business, But Now It's All Gone.
Jack Sat Shook. He Replied Saying "Sir, That's Hard. But Tomorrow Is Another Day Isn't It?"
"That's The Other Thing." The Man Responded, "I'm not Sure If I'll Be Living Tomorrow. And That, More Than Anything Scares Me. I've Lost My World, But Not My Life."
"Sir" Jack Said, "Why Are You So Pessimistic Towards Your Life?"
"I'm not. That's Our Reality. People Think Of Death as a Concept And Never See The Value In Something Until It's Gone, Dying Or Dead. We Live Our Lives So concentrated On What Will Happen Next And Miss The Now Moment. We All Live, Trying To Evade Death; Castying It Off As If It's Far Away. We Live As If Were immortals, As If Death Can Never Touch Us. What We Never Realize Though, Is That Life Never Promised Us Another Minute, Hour Or Day.
"The Only Guarantee That Life Ever Gave Us Was Death. I See Now, Under This Tragedy, At The Age Of 70, a Day From My Birthday That Life Doesn't Define Death. Death Defines Life."
Jack, With Misty Eyes Said To The Man "You Are Right."
"Young Man, I'd Love To Tell you That You Have Many Days Of Life Left, But I'd Become A Liar And A Hypocrit; For i Myself Will Never Know When My Hour Will Come. I Want To Add Though, That You Shouldn't See Death As A Mere concept. A Thought. Think Of It This Way: During The Winter, Spring Is A Thought, And We Treat It As A Concept; but The Winter Promises A Spring, As The The Summer Promises A Fall. And All Seasons come Into Place At Their Given Time. And So Life Promises A Death. It Is Not A concept. It's A Reality. And When Death Comes, Ones Items For Complacent Living don't comfort him. You Lose everything. Everything with Death. He Is The Master Thief; for He Doesn't Steal One's Wealth. He Steals the Most Valuable Item From Men-- Their Breath."
"Young Man, Life Is A Gift, and It Shouldn't Be Taken Fior Granted. Every Gift Has A Purpose, and since every Gift Has A Purpose So Does every Life, Since Life Is A gift. And If Life is A Gift, Then That Means That Times Of Joy, And Times Of Suffering Are Both gifts, Because Both joy And Pain Are Inclusive Promises As Well In Life. Joy, though, Depends On Perspective And Faith. Pain Will Always Co-Exist With Death. But Moments Of Pain Are A Gift Too, If You Have Right Perspective. Through Tragedy, I've Felt Reality. Death Isn't A concept, It's Real."
Jack Stood Back, And Thought About His Life Of Complacency. He Realized Since He's had it All From the Beginning And Never Lost Anyone Or Anything He Never Thought About Death. He Began To Weep, and Weep, And Weep. Then Something Clicked In Jack's Mind. He Wiped His Eyes, and Said "Sir, Thank You."
Jack Began Speed Walking To His Apartment. He Felt A Sadness That He Never Felt Before. "Death Defines Life" He Thought Out Loud. He Thought Of Running, His Clubbing, His Constant Getting Layed With Women, His Pokemon Cards, His Father's Bike Shop, And All The things His Complacent Life Had Given Him. "I Did All Those Things, And Wanted all Those Thigns In Attempt to Escape The Feeling Of Death. I See Now. Death Defines Life. Life Doesn't Define Death."
Jack Thought About All The Things That He Never Said An Honest "Thank You" For, And Became Even More Saddenned. He Walked Faster, And Wanted To Sprint Back Home and Tell His Mother And Father Of The Experience With This Man. More Than Anything, With The Thought That He Could Die At Any Given Moment, He Wanted To Apologize for His Bastardly Ways And Tell Everyone That He Had a Change Of Heart.
He Never Made It Home. Jack Died 5.8 Miles Away From His Apartment; A Young Man Who Hated Jack For His Abrupt Behavior Saw Jack Speed Walking As He Was Driving By. "This Is My Moment" The yonug Man Thought, and He Took out His 9 millermeter Revolver. There Was A Shot. A Loud Screech Of tires As The Car Sped Off. Jack Died At The Park, And Never Got To Give An Apology And A Thank You to the People He Hurt In His Life, And His Parents. On The Grass, Before His Last Breath He Whisphered And Said: "Did My Life Really Matter?"
It Was Thursday, 6:05 p.m. It Was 78 degreees, It Was Humid, The Sun Was Still shining, But the Light Of Jack Had Burned Out.
"This Way" He Thinks To Himself, "I Don't Have To Adjust To Someone Elses Personality. I don't Really need A Girl Anyway; For As Long As I Am Able To Club every Wednesday, Pick Up Any Girl I Want, Bring Her To My Place And Get What I Want I Don't Need A Wife, Or Anyone In My apartment But Myself. That's The Benefit Of Being Single."
At The Corner Of His Apartment Exists A Bike Shop-- His Father's Bike Shop. It IS The Bike Shop That Everyone In The Town Goes To For It's Renown Quality. Of Course, Being That He's The Son Of The Boss, He Has The Responsibility Of Being The Manager At The Bike Shop, And He Loves It, Not Because He Loves Bikes, But Because Of The Wealth He's Been Able To Reel In From The Shop. From Childhood To Manhood Jack Has Known No Poverty, For His Dad's Wealth From The Bike Shop Has Made Him Live A Complacent Life. At The Age Of 5 He Had A PS2, Gamecube, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, And A Gameboy Color. At The Age Of 10 He Had The Most Amount of Yugioh Cards In His Town, And When Yugioh Got Boring He Switched To Pokemon, And Of Course, He Had The Most Pokemon Cards In His Town. At The Age Of 17 His Dad Bought Him A 2010 BMW 128i Coupe Right After He Got His Junior License, And My, Did His Friends And Grilfriends Love That Car.
Jack's Wealth Makes Up His Personality. Unlike His Father, He Is A Greedy Young Man Who Appreciates Nothing in The Present Tense; Meaning He Is Always Looking Forward To The Next Thing IN Life. He Is A Heartbreaker, A Thief Who Steals Love To Give None Back To The Other Party. He Cares About Himself, And Is A Master At Manipulating People Into Getting What He Wants. He Is, Indeed, The Renown "Asshole" Of The Town, And Though Many Girls And Guys Know This, They Insist On Hanging Out With Him. He's Always Had It Good From The Beginning Of His Existence, And, He Thinks That He Will Have It Good Until The Very End Of His Life. Death To Jack Is But A Mere concept. Like PLuto To The Rest Of The Planets, It Is A Distant Thing.
There Is An Irony In Having Everything From The Beginning; For Where There Is Complacent Living, There Is Comfort. Where There Is Comfort Without Toil Of Reaching That Comfort There Is No Appreciation. Where There Is No Appreciation There Is No Care For What Is At Your Disposal. Life Becomes A Game To Those Who Don't Appreciate It. It Becomes Less Of Being Content With What You Have, And Increases It's Focus On Who Has What, And How You Can Get Something Better Than That "What." Unfortunately, This Is Where Our Friend Jack Is At.
The Town Where Jack Lives Is Called Pine Hill. Its An Ironic Name, Because In This Town There Are No Hills At All. Every Road Is Flat. It Is The Summer, And On This Particular Day It Is 83 Degrees Out. The Day Of The Week Is Tuesday. The Humidity Level Is At It's Peak, And Jack Figures Now Is The Right Time To Burn The Fat From The Three Mcdonald Snack Wraps He Had 2 Hours Ago-- And There Is Nothing Else In This Life He Loves More Than Running. It Gives Him A Sense Of Accomplishment, A Confidence Of Some Sort. This Was The Only Thing He Appreciated Because It Was The Only Thing He Had Ever Worked For-- Running.
"Now Should Be The Right Time To Go On This Run" He Thought To Himself, While Lacing His Nike Zappos. It Was Evening, 4:32 pm To Be Exact. "It's Still Pretty Hot Out There, Disregarding The Time Of Day" He Thought. He Grabbed His Ipod Touch, Looked Around If He Was Missing Anything Before He Left, Took A Look At His Watch-- 4:34 p.m.
He Left His Apartment, Got His Playlist Ready, And Began The Excruatiating 6 Mile Run He Ran Everyday. His Running Route, Of Course, Was Easy-- It Was All Straight. It Began At His Apartment, And Ended At Pine Hill's Public Park. Pine Hill Park Is A Beautiful Park: It's Full Of Swings, Slides, And Best Of All, It Has A Lake. Ten Feet From The Shore Of The Lake Sits A Wooden Bench That Can Seat Two People. At The End Of Every Run, Jack Takes Sometime To Sit And Cool Down At The Bench. It's His Favorite Spot To Think And Daze Off into The Lake's Beauty. In Fact, It's The Only Place He ever Really Thinks, And If He Does It's Nothing Ever Significant.
On The Way To The Park Jack Always Passes His Father's Bike Shop, A Couple Bodegas, And Even The Shop Where He Bought His Yugioh And Pokemon Cards. They All Give Him A Sense Of Pride, Because It Reminds Him That He Had It The Best Of the Best In His Town. No One ever Beat him In a Yugioh Card Duel, nor A Pokemon Duel. He Was A Bully When It Came To That At Best.
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It IS Now 5:22 p.m And Jack Is Well Underway His Sixth Mile. His Plain White T-Shirt Has A Tint Of Gray Due To The Amount Of Sweat His Body Has Leaked Throuhgout His Run. His Curly Hair Has Unknotted Itself, and Has Become More Of A Big Poofy Fro Of Frizzy Hair. His Legs Ache, And His Chest Is Sore From All the Heavy Breathing.
"The Bench" He Thinks To Himself, "It's a Few Minutes Away. C'mon Jack Do It." It Is 5:34, Jack Spots The Bench, But To His Surprise There Is A Man In A Sharp Black Suit Seated On It. This Angers Jack Because There Is Never A Person At The Bench After His Run. Never. "Maybe He'll Leave When I Get There" He Thinks, But Upon Reaching His Destination, To His Surprise Yet Again, The Man In The Sharp Black Suit Doesn't Move.
Jack, Infuriated, Walks Up To The Man Planning On Yelling At Him To Move. "That's My Spot! Damn Idiot I Swear" He Thinks To Himself, But Upon Reaching The Man There Is A Sharp Shift In His Emotions. He Sees The Man Is An Old Man, Maybe About 71, With Short White Hair, Wrinkled Hands, And Small Torso With A Disfigured Posture. The Man Is Leaning Over His Body, Crouched To His Knees-- His Elbows Resting On His Knees. The Man Covered His Face With Both Hands, Hiding Any Facial Appeareances, But What Had Caused the Shift In Jack's Emotions Was Not This Man's Bodily Posture; He Saw Streams Of Tears Running Through The Cracks Of The Man's Hands. The Man Was Silent, But His Tears Were Telling A Story Of Torment One Could Only Imagine.
"He Has To Be A Business Man. His Shoes Are Polished. His Suit Is Sharp. He Has A Blue Collared Shirt Under His Tux, And A Red Tie. He Seems Like An Important Man, But I'm Not Sure. Maybe He Lost His Business. I Can't Even Fathom The Thought Of Losing My Dad's Business. I'll Leave Him Alone." For The First Time, Jack Learned What Sympathy Was. He's Heard Of It, But Never Experienced IT. He Left The Man In His Weeping, Walked Passed Him, And Walked The 6 Miles Back Home, Which He Didn't Mind Because He Was Able To see All The Bodegas And The Store Which Reminded Him Of His Cards, And His Father's Bike Shop.
It Was 7:11 When Jack Reached His Apartment. Runner's High Had Creeped Every inch Of His Body, and All He Felt Like doing Was Eating And Falling Asleep, Which Is What He Does After every Run. To Jack, Everyday Is The Same, So Today He Will Do The Same After every Run-- Eat And Sleep. He Ate Some Left Over Pasta He Had For Dinner Yesterday, Drank Some Lemonade And Called It A Night.
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Today it Is Wednesday, Jack's Favorite Day. The Day He Gets Paid, And The Day He Goes To the Club, Manipulates A Girl into coming Over His House, And Through A Matter Of Word Play Gets Laid. It Is 4:32 p.m And Jack Plans On Going On His Run Again, Like every Other Day. But Today, Unlike Every Other Day Of The Week, He Does Lots When He Gets Home after His Run-- He Showers, And Prepares Himself To Go Clubbing. Jack Laces His Shoes, Makes Sure Everything He Needs For His Run Is Ready, And Walks Out Again.
He Runs Past The Bodegas, The Card Store, The Bike Shop, And Reaches The Park. He Sees The Bench, And To His Amazement, The Same Man Was There-- Still Weeping. Jack Was Confused. He Ddin't Understand Why Someone, Or How Someone Could Cry For So Long. He Froze For A Minute And Just Watched The Man Weep, And Weep, And Weep. Jack Felt Humbled. This Is The First Time He's Ever Seen Anyone Cry This Long. "I Should Ask Him What's Wrong. Maybe He Needs Some Help." Upon Reaching The Man, Jack Shyed Away. He Couldn't Muster Up The Courage To Ask The Man, Nor Did He Realy Care. Jack Walked Past The Man, Went Home, Showered, And Went Clubbing. He Came Home With A Girl, Had A Couple Of Drinks, Used His Mainpulative Word PLay, And Got Laid.
It Is Now 1:30 a.m. The Girl He Brought To His Apartment Had Left, And Jack Lay Awake, Thinking Of His Trophy For The Night. "Life Coudn't Be Better." For A Quick Second He Thought About Death, "I Don't Need To Think About It. I Have Many Years To Live, I'm Young, And I Want To Live My Life To The Fullest Before That Day." With That Thought, He Fell Asleep.
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Thursday. It Is 4:32 p.m Again, Jack Laces His Shoes, Walks Out Of His Apartment, And Is Back On His Run. "I wonder If That Man Is There Again. This Time I Wont Shy Away; I Want To Know what's Wrong With Him." And Sure Enough, There Was The Man In The Black Suit again, Weeping.
Jack Stood There For A Moment, Trying To Think Of Ways On How To Ask The Man If He Was Okay. "I'll Just Be Simple And Ask 'Need Help?' That Should Do It." Jack Walked Up To The Man, Inhaled, Exhaled, And Asked Away.
"Sir, Need Help?"
The Man Wept.
Jack Felt Uneasy, But He Sat Down, Next To The Man And Asked "Sir Why Are You Crying So Hard? You've Been Here The Past Three Days. I don't Understand."
The Man Removed His Hands From His Face, Looked At Jack, Sighed And Asked "Young Man, Have You Ever Thought Of Death?" Jack Stunned, Flew Back, And Responded.
"Yes, Yes I Have, How Come?"
"No Young Man, Have You Really Thought About it?"
"Yes. I Mean, No Not Really. The thought Comes And Goes, but I Never Really Thought About It. Why?"
"I Lost Business Three Days Ago."
"Ah, I See. I Understand Hiow Hard That Could Be. My Dad Owns A Bik--"
"No, No. That's Not All. I Lost My Wife And Three Kids As Well, On The Same Day To A Car Accident. For The Past Three Days I've Been Pondering What A Gift Life Truly Is, And I've Been Grieving With Many Tears The Things That I Never Really Truly appreciated In My Life. Now That My Wife, Kids, And Business Are Gone, I Appreciate Them Much More, Sadly. I Didn't Get To Tell My Daughter And Two Sons How Mch I Truly Loved them, and I Never Got To Thank My Wife for The Awesome Woman She Was. I Was Too Caught Up In My business, But Now It's All Gone.
Jack Sat Shook. He Replied Saying "Sir, That's Hard. But Tomorrow Is Another Day Isn't It?"
"That's The Other Thing." The Man Responded, "I'm not Sure If I'll Be Living Tomorrow. And That, More Than Anything Scares Me. I've Lost My World, But Not My Life."
"Sir" Jack Said, "Why Are You So Pessimistic Towards Your Life?"
"I'm not. That's Our Reality. People Think Of Death as a Concept And Never See The Value In Something Until It's Gone, Dying Or Dead. We Live Our Lives So concentrated On What Will Happen Next And Miss The Now Moment. We All Live, Trying To Evade Death; Castying It Off As If It's Far Away. We Live As If Were immortals, As If Death Can Never Touch Us. What We Never Realize Though, Is That Life Never Promised Us Another Minute, Hour Or Day.
"The Only Guarantee That Life Ever Gave Us Was Death. I See Now, Under This Tragedy, At The Age Of 70, a Day From My Birthday That Life Doesn't Define Death. Death Defines Life."
Jack, With Misty Eyes Said To The Man "You Are Right."
"Young Man, I'd Love To Tell you That You Have Many Days Of Life Left, But I'd Become A Liar And A Hypocrit; For i Myself Will Never Know When My Hour Will Come. I Want To Add Though, That You Shouldn't See Death As A Mere concept. A Thought. Think Of It This Way: During The Winter, Spring Is A Thought, And We Treat It As A Concept; but The Winter Promises A Spring, As The The Summer Promises A Fall. And All Seasons come Into Place At Their Given Time. And So Life Promises A Death. It Is Not A concept. It's A Reality. And When Death Comes, Ones Items For Complacent Living don't comfort him. You Lose everything. Everything with Death. He Is The Master Thief; for He Doesn't Steal One's Wealth. He Steals the Most Valuable Item From Men-- Their Breath."
"Young Man, Life Is A Gift, and It Shouldn't Be Taken Fior Granted. Every Gift Has A Purpose, and since every Gift Has A Purpose So Does every Life, Since Life Is A gift. And If Life is A Gift, Then That Means That Times Of Joy, And Times Of Suffering Are Both gifts, Because Both joy And Pain Are Inclusive Promises As Well In Life. Joy, though, Depends On Perspective And Faith. Pain Will Always Co-Exist With Death. But Moments Of Pain Are A Gift Too, If You Have Right Perspective. Through Tragedy, I've Felt Reality. Death Isn't A concept, It's Real."
Jack Stood Back, And Thought About His Life Of Complacency. He Realized Since He's had it All From the Beginning And Never Lost Anyone Or Anything He Never Thought About Death. He Began To Weep, and Weep, And Weep. Then Something Clicked In Jack's Mind. He Wiped His Eyes, and Said "Sir, Thank You."
Jack Began Speed Walking To His Apartment. He Felt A Sadness That He Never Felt Before. "Death Defines Life" He Thought Out Loud. He Thought Of Running, His Clubbing, His Constant Getting Layed With Women, His Pokemon Cards, His Father's Bike Shop, And All The things His Complacent Life Had Given Him. "I Did All Those Things, And Wanted all Those Thigns In Attempt to Escape The Feeling Of Death. I See Now. Death Defines Life. Life Doesn't Define Death."
Jack Thought About All The Things That He Never Said An Honest "Thank You" For, And Became Even More Saddenned. He Walked Faster, And Wanted To Sprint Back Home and Tell His Mother And Father Of The Experience With This Man. More Than Anything, With The Thought That He Could Die At Any Given Moment, He Wanted To Apologize for His Bastardly Ways And Tell Everyone That He Had a Change Of Heart.
He Never Made It Home. Jack Died 5.8 Miles Away From His Apartment; A Young Man Who Hated Jack For His Abrupt Behavior Saw Jack Speed Walking As He Was Driving By. "This Is My Moment" The yonug Man Thought, and He Took out His 9 millermeter Revolver. There Was A Shot. A Loud Screech Of tires As The Car Sped Off. Jack Died At The Park, And Never Got To Give An Apology And A Thank You to the People He Hurt In His Life, And His Parents. On The Grass, Before His Last Breath He Whisphered And Said: "Did My Life Really Matter?"
It Was Thursday, 6:05 p.m. It Was 78 degreees, It Was Humid, The Sun Was Still shining, But the Light Of Jack Had Burned Out.