Connor was now 8 years old. His party birthday party would be on that weekend and he would get to see his grandparents again. He was waiting for the week to be over so that he could talk to his family, especially his grandfather. The weekend soon came and so did the party. The guests came and eventually his grandparents did as well, but something was off about his grandfather, he was slow to get through the door. He seemed in pain; he wouldn’t say so when asked but it was apparent to everyone there including Connor. The day would go on and the people would talk, the adults had concerned looks on their faces but would not say why to him. He would talk to his grandfather and eventually they all would sing ‘Happy Birthday” to Connor. Something was wrong but as the night wrapped up the guests would leave. He would ask his parents about why his grandfather seemed off, and they just said he was getting older and it was going to happen to him naturally. This satisfied him for the moment but thoughts would still linger about why he was this way.

Two weeks later he would be told that his grandfather had a fever and would be in the hospital. His lingering thoughts of something more serious being wrong with his grandfather had been confirmed. He was told that his grandfather was doing well and that they would go visit him over the weekend. They still would not say why he was sick though, and for a week his mind raced on and on about what was wrong. He would pester his parents about his grandfathers’ condition whenever he got the chance, no straight answers were being given and his young mind wasn’t able to comprehend the fancy words his parents were using to describe his condition when they thought he was out of earshot. The week was the longest of his life up to that point because of this.

The weekend would arrive finally and Connor was told to get into the car and that they would be visiting grandpa at the hospital for the day. They left early in the morning and would arrive at noon at the hospital. He walked up to the room and was amazed at all the people that were there. There were doctors and nurses everywhere going to and from rooms checking on people. In the distance, he could hear other patients laughing with their friends and families as they recovered from their sickness and injuries. It felt comforting in the time that so many people were there in great spirit. They approached his grandfathers’ room and he seemed like the rest of the place; happy and talkative. He would enter the room and see his grandmother and grandfather talking and playing a game of cards. Both of their eyes would light up at the sight of him. They would greet him and hug him. He was put at ease by this, he thought to himself that there was no way that a truly sick man could be so lively. He would talk with his grandfather for an hour or two, they talked about the Phillies, soccer, how school was going, and such. His parents would talk with his grandfather as well, and they talked about adult things that he could not understand yet like taxes and jobs. Soon though visiting hours were over and they had to drive home. He would feel at ease leaving, his grandfather seemed well and he was in good spirit. That would soon change though.

It was on that fateful evening of celebration of the Super Bowl a week later that Connor would learn the truth of what happened would happen to him. The ills of this world would be exposed to the young child. “Connor, we must talk to you” said his mother. She brought him to her side and explained that his grandfather had died earlier that day. Unable to process what just happened, he exclaimed “what!” He had burst into tears at the news, there was no ability to process the information. There was no way this could be true he thought to himself. Somebody must have messed something up, surely the man that was singing at his birthday with him less than a month ago could not be dead. The man who was seemingly slightly sick only last week but in good spirits was not possibly dead. He could not process it, and so the night carried on with a hysterically crying child and the parents trying to console him. He would over the following days before the funeral learns to swallow his emotions because they were running high at all times and even the simplest inconvenience would set him over. Connor was in shock; he knew people could die but he never thought it would happen to someone he loved.

It was time for the funeral. Connor was told to dress formally and that they would be going to the funeral home in an hour. He got dressed and then into the car, the night was stormy and the day was bleak. He would arrive there and still not be at terms with it. The walk into the place felt like miles and miles even if it was only 30 feet away. The door was opened and he saw the urn. He at first thought it was some cruel joke, there was no way that the great man he knew could be reduced to such a small container. He then saw the people there, so many faces, so few familiar ones. It made no sense to him how so many people could have known about his grandfather. The emotions in him would run high again and he would go to a different room with his parent to cry again. He couldn’t understand how his grandfather had deteriorated into dust. There was not much others could do but to let him learn and understand what had happened. He had to learn how to accept that people are not invincible. This would take time and would leave emotional and mental scars for years and years.

From the following days onwards, Connor would come to understand that no person is invincible to the comings of age or sickness, he would be reminded of these lessons as other close family members would die in the coming years. Each one would be different emotionally but would not destroy him as this first conflict with mortality would.  As time passed though he would come to understand some things like that he could not control the cycles of life and that it was simply his grandfather’s time, the people at the place were there to celebrate his grandfather as a person, and that it was natural to feel loss when a close family member died. Time would pass on and Connor would come to learn that he was still alive with you if you remembered him.

A few paces off a winding dirt road wrapped around the mountain of El Yunque peak was the conception of a baby girl. It was in a small village at the base of the mountain that the unfathomable fate of this child was made known.

Described by the elders in attendance to have been like a feverish dream, a spirit had emerged from the jungle amidst a hurricane with a message. Though she whispered in tongues against the thundering skies, all heard and understood what was said that night.

Miraculously chiseled onto a stone wall in the family’s home, were events and milestones the girl was said to reach. Prophesying that a raven-haired child with two auspiciously placed birthmarks, each on her hand and nose would either prove to be one of the most benevolent leaders the world had ever seen or a lowly but great traveling healer.

Before the spirit had taken her leave, she warned that because an immense power of good would be born into the world, so would a great evil. So, From that day on it was agreed that all in attendance in the foretelling of the child’s future, would do what it took for it to reach its greatness and to protect it from the evils of the world, whatever it might have been.

Months before her birth, her father would commission an architect to build a compound in the center of the village. He filled it to the brim with all the knowledge and luxuries from all over, creating a scholarly kingdom in hopes his child would flourish. But to cultivate her intellectual and political talents, the girl’s father had sheltered her from the world.

Beginning on the night she was born, the skies cried, and their screams thundered. But all had gone silent the moment she had entered the world. It was as though the winds had stopped blowing and the rain had stilled itself midair, so there was no doubt of when her first breath had occurred. When she did, she wailed not one note but instead made a gentle gasp.

Immediately after, she opened her opalescent amber eyes and looked upon the sky, as if to affirm the gods that she had arrived. By her 8th month of life,  she took her first steps, and the earth quaked beneath her feet when she did. When she reached 1 year of life, she spoke her first words, and all-around who heard realized the wisdom she possessed was as boundless as the oceans.

This called many scholars and political figures from all over the world, bringing wealth and riches to her and the surrounding village as well. But she’d surpass every teacher who dared speak to her, master any and every skill, and outmaneuvered any person who dared to call themselves a skilled speaker of the people. She was called a prodigy, some said she’d be the next Julius Caesar, others said she’d surpass him. But all in all, the girl was everything as prophesied by the spirits and more.

Her father tried his best to show the girl the power she held in the palms of her hands if only she’d use the fury sequestered in her being. He taught her the bare minimum of the sciences, careful not to pique her interest in such things. But alas, after 16 long years, the girl grew bored with politics and limited knowledge. There was nothing more her father or any far traveling scholar could bring her, not without letting her leave the confines of her great village.

She yearned for what lied at the peak of the mountain, and then beyond that. She yearned for the world she’d read of and reimagined many times over. So much so, that at night, she’d wander to the village’s edge and look off into the darkness beneath the canopy. Drawing detailed pictures of the herbs and flowers and animals she’d find beneath the moonlit palm trees. Curious to learn about the yellow and red eyes that hid beneath the darkness.

Her father warned her against looking beyond the road laid in front of her. As well as the evils that laid in wait. Her mother pleaded with her not to refute what was already written in stone. But by the 17th year of her living, the girl decided to find the true bounds of her potential.

She had awoken at a time where nocturnal animals would begin their slumber and day walking animals would begin to will themselves awake. She grabbed a bag, filled it with provisions for 3 nights, a notebook, a pencil, a map to the mountains peak, a knife, and a blanket. She imagined all else she’d need; she would find or fashion herself. The girl proceeded to the outskirts of the village and stood on the border of stone and soil. She took her first steps into the unknown without forethought of what was to come.

She’d spend the first day along her journey documenting the intricacies of nature, further veering off the path her parents laid forth. But on the first night away from home, the girl would experience the feeling of true loneliness. Though she was surrounded by creatures of all kinds, they were more like an audience rather than company.

Within the safety and support of her parents and village neighbors, the girl always had a friend nearby. She was never without companionship. But at that moment, she found herself alone, with the watching red eyes of a beast hiding beneath the night.

On the morning of her second day, all the contents of her bag were strewn across the ground, including her food. Bite marks on the edges of her notebook and map. Collecting the rest of her belongings she went on her way to forage for food.

After a day of foraging, on the second night of her journey, the girl would experience true self-doubt. Living in the village, there was always a right answer and a right path to everything. And though she proved herself right every time, she still depended on the reassurance from everyone else around her.

Alone in the forest, The girl had nobody there to confirm what she thought to be true. It was on this night that the girl realized she never truly believed in herself. At the birth of this thought, the red eyes beneath the darkness had brightened and were then accompanied by a low growl.

Eventually, The sun would rise a second time marking her third day traveling up the mountain. The girl fed herself with low-bearing fruit she was nearly sure was found in her village and attempted to use her map as a guide to the peak.

Distracted by her anxiousness and paranoia and crippled by her self-doubt, her journey was lengthened. Besides, the red-eyed creature following her had grown louder and closer with every thought of indecision. The girl realized she would have to march through the third night to reach the peak and maintain her safety from the beast.

Her errors lead her to take an unsightly path, that was of greater danger than any other. In light of that, the third night of her journey was when the girl would experience the truest form of anxiousness.

Growing up in such comfort, The girl was never uneasy. She was never put into such unfamiliar situations, never nervous of what might come next, or unsure of her immediate future. She was told what was to come and understood every step of what was to be taken. Though her father warned her that the unknown was dangerous, she did not truly grasp what the “unknown” entailed.

In the wake of these three realizations, the world the girl had come to know was shattering. As the pieces of her sanity fell into the depths of her mind, the sky began to cry and scream as it did on the night of her birth.

The girl fought against the increasing incline of the muddy mountainside, the blistering cold winds shooting the droplets of water through the air, whilst on the run from the red-eyed beast following her. The girl couldn’t help but cry as she rushed her way through the ferns and flying palm leaves, as the trees couldn’t stand against the storm.

After hours of the difficult trek up the mountainside, the girl was one small cliff side away from the peak. By this time, the storm had eased but the red-eyed beast had finally come to present itself under the slight blue moonlight. Frozen at the sight of a Chupacabra, the girl looked as it bared its teeth, snarled against the still howling winds, and raised the needle-like spikes along its spine.

The girl knew the opponent she faced, was the inexplicable evil the spirits and her family spoke about. The Chupacabra, the personification of her demons. The entire way of the journey, it lied in wait as she fed it with her insecurities and unease.

The girl slowly unsheathed the knife in her bag and charged against the Chupacabra without thought, and it did the same. She cut the creature across its right eye and the Chupacabra would bite her ankle. It forced her to collapse to the ground.

The Chupacabra stood inches from her face, snarling with the thundering rain, diluting the blood on its eye. The girl struggled, almost sure her demise would come, but when the droplet hit her face, she dropped the knife from her hand. Instead, she moved to brush the back of the Chupacabra’s head and touched its nose to her own.

At that moment, the girl found her balance. Amidst the thunder and wind, the girl realized that as an inexplicable source of good for the world, the Chupacabra was the inexplicable bad. It was this thought that helped her see what the Chupacabra had known all along, that they needed each other to survive and live on. That one could not exist without the other.

In that same moment, the rain had stopped, and the sun had risen from underneath the sea. It was almost as though the gods were symbolizing the end of one journey taken amidst the night and introducing a new one lit by the sun.

The spines layered on the back of the Chupacabra lowered, it stepped away, turned to face the sunrise and it sat at the girl’s feet. The girl sat up and did the same. From that point on, the girl and the Chupacabra would travel the world in tandem on a righteous path of healing. That of the self and for all else around them.

My father does not want me to be like him.  Instead, he wants me to achieve better, and live a better and happier life.  Since he spends his days doing various forms of physical labor he hopes I can make a living for myself by using my brain rather than my body, like an office job.  In order to achieve this, he lays out the plan for me, which is to do well in school, go to college, and then get a job.  He never went to college so he is very proud that I have gone and he makes sure to remind me of that daily. Continue reading →

(1)

Remember!

In the Name of the Sky, Remember!

In the Name of the Earth, Remember!

In the Name of the Seas, Remember!

When the Heavens on High had not yet been named, and the Earth was nameless,

All was Void, except the Primordial Seas,

The Tenebrous Abyss, the Womb of Creation.

Continue reading →

Born under the acclaimed artifact of an ancient kingdom, there was a young man who was held higher than all else. From the day of his first breath, he was to be showered with shining sentiments of praise and glorification. Of course, he was meant to be a holy child and this was deserving of glory. He thought nothing of why he deserved such treatment but only that he deserved it. This child was Gautama. Continue reading →