mOHAMED sAADI

DANTES TALE
Intro:

Whether you are child, grown up, employed or unemployed, rich or poor,
theres one thing you need to understand and even consider as a rule, its
that life is unfair and you are living in world of illusion.

You are born by far in the worst period of time, Mankind have created
illusion after another, filled history with lies since its beginning to
nowadays, we are surrounded by what our ancestors created for us.

A few people are blessed with a gift, or at least I see it as one, the ability
to escape reality to another more improved. And Im one of those people

I can run away from this life, this world with imagination; I was able to
create an entire universe inside my mind. One thats better, more
beautiful not because it is real. Not at all, He is purely imaginative but at
least its the illusion I chose to live in, to escape to even for a quite
amount of time. A wise man that I totally forgot his name said once that
we create our own demons. Well I decided to interpret this quote to say
that we create our own illusion.

I decided to live in my own world where Im surrounded with people

whom I love, people who loves me. Surrounded by art, beauty away from
hatred, war, greed and cheat. I go there in my moments of despair;
moments where I feel Im fading into darkness.

Maybe my stay there is temporary, short but its heaven to me. And the
second, my body dies and leaves this cruel world, this cruel life, Im
certain that I will be there in the mind of those who loves me, my body
will fade away but the memory of me will stay until oblivion catches up
on all of us ...

I searched for those words since I was born, since I opened my eyes and I
started noticing life around me and I saw how its dark and scary out
there. Ive always heard that life is ahead of me, the sky is blue and the
sun is shining me the road to my final point. But its actually a big lie, the
sky is not blue, its grey and so confusing, the sun is not there and the
road is not clear, life is difficult to handle. People often describe our path
as this long road in the middle of trees on each sides where its actually a
road with plenty of turns, ups and downs. Life is actually a trip down the
valley of the shadow of death.

Im Lonely, confused and disturbed. Im happy yet Im sad. Im bored yet

motivated, excited. Im fractions of people I met. Through my life, I
encountered many people. I experienced fragments of life. I loved so
many yet I hated many others. I felt the beauty of a musical piece, the
warmth of a beautiful painting and the depth of a strong writing.
I honestly dont know why Im writing this. I dont care what people will
think reading it but Im just fed up with the world we live in, the destined
life chosen for me. Im fed up with this place called earth.
I often feel the loneliness or maybe its emptiness. And that is the reason
behind the creation of many characters in my mind, the creation of my
escape universe.
All of those characters are inspired from people I met and they had a
huge impact on me.
Dante is the only character that was original and real. He is more alive
than all of us and he has a great story to tell

13 November 2005;
Dante is brushing his teeth. Its nine o'clock, his bedtime like any other
Sunday. Our beloved character is a graphic designer at a big magazine
downtown. Dante, by following his dream and insisting on getting it, kind
entered a sheep loop as I call it.
The sheep loop is a loop you enter once you decide to rebel against that
universal balance, you live this illusion of adventure when you are living
this big lie while being just other sheep, so different you don't recognize
its true colors.
Dante turned into this company man with a high discipline where he
scheduled his life by the hour; it became this kind of simple predictable
events where he repeats them each week and each year nonstop.
On the Mondays, he wakes up at 5 a.m. he wears his sport outfit and he
goes for a quick run around the park and by the big avenue, he returns at
6 and half, he takes a shower, wears his working clothes which is a black
and white Italian suit. He sits on that small table by the window in his
kitchen, he sits on the left side so when he look from the window while he
eats, the sun lights don't block his vision. He finishes the breakfast,
cleans up his teeth and goes to work. Dante doesn't use any means of
transport, he always had some kind of pleasure walking to his work place
while listening to the music for that 33 minutes trip. He gets to his post
and starts working until lunch time, that's when he goes to the second
floor where he enjoys a lonely lunch with some entertaining jokes from
his beloved colleagues. Then, he returns to his small prison booth called
his working space. At 5 p.m. Dante leaves the building heading to his
apartment, once he is there, he prepares the dinner while he listens to
some boring show on the radio. After eating, he cleans up the kitchen and
he opens up the television to scroll up and down that channel list he have
until his bed time arrives and he falls asleep.
On the Tuesdays, He wakes up at 7:30 a.m. He has his usual morning
shower and his usual breakfast in the same spot as the day before, and
then he goes to his work. He takes that 33 minutes walk, gets to the
building and he starts his working day, the lunch is here and he makes
his trip to the 2nd floor and then he returns to work. 5p.m. he leaves the
workplace to return to his home marking the end of his day. Of course,
until his bed time, he is doing the same old drama he usually does.
On the Wednesdays, He wakes up at 6 am, takes a shower and then he
prepares the breakfast and with a smooth change in the routine, he eats it
in the living room where he watches some old favorite cartoon. After that,
he wears his old timer suit and he walks to his work, the rest of the day
goes by the book of Dante's routine and another day is wasted in his year,
in his life.
The Thursday is up and half the week is gone, He wakes at 7:30, has a
breakfast by the kitchen window, wears his suit, takes his keys, leaves the
house and goes to work. Lunch time, he goes down to the cafeteria to eat,
he returns to his post and by 5 in the evening, he leaves the work place,
he takes a longer walk this time. He goes back home by the big avenue
passing through the big clock square and the park. In this walk, he enjoys
the view of street dancers and musicians. He returns to his home, eats his
dinner, watches the late game of the evening even so he didn't care for
any team or he ever was a fan of football.
On the Fridays, He wakes up at 6:30, he shaves, takes his usual shower,
prepares his breakfast and he goes to work after he wears that same black
suit.
Following the same daily routine he has, Dante finishes at 5 p.m. and he
takes a cab to return home quickly, prepares a fast meal and after
finishing his dinner, He takes off to the cleaning store, and then he takes
a cab to go to a bar where he has his usual drinks every Friday evening.
He sits on the bar table, drinking and looking to the mirror. He doesnt
mingle with anyone and makes no effort to meet a girl.
At 8p.m. He returns home after purchasing a red wine bottle from that
same bar. He arrives home, takes his clothes off and he starts up his
computer to put some classical piece or a jazz song, he opens that bottle
of wine and only then Dante escapes from the prison he built to itself. He
starts writing on some piece of papers. He didnt have a specific topic. In
the late night, after finishing that bottle, he stands up to throw all of the
papers he wrote in the trash can along with the bottle of wine. He goes to
his bed and sleeps so deep he couldnt hear his neighbors argue how the
man of house returned drunk with a female perfume on his clothes.
On the Saturdays, Dante wakes up so late with a horrible headache from
that buzz he had the night before, he prepares a spicy meal, eats it and he
lay down on his bed to fall asleep again.

A day later, he wakes up to find the apartment in such a messy way, so he

starts cleaning the house but he remembered that he missed the
appointment to pick up his clothes from the dry cleaning. So he goes
quickly to the store and there, he meets that cleaning girl who never
knew her name or maybe he knew it but kept forgetting. This girl is Sybil;
he kept coming on Sunday each week after having an appointment on
Saturday before. She welcomes him with such kindness and warmth and
she always made excuses so he would stay longer in her sight of vision.
Dante picks up his clothes and returns home to have his dinner and lay in
his warm bed watching television until 8 in the evening. Thats the time
of him reading a book. He had this habit to read each month a book he
picks up from a small shop downtown.
Dante kept on this routine for years and years, he didnt feel bored or
maybe he felt it so hard until he faded into it and no longer feel it. He had
no friends; he merely had social contact with the other people
surrounding him. He was more like a machine than a human being. Each
day as he passing by the park, he watches people around him and how
they are living: On one bunch, there is a young couple holding each other
and listening to some track that reunites them and makes their souls
meet, on the other side, An old man with glasses reading a book while he
enjoyed the sound of nature. He looks by the lake and finds a man
throwing small rocks with his child and another one helping his son
feeding the ducks, He continues his journey toward his home and he
comes across couple of kids playing street hooky, he passes by the big
avenue to find homeless guy playing the guitar and even so many people
were gathered around him, Dante never bothered to take a look at his
playing. He never broke a minute of the schedule he put for himself even
the breaks he did from time to time are part of that routine he lived in.
You can think that Dante is miserable or unhappy with what he lived but
thats a superficial analyze of the situation because Dante was like a
modern Sisyphus, the only difference is that no god forced him to do any
of what he is doing. He was the god, the punisher, the worshiper and the
guilty one. Albert Camus made a very convincing proposition in one of
his philosophical essays; He said that we must imagine Sisyphus happy.
And so on, we have to imagine Dante happy; in the end no one can have a
perfect view of the world. We cant feel the struggle of others nor their
happiness, you must be in ones shoes to know his feelings and we are not
the images of each other to do that. Maybe the current system of the
world, this flock of sheep system may gives you the impression we are but
how hard we try, it will never fits. When Dante came to the big city,
moving out from that small town he lived in and letting go of his past
behind him, he opened a new chapter in his life one he may correct in it
his mistakes and make up for them, he may achieve his goals and reach
for his dreams. He entered the big city with the belief that life is ahead,
dreams are the stars in reach and the skies have no limits. But he
discovered an important fact no one can ignore which is the importance
of money and how every goal he wanted to realize is related to it until it
became a fact that you cant be happy if you dont have enough money to
make those dreams real and reach the happiness you look for. Dante
focused on getting money and he worked hard and hard for it but like all
the other citizens of the big city, He forgot his aim happiness and he kept
raising money. And that was the loop I talked about before, Dantes loop
was money. He left his family, his hometown and its people and their
beliefs and small dreams. He left that place in order to escape the flock of
sheep he was about to be member of. By entering that loop, he became a
member of the flock, the only difference it was another system of sheep
and he wasnt familiar with it so he integrated easily in it.
To be fair, no one in this life is out of the sheep system, we are all
members in it, we may be in different troops but its all the same in the
end. The universe has no limits, Earth is mysterious and put there to be
discovered but our world limits us, our minds are the prison we all fear
of. That prison surpassed the possession of one soul to have more space
until we became living inside a big prison where each one is living his
own nightmare disguised in one way of happiness or an adventure to
pursue.

14 November 2005;

Dante kept living with the same routine for years until this exact date
which marked the beginning of new chapter, the start of his rebellion on
his own self.
It was a Monday, He woke up as usually at 5 a.m. he wore his sport outfit
and he went jogging around the park. He left the building to look at the
sky, it was sensational, the birds were waking up singing their beautiful
rhythm, the sun was starting its domination on that unreachable blue
sky, the moon started to hide away in a slow rotation to the far west. He
took a big breath and started his morning run, the weather was fine until
he entered the park, thats when it started to rain so Dante chose to stand
under the big tree until it stops, he sit on the bunch hoping the rain stops
so he may carry on his journey and his routine schedule will not be
disturbed by any lateness. At that moment, he noticed the presence of
another man in the park at such an early time, he was a man with an
average height and he wore black leather jacket, jeans and cowboy boots.
He carried in his hand a guitar case; he walked in the rain in such a
steady way. He walked his way to the middle of the park where he settled
his guitar case on the side, took the guitar in his hand and he started
playing such beautiful music. Dante had such mixed feelings and
thoughts. He felt jealous of such free man, he felt strange to be a
spectator to this unusual scene. He thought that he was a crazy dude to
go out in this empty park and start playing guitar especially when he
didnt even notice his presence. He thought he was still dreaming.
Out of curiosity, Dante decided to approach the man and asks him the
reason behind this act he is putting. He came close to him and said:

- Good Morning Mister!

- Good Morning. The man answered
- It may seem odd but I have to ask you a question. Where are the
people you are playing to?
- My man, I can only reply to that question by one of a kind. Who
told you I am playing to a group of people? My audience is here but
you are too blind to see.
- Enlighten me; Ive already wasted all my time under that tree so
why bother
 - I dont play so people listen to me. The citizens of this city are
artless; I and they speak not the same language. My audience is the
nature, the birds, the trees, the lake, the wind and the rain my
biggest fan. I know this look on your face, I encountered so many
times in my life on the face of people, I saw million more each time
I looked to the mirror then I realized that I live one time and my
life will not end but its ending minute by minute until Im fully
dead. So I decided to play my music to nature because even if I play
to people, Oblivion will catch me. In the end, those people are
dying like me but nature is there always, the sky will be there even
if we all die, the stardust in the air will never fade away and be gone
and for that my songs will be carried to the infinity of time and will
be never be forgotten.

Dante stopped the conversation at that point, he walked away slowly, the
guy didnt pay any more attention to him, he immediately returned to his
playing and Dante continued his journey home even the rain didnt stop
but something made him change his mind about waiting. He wasnt
rushing; he wandered the streets on the way back to the home like a man
raised from the grave, he looked puzzled, he kept repeating what the man
in the park said to him over and over trying to find a sense in it or maybe
because the guy reminded our beloved character of himself back when he
came new to town and how his goal was to escape oblivion and not be
caught.

Oblivion is the act of being fully forgot after your death. Mankind always
wanted to escape it and get loss of it but we never could, few are the
luckiest who managed to pass it. The thing about oblivion is that it
catches only the unworthy of being remembered, those who failed to
acknowledge the purpose of their existence. Oblivion is blind before the
ones who challenged the laws of their world and break right through
them. Those people are what history is consisted on. Newton when the
apple came down on his face, he didnt curse or maybe he did but in the
end, he thought deeper, he imagined and he let go of the borders of his
mind so he became the universe itself at certain point, Shakespeare had
the ability to outcome the obstacles and the problems of his time to
create an artistic view of the world and be that judge to the wrong he saw
back then, he was the master of the mind and through it he created his
own universe of characters and adventures, Alain Turing the father of our
technology nowadays have passed the limits of the world and reached to
the stars, Einstein was able to unlock mysterious of our time and space,
he showed us the potential of our mind power and how we can have the
greatness we searched for. Many others made their mark in the timeline
of humanity. Those legends cannot be forgotten or maybe they will be at
one point or another but they reached a limit no one can achieve. the
advantage they had that we can no longer possess is the fact they existed
in the time of the blank paper. They had the chance to first write on that
clean slight. Nowadays, we have to bring something better, new to the
table or maybe thats what everyone thought. We dont have to bring
something better or more functional; we dont have to come out with
something unseen before. What we are messing is the mark of creation,
all we turned to do is an imitation, a fake version of what we reached
before, we may look like we are making changes but we are doing nothing
but to keep fooling ourselves.

Dantes meeting with that stranger in the park made him awake; it
showed him the ugly truth. Only then, the 19 years old Dante woke up.
He was self aware of himself and the world around him. He returned
home so wet but he didnt care, he just sit on the sofa and looked to the
ceiling, thats when he noticed he is destroying that couch so he decided
to take a shower. While he was drying his hair, he looked at the mirror
and he felt ashamed of the man before him, he didnt like what he saw.
For Dante at that time, he was seeing fractions of what he wanted to be
and what he dreamed when he was just a kid. So he made a pack with
himself to make a change, to turn around the roles and break the rules, to
devoid his time to make up for all those years he wasted and to achieve
his goals and dreams.

He didnt go to work that day, he kept listening to his collection of

records while he was lying on that sofa. He needed that day off to calm
his mind, focus on his thoughts and feelings. Dante finally found that
pause he needed for quite a time. Late in the evening, he went outside to
the liquor store where he bought a bottle of Scotch. That particular drink
was his favorite when he was younger; he always had this dream of
wearing old timer classy 20s suit, drinking Scotch and smoking cigarette.
He was sitting next to his kitchens window, open that bottle and started
drinking in an absolute silence while he kept looking at the view of the
city from the glass of the window. Then, it came to his mind to light up
his first cigarette in 8 years, he already quit because it cost him a lot of
money and he was raising all the money he got. Anyway before he was
back on that chair, he put on some classical music piece, it was a French
song called Hier encore by a great artist called Charles Aznavour. He
had a lot of history when it comes to that track. The first time he heard it
was at the age of 5 when he was watching a movie with his cousins and
two brothers. He was too young to understand the meaning of that movie
or the song, he didnt even understand the language used in it. But the
rhythm, the beauty of the words and sensational voice of the singer made
him imagine its own meaning, made him see a whole universe and that
was the very moment Dante created his own wonderland. He put that
song to remind him of what he used to dream, of the goals he wanted to
achieve.

Dante spent his life listening to music, for him it was a guide through his
journey; it taught him lessons and showed him the truth. It fed his soul
with emotions and opened his eyes to the colors of the world.

Music is actually an invention human must protect more than any other
one because with it lays the specification of our specie. Music unfolds the
beauty of the elements around us, it gives us the courage and the power
to move on with our lives and continue on our journey. Listening to a
song, you are listening to a story, a lesson to memorize. Its in a way the
power of dreaming. While you listen to a song, you discover a very
important aspect of our lives which is the collateral beauty surrounding
us. We always hear about the collateral damage but the first term is never
known to people. Collateral Beauty is the act of turning a sad, a broken
story into a piece of art, a beauty, a sensation of joy and happiness. Its
the act of opening the door to hope, imagination. Humans dont rely on
this term very much, few who knows it actually and maybe thats the
reason we are having this lack of creativity and happiness. So its crucial
we start noticing that collateral beauty around us and start giving it the
credits because only then, we will have the power to carry on with our
lives.

Dante started noticing it on that day when he met the stranger in the
park. Even he spent the next two days in his home drinking and smoking
but it was a pause and a stand he had to do so he may continue.
On the third day, Dante woke up early, prepared himself to go to work.
On his way, he put on his earphones and he started listening to this
classical piece, Nocturne By Chopin He was walking in the streets and
looking here and there, thats when he noticed his own existence in the
world. He stood up for couple of minutes and looked all around him, the
sirens of cars has stopped, the sound of yelling and screaming has been
muted and he was finally capable to hear for the first time in his life the
sound of silence. He now encountered the holiness of the universe via
that combination of imagination and beauty of that music. Dante found
his magical portal to escape the misery he lived in and that was music. He
found himself in a world he built when he was younger. He saw all his
dreams coming true, he saw himself turn to be happy living like he
always wanted, in love with the perfect girl he always thought about. The
visit to that world didnt last long but it was an eternity for him. As the
musical piece ended he returned to the real world where he found
himself blocking the traffic by standing in the middle of the road. He
went running and after a couple of minutes he was standing between the
trees in the park looking to the bright blue sky. He was too quiet and
from nowhere he had this urge to yell his breath out. He yelled so hard
everyone in the park was able to hear it but the world was too cruel to pay
attention so everyone continued his affairs.

After that moment of freedom he had, Dante continued his way to the
work with one decision in his mind which was the escape from the
routine and finally pursue his dreams and if he could turn this world to
the one he saw in that moment of clarity.
Dante entered the building and there he met his boss, a very annoying
man that keeps treating the employees like slaves and machines. He
came yelling to Dante for his irresponsible absence and how he was
disappointed with what he did. Dante didnt pay him attention, he didnt
even take off his earphones, so he went to his desk and the boss didnt
quit following him yelling. Arriving next to Dantes workplace, the boss
removed the earphones off in a very cruel way. Dante stood in his place
for a second, he was thinking about what he was about to do but as he
promised himself to be released from his routine, he was forced to punch
him right on his face, after that he kept hitting him in every way possible.
The people werent able to stop him in that unleashed beast mode until
the cops came to arrest him and he was thrown in a cell inside the police
station waiting to be trailed.
Dante was not mad he got arrested. He was looking for that collateral
beauty I talked about and that was the moment a fine guy got his
attention, he was laying in the center of the room looking to the ceiling
and doing gestures with his hands. Dante kept staring and all the sudden,
that guy jumped up and came quickly towards him then he said in such a
weird way:
- Hello!
- Hello! Dante replied in a low volume voice
- My name is Andrew, What about you?
- My name is Dante.

Andrew forced him to handshake and then he looked to his eyes so

closely and said in such quick way:

- I was laying down there and I noticed you were staring at me while
I was trying to be unnoticed so I got curious why you are curious
and I came here to know why you were staring?
- Im sorry but you were in my way of vision didnt mean to stare.
- You are guilty of being a liar my friend. He yelled
- Fine, I was staring because you seemed weird, and this act you are
trying to pull is just proving my hypothesis.
Then Dante went to hold a spot in the corner of the room. But this guy
didnt quit on Dante and he followed him telling what a tough guy he is
and moment of silence was all over the room until Dante broke it saying:

- Part me but I have to ask what you were doing with all those hand
gestures trying to be unnoticed.
- I was drawing my friend.
- How is that?
- I was imagining myself drawing and thats all I need because the
imagination of some act is enough to give you the ease and
satisfaction you need. So Im imagining myself drawing like Im
imagining myself in a big temple in China while Im talking to you
now. The mind is such a powerful tool my friend

Dante was captivated by the words of that weird man; he closed his eyes
and slept. But the conditions were so annoying he woke up after 2 hours
of sleep thats when he found Andrew lighting a cigarette in the cell and
smoking. He went by him and told him to share. Andrew was more than
welcome. Thats when Dante asked him a question in order to
understand this mysterious character he met, he said:

- If you had one question to ask and have its answer before you die,
what would it be?
- Well my friend, In this life, we are bounded with couple of
questions we need to answer such as our origin, our ending, the
start of life, the beginning of time and the consequence of our
actions. Humanity have searched for answers, some of us found
refuge in god, the greatest and first creation mankind have made.
This celestial being that answers all those questions in the same
time, and if there is something I learned in this life, an answer
cannot be easy found yet humans still believe that an invisible alike
man is living beyond the skies and he cares about me if I
masturbate or about a poor Somalian boy that died of hunger or
about some stupid people killing each other in the middle east or
about a piece of land between two rivers. I find it kind of ironic that
one person can truly believe that.
On the other hand, we find another part of humans turned to
science looking for those answers and I believe that we cannot
really find them there. Science studies the matter of material
things, beyond the death of such a person we cannot be sure about
anything. And here comes the problem, if we cannot find answers
 in both ways where do we look? Thats a rational question a one
could ask. But why do we need to know, we live each day by luck,
we dont plan for anything yet most of things turns to be according
to our choices and assumptions. I believe that its a waste of time to
look for the answer to those questions. We need to quit caring
about them and start living each day as its our first day on earth,
we need to embrace nature and live happy. We need to go out in the
morning for a jog and witness the sunrise, we need to go with the
one we love and share a bottle of red wine in some quite place and
just watch the stars as we talk for the whole evening, we need to
express what we feel. We need to stop caring if some selfish being is
trying to control us. We need to break every law created by our
ancestors and start going by the logic laws; we need to witness the
greatness of the Nature and the progress of mankind. Only at that
moment, war will end, life will be brighter and god will be dead.
- Its so ironic, you kind remind me of myself 10 years ago.
- So you changed, and why is that?
- I never said I changed, I dont know what happen but I guess I
forgot my true colors, I got so deep into life issues and this world
battle until I didnt recognize myself any longer.
- You know that I liked you the second I talked to you, and I tell you
this my friend. In this life, you will always have a mountain to face
and you cant pass them all, we all got to lose at a certain point. The
greatest tragedy is to have the experience and miss the meaning. To
live your lowest moments in life, and you dont come back from
them with a new skin. People look at despair as a sign of weakness
and a very bad thing to happen but I believe its a necessary devil. A
stage we should all pass through it because once you are done with
it, you become unbreakable. I lived those moments too many times.
The key to be saved from falling deep into the desperation is to find
around you something that will give you inspiration and guidance
to the escape world of yours because only by it you can return to
earth and the land of livings. For example, here we are in this cell at
the moment, one may think its the worst that can happen to us but
no, we are sharing this cigarette having deep conversation and
projecting our view of the world. The world didnt stop by us
getting in jail; our influence to its course of existence is merely
visible.
 - For what reason you are in here anyway?
- Well, they caught me swimming in the lake, they told me I couldnt
do that so while they were bringing me to the station, I broke free
out of the car and I made them chase me then I returned to steal
the cops car and I came with it to the station. Do you know why I
did all of that?

Andrew paused for a bit of time, then took a cigarette of his packet and
he lighted it up then he was back to say:

- I did it because I can. The clock is ticking, the time is passing, and
we are dying. So why do we bother? Why dont we live? I dont
know if you are familiar with the bucket list term. But I have this
list of things I want to do before I die. I want to swim in the lake, I
want to get arrested, I want to claim the Big Ban and yell from the
top of my voice. I want to learn how to draw, I want to learn
Japanese. I want to build a time machine and go back into the
Middle Ages where I can meet Di Vinci and Michael Angelo. What
do you want to do, what did you have as dreams?

Dante was surprised by the question; shocked by the way he got arrested
and impressed by this person he met out of nowhere. He thought for a
couple of minutes and then he said:

- Dreaming, I dont recall the last time I did that. Sure, I used to live
by dreams. I used to create lives, worlds and universes. I always
liked to play the role of god when I was younger by the dreams I
had but no longer. I used to have these holy 12 tasks to do. I wanted
to travel to Paris and go outside take a walk at exactly midnight. I
wanted to have this trip on foot where I dont have a specific
destination; I just wander the world with only a bag on my back. I
wanted to go to Iceland and see the beauty of nature. I wanted to
become a writer. I wanted to learn to play the violin. I wanted to
play the piano. I wanted to live in the 20s. I wanted to play Jazz
among the stars. I wanted to meet Nina Simone and attend one of
her concert. I dont want to die until I finish all the tasks.

Dante and Andrew were up all night talking about their dreams and
hopes, how they thought of the world. Dante needed a friend to tell his
feelings too, to give him a new perspective he can look at the world from
it as a fresh starter, a new born kid.

The next day, Dantes boss came and he let go of the case but Dante was
released from work. While Dante was back to his house, He heard
someone yelling his name from behind and when he turned there he was
his new friend Andrew. He approached Dante and he invited him to come
join him in a night of celebration of his release by bail. The crazy dude
didnt care about who bailed him, he was just happy about getting out.
That not giving shit mood he was always in attracted Dante to discover
the guy and his life more. So, he accepted the invitation and there, they
went on this journey around the city. They walked between the big
corporation buildings until they arrived to the old neighborhood, to the
place where Art was found, Beauty was present and Charm was still
there. They entered this Club. Dante was fascinated by the way of living
he was observing, he saw people not caring about tomorrow , people
enjoying life moment by moment. That night in the club, Dante
reattached with his past self, he was in love with Jazz music spreading
throughout the room. He was in love with the people not caring about the
next day, the next hour. People who only cared about making the best out
of that very moment they are living in it. Life for them is simply a chain
of moments and each second, a moment is gone and they are close to
death more and more so why the waste.

After couple of hours, Dante slipped out and took a cab to his apartment.
While he was on that taxi, he remembered how he used to love, watching
through the window of a moving car; how the lights dance with the
colors, how the moon reflects on that wet street. He was thinking about
the crazy 3 days he had and how many things in his life changed to a very
unprecedented verge.

Dante had for the first time a night of very good sleep. He wasnt obliged
to go to bed; he chose to end his day at that stat.

In the next morning, as a free bird he was, Dante woke up late, he

prepared his coffee and stood next to the kitchen window. It was strange
to him, the movement of the people around him, their noise even the
light of the sun shining through the glass kind bothered him. He wasnt
used to be at that time in the apartment. Letting go of his routine created
a challenge for Dante, he is an active man; He always had that busy
schedule and too many tasks to fill and now he is just a sitting duck in his
apartment. He was in a moment of closure. Then, he decided to go
wander the city, maybe something interesting will find him. He changed
his clothes and on his way to the bookstore, he found a sign of therapist
down 2 blocks from his residence. He was triggered by the idea of having
such a person in his life especially after feeling that ease when he opened
up to Andrew back when he was under custody.

Without any thinking, He decided to enter that office and try it. He went
to the doctors assistance to see if there a possibility of meeting this
mysterious therapist right away. Lucky for him, the doctor had a
cancelled appointment. So he welcomed Dante with open arms.

Dante entered the doctors room. It was so big and dark, the therapist
was sitting on that old chair on the corner of the room. Behind him, there
were shelves of books, his desk on his left, and a piano on his right next
to a small window. The light was coming from the window to reflect on
this sofa on the opposite corner of the room. He welcomed me and told
me to sit down wherever I desire. I sit on that sofa and I looked to him
not knowing what to say or do. It was kind of awkward silence for couple
of seconds then he said with a formal kind of smile:

- Hello! My name is Dr. Caesar, nice to meet you.

- Hello! Im Dante, the pleasure is mine doctor.
- Well, I was informed by my assistance, you requested an urgent
meeting, lucky you, I had this free time. So, Dante what made you
come to see a therapist.
- I looked at the mirror and I didnt find the person I used to be 10
minutes ago, the person I used to be an hour ago, the person I used
to be a day ago, I became a person I never been before. I had this
belief that most of the people I grow up to live around them are
stupidest but it slipped my mind the effect of that stupidity, how
Im changing ...
While I was looking to the mirror, I saw a person I am afraid of, a
person I ran from all my life. I became my worst enemy; I hated
myself at that moment.

The doctor opened his notebook and took his pen out of his pocket in
such a classic move and he said:

- Can you tell me when you started feeling like this?

- Its all begun about 4 days ago, I was doing a quick jog in the
morning around the park and I met this stranger playing guitar to
the trees and wind. This guy kind made me want to revolt on my
reality, destroy my society and build my own world. He revived
those ideas I had when I came to this town 10 years ago.
- Lets take a pause from this issue Mr. Dante and tell me about
yourself, your history.
- Well, Im almost 30 years old; I came to this city when I was 19
years old. Im originally from a small town far away. I came here to
fulfill my dreams and turn what I always wanted to be and thats it.
- And how did you become that person you dreamed of.
- I think I didnt doctor and here it lays the problem, I dont like this
person I became. Im the director of the design department in one
of the huge magazines in the country. I earn more than any person
you probably know but I dont spend any money. I dont go out, I
dont date. I dont do anything. The person I imagined myself
becoming turned to be just an image of a machine robot. So I
turned all the pages in those last four days. I hit my boss so hard,
they put me in jail and because they are frightened it may affect the
image of the magazine, they let go of the case but they still fired me,
 I dont know what excuse they will pull to the press but I dont care.
Im now this unemployed man with almost 1 million in my bank
account.
- Thats quite the number Mr. Dante. So your problem is that you are
not satisfied with what you are doing in your life. If thats the case,
whats your plan to the future? I mean you look like a man who
always knows what to do.
- My plan is that I dont have a plan. I met this man in jail, his name
is Andrew, this guy had a masterpiece mind, and such a crafted art
he is. I admire his way of thinking, he was free, independent and
most of all, he was happy. I tell you he was happy because that
happiness he had was shining right through him to hit every one in
contact with him. This guy didnt have a plan or a thought of what
will happen. He was enjoying life second by second. I believe
someone once said that life is a game of inches and if you want to
win it, you need to play it inch by inch. So thats what Im going to
do. Im going to live it as it is. Humans were not born civilized. We
were born in the anarchy of the universe and that shall be the way
of living to reach perfectness. I dont have a mental problem doctor.
I just want a person to talk to and thats why Im here to talk to you.
- Thats kind too self confident sir. Lets further discuss it the next
time. What about tomorrow at 2p.m.
- Surely Doctor.
- Then, you can go; I will fix it with my assistance.

Dante left the doctors office, he wasnt sure what the doctor helped him
in but he was kind satisfied he went to see him. He continued his journey
to the bookstore. Thats where he met Selena. The girl he saw perfectness
in her smile and the brightness of her eyes.

Selena is about 5 feet tall, she wore a white tiny robe with a lot of roses on
it, and she also wore a hat that covered her eyes. Her look gives the
impression she was coming out of society caf. She was walking between
the allies of books passing her hand on the top of them while her fingers
played the sweetest classical piano pieces ever existed. She triggered his
attention immediately. The mystery and charm made him get attracted
that fast, he was on the opposite side of her and he kept looking at her
movements, she sneaked peak couple of time and did that kind of cranky
smile. He was more attracted and hooked, he pulled up his courage and
got closer where he started the conversation, she didnt pulse him back
but she was kind and smooth talker. They left that bookstore together.
Dante invited her to a coffee on the other side of the town and they
decided to take a walk until they arrived at that destination even its a
very long distance. The thing is that they didnt care, Dante wasnt doing
a booty call and she was the kind of girl that loved to have a spiritual
connection rather a physical one.

They walked and they talked about life, spirits. Dante told her his dreams
and how he is struggling now that he is back on the track of pursuing
them. She told him about her trip to Paris and how its not just a city but
more like a culture and a state of mind. They talked about music, she told
him her passion to Chopin and Mozart and Bach, and it was their first
common point in the journey. She talked about her dream to become a
singer, an artist and a piano player but she was too shy to perform affront
of other people. He told her about his past and the things he regret doing
or not doing. She comforted him by saying its not important that we are
down, Its crucial that we stand up again. They walked for an hour but it
felt like a couple of minutes to them. They finally were there at the coffee
shop but it was dark already so they went back home and on the way,
Selena proposed to Dante a trip down the lake. She had this special place
where she will go to find her peace and paradise. Dante did not refuse
,how he could after he found such a beautiful spirit beside him, they went
up the hill and he was in such a choc of that view, a charming side of the
lake, they sit on the grass and looked up the sky, the city lights where too
far to hide the stars. The moon was shining bright and its reflection on
the lake made Dante find an inner peace he always searched for. They
hold each other and keep looking to that starry sky. Its was an absolute
silence, not cause they didnt have the words to tell but it was too perfect
to be described or disturbed by the sound of words. In the middle of the
night, she looked into his eyes and to find her soul in his mind, he felt the
same. She stood on the top of him, taking off that dress she wore. His soft
touch holding her thighs made her more into the situation. She leaned on
him and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. In quick flip, they changed
positions, He kissed her so passionately, and she already felt orgasmic.
They kissed and kissed. Then he stopped, he looked at her and lifted her
up in a way it was aggressive yet so gentle, he moved to the lake where it
represented the holy water under the moonlight shining through them.
He got into her body but he was smooth and also so careful because he
kind felt she was like a piece of art than a human being. They spend the
night tangling in each other sheets where he tasted the flavor of the rosy
flower and she felt she was the queen. The next morning, they woke up
naked covered by her dress, they looked at each other and smiled. There
meeting was about to be over, they knew it was a night to be remembered
and that it was not the right time for them.
Its kind sad and not sad to have such a connection with a person and you
know deep down that you cannot be with her all the time. Its all kind of
beautiful and self reassuring to make peace with that fact and accept it.
In the end, acceptance is a very important key in our pathetic lives.
Humans dont know how to accept and thats the reason life looks so
hard and cruel to us in a way. We fear death and we refuse it, so when
one dies the pain is so hard and strong on some to handle. We dont
accept losing and so we keep on fighting and losing at the same time. We
dont accept the others and thats the reason behind war and destruction.
We live in a global society where everyone has this hatred toward another
group of persons. We separated each other without even knowing, we
forgot that we are all the same. We became more animals in aspect than
animals. You dont find a lion eating a lion; you dont find a wolf killing
another one of his kind. We are worse than that, we dont just kill, we
torture, we rape, we humiliate. Some believe that we are the superior
specie and that we are better than any other creature. We are not, we are
living beings that labor under that false assumption, we are the animals,
and the world is the real jungle.

Dante found the calm in that acceptance he made that morning, he went
back home from that magical place to take a warm shower and then he
headed to his doctor. The questions were too many for him to remember
which one to ask. He entered the room and it was the same as yesterday
even Dr. Caesar position was the same. He sits on that couch and he
waited for the therapist to start the session. Caesar looked into his
patient eyes and his said:

- Can I call you Dante?

- Of course Caesar. He responded with a small laugh
- Well, can you tell me about your hobbies Dante or the ones you
used to do when you were younger?
- Its been a long time, I used to play drums when I was in high
school, I also remember myself writing but I just stopped when I
got my job. I played all sort of sports when I was young and I was
so skilled at chess when I was 18 years old yet I almost forgot the
movements of each piece now.
- You know what Dante; I dont feel like doctoring today, what about
a game of chess to refresh your memory.

And he stood up, pulled the chess from his desk and he placed it on the
table affront of me, he took that rusty chair in the end of the room and he
sit on the other side of the table. He said while arranging the pieces:
- So Dante, you didnt tell me the reason you came to the big city in
the first place.
- I came here to pursue my dreams. Responding in such ironic way
- Well, why you didnt pursue them back at your town, I mean you
will be having your family and friends support, you did not have to
come all the way here alone to purse them.
- I came to this city when I was 19 years old, I finished high school
earning myself a scholarship to BC university, I came here because
I didnt have friends, I couldnt have friends back then. I was raised
in a place that represented hell to me. I wasnt the man before you
now; I had my ideals, my principles and rules. They were too much
distant from theirs. People back in my hometown are too
superficial, their dreams were too much limited, and they didnt
have imagination or a sense of exploring. I was young and felt an
inner freedom you cant possibly measure. I dreamed of travelling,
visiting the world, exploring the universe and its mysteries. People
back there formed a community of sheep; they were all duplicated
of themselves, living on repeat, fed on exclusion and hatred of the
outsider. They were so religious and superficial for me. I struggled
at an early age my fight with god. I wasnt convinced by the notion
of a celestial being, I believed and I still do that its a creation of
that kind of community of sheep to hold the security and the
stability of such a flock. Religion limited my choices and
imagination so I had to dump her all the way far from me and that
created me the problems to have friends in that town.
- What about your family, did they support your way of thinking?
- Family was worse, Im the only son. My mom was not educated
neither cultivated, she didnt care about much of this imagination,
dreams, religion and life spiritual bullshit, she only cared about her
cooking, her family and her TV shows. She was the perfect
housewife and mother for me yet she was the perfect sheep. My
father is this religious man, well he wasnt so religious when he was
at a young age but the factor of getting old and having fear of death
and punishment made him take refuge in religion cover, he only
cared about himself, what he arrived to accomplish in his pathetic
life. To be frankly honest, I felt at a certain point Im this collateral
damage from marrying my mom, that non planned mistake life
made him do when he enjoyed screwing my mom. I dont deny
having those moments of happiness and tenderness from my old
man but he was kind of empty in the inside and in a certain point, I
had to get away from him, I had to build myself and fix the
problems raised inside of me. I had to run away so I can find my
state of mind. I dont know why Im telling you this part of my life
 but I think we need to go back on the track of our discussion. What
about we start playing?

Dante and Caesar quit the conversation, the doctor kept watching
Dantes movement in the chess game, and he was observing his process
of thinking via that strategic game they were playing. He didnt care
about wining; he even made himself slip couple of moves just to give that
poor storyteller the pleasure of rebuilding his self confidence and his way
of thinking all over again.

Chess is similar to life but it was not all the same, the king dies but the
life will continue. To master chess is in a way to master life choices. To
put life and chess at the same importance level gives you the advantage to
live on the verge; every moment becomes so crucial and important
because in each moment, you are pulling a life time move that may end
by the death of your king or the death of your soul. The privilege is that
you have the chance to revive it all over again and restore the game in
hope you win.

Dante in this time of his life is in the state of pressing that revive button, I
suppose its called the revolutionary state of life. They played chess all the
evening, even after the session is over, the doctor cleaned up his
schedule. It wasnt a therapy for Dante but also an escape way for Caesar
from the issues of patients and a way to make a new friend. He proposed
to Dante, they go out for a drink and a late dinner, as our beloved hero
didnt have much of things to do, he accepted gladly. So they went to this
bar after grabbing slides of pizza down the road. They sit in this booth
affront of each other, the two holding glasses of whiskey in a hand,
lighting up two cigars and this classy song started playing.

The song is called the big picture by an underrated artist called Robbie
Gil. The song is about emotions, about all of what are inside of us
humans, about our sorrow, our joy, our pain and our hope. In one point
during the performance, the artist was no longer singing a song, he was
telling the story of his life. He was offering an invitation to all the
listeners to join him in his quest to open up.

Dante have searched for express his way of living, he tried to sing, he
tried to dance, he tried to play music, and he tried to run. None of them
can be compared to the sensation he felt while he was writing. That song
made him remember that passion of writing and how much pleasure he
felt. Even he was writing each Friday in his previous routine but the fact
he only did it while being drunk removes any sensation of the act. He
interrupted the silence and said:

- Do you know Doc, I was a good writer back in the days and I just
quit, I guess quitting on my writings is the starting point of me
letting go of my dreams and joining this big world of non livings.
- So why you dont write, I mean you can go back now, its not that
late. Its actually the perfect time. I tell you this, go outside
tomorrow, walk and wander the streets, put some papers along
with you and pen too, whenever you feel like you want to express
yourself or whatever grab them and write your thoughts down.

The two friends kept drinking late that night and then everyone took his
way to head home. Dante woke up at 11 the next morning, he still
remembers the doctors recommendation even he was drunk at the time.
He took a notebook he found in the apartment and he went to the park in
hope to find the beauty he is looking for and finally reunite with the
sensation of artist he always missed.

Beauty and Art are the two elements existing everywhere around us. The
problem with humans is the blindness that makes it impossible for us to
see such elements. Some are blessed with some clarity and that gift is
capable to bring joy and happiness into our pathetic lives even if it was
momentary still you were happy.

When you are lying down on some bench under this huge tree in a park
so crowded and you are melting your brain with life issues and suddenly
you pay attention to how the sunlight infiltrates between those leafs to
reach your cold skin and you feel that warm. It may be disturbing to have
the sunlight directed toward your eyes but its worth baring because the
joy and the sensation you have will exclude any inconvenience. Dante felt
at that moment something rarely felt. Little of tenderness, beauty and
calm he never had before. The music inside his head started to play and
the best of him had its way to finally be there on that blank paper.

Beauty lays down in that hot cup of coffee you drink while you wait to go
to class, in lighting that cigarette after that crazy orgasmic night. Joy is
within simple acts such as helping a poor old lady with a coin without
waiting any prize whatsoever. Its in the act of watching a street artist
charming his life with music even he maybe living hell on earth. Dante
saw all of this and he kept wondering why people keep focusing on those
life issues forgetting to fuse with whats around us.
Looking at those tree leafs he forgot to look at the ground. He looked
down and he saw dead leafs. Such beauty and coherence two opposite
form of existence are present in the same time. I guess having that
moment made him think whether he wants to be a dead leaf or a living
one. He chose to be hit by the sunlight. Dante decided to soul shine.

On the way back from that mystic journey he had. Dante found workers
holding boxes and going up to the floor where he lives. A new neighbor is
moving in. He assumed it will be the same as the old lady, so quiet and
boring. He was wrong. Instead, he was taken away by the energy that
spread right out of Destiny. She was not beautiful in classical way. While
she was walking, one leg is stopping a little short or maybe going long, it's
so hard to figure it out. But when she turned to him, she smiled, just a
little smile at first, but as it grew it pressed her rosy cheeks up and slowly
revealed her teeth, like a perfect Pearl necklace. Somehow her
imperfections made her perfect. There was shyness to her, hesitation in
her body movements and softness in her voice. But when she turns and
smiles all thoughts of inquiry flee, she isn't conventionally beautiful. To
him she's simply haunting.

Dante went closer to her in such slow steps and he welcomed her into the
building. He offered to help with the boxes and she accepted. After
finishing the work, he proposed a welcoming dinner in his apartment, he
insisted in a way she couldnt refuse. The special thing about this woman
is that she was active and pure; she felt alive and made everyone feels
alive and warm by that smile of hers.

Dante entered his apartment and cleaned in such quick way, and then he
started cooking. The secret not so many knows about it is that Dante is a
very talented cook, his mother was an excellent cook and he learned from
her the secrets of a good meal.

In the evening, Destiny arrived to this apartment; she entered and was
not pleased how it was dark. She jumped and opened the lights up, she
took a walk around the room, touching every furniture there is. She was
feeling it, she felt sorrow and sadness and that bothered her, made her
feel pity. Destiny made her decision to remove all of that sorrow of that
place. She took the records in her hand and started choosing one to put it
on play until she stumbled upon one of Billy Joels, her favorite artist.
The track was Vienna and such a spirit was revived that night, she
opened the bottle of wine and started dancing. Dante was more like his
old young self that night. They talked, got to know each other, laughed
and played variety of games. That night was perfect and imperfect for
him. He got to know this majestic girl, and he was sure that those
fantasies he had will never happen, because she became so fast so quick
that precious too him, he will not risk trying anything with her. He feared
it may wash off that perfectness he saw.

The night ended at midnight with her back to her apartment and him
wearing a coat and taking a walk to catch some air.

It was the Super Moon night; today all eyes are looking to the sky, hoping
to witness miracles as they happen, to witness the beauty of nature.

He wanted to get away from people; he wanted to go far from the noise,
the lights. There, he was sitting on that big rock, lighting his final
cigarette of the day looking at the darkness fading away by the light of the
big moon, as the stars were shining above.

He looked to the moon and he didnt see a round space rock folding in
the universe in such precise orbit but he saw pieces of faces. There is one
fact he was sure about and that is nature connects all on us. The most
beautiful natural phenomena bring the mind to be reunited with the ones
he cares about even in the memories of that person.

As he watched the moon raises high in the middle of the starry sky, the
most sensational symphonies played inside his mind, the dearest and
deep memories resurfaced before his eyes. he saw that girl with most
beautiful smile he ever seen, he saw that girl which he felt the mostly
comfortable when he talked to her, he saw the loved ones he lost in his 30
years of living, he saw the fights and he remembered the first time he saw
his moms eyes, he remember the moment she cried in joy when he
succeed, he saw the memory of him standing to get his prize while his
parents applauded him, how they were proud of him.

The moon represented all of that, I guess in that moment of loneliness he

had, it became a friend, a loyal friend. Yet the moon in the sky with the
company of the brightest stars and here he is alone on that big rock,
smoking like a chimney in the middle of dark land all you hear is the
sound of silence and drops of that crying man in the moonlight inside of
him.
Those moments of loneliness are the moments you meet your true self.
Your problems and issues will get physical appearance along with your
dreams and hopes. Mankind often called them angels and demons but
those two creatures are the fragments of our own imagination. The
demons are inside of us, as well angels. And here is the problem with
humanity; we always think that a person is born bad or good. We are
born this clean slide and the society with its traditions and beliefs in a
second place, the family and how they raise you in first place will
determine the way you turn to be. Everyone is meant to shine and glow,
we are all up for greatness but many lost their way to it and many will
still lose the way. We cant all be great or else the meaning of the world
will fade.

That night, Dantes luck didnt run out, as life unfolds a new person to
meet and another free spirit to guide him. He wasnt alone in that empty
dark hill, there was Eros. The goddess of the moon he named her, she
came to him and asked for what reason he is sitting in her place and why
he looks so depressed and broken. He told her he felt comfortable and
free in that place, she asked him for the reason he is here but he didnt
answer he just looked and told her to join him watching the moon in
silence. But there was no silence; they couldnt resist the temptation to
get to know each other, they opened to each other. She told him about
her family problems and he talked about his regrets and wrong turns
along the years. In their stories, they found comfort and ease. They found
hope and pleasure. They were in that spot all the night and their meeting
was ended by the sunrise, thats when she was about to leave and go
home but he stopped her, he took her by her soft sweet hands and there
he kissed her passionately. He let go and she walked slowly away from
him as he stood in his place, he wouldnt move because he was afraid the
wind may take away the taste of her cherry lips.

Dante went back home to get some sleep but he never did. He couldnt
sleep thinking of her and how he forgot to get her number, her contact
information or any indication that may help him find her. He only knew
that she worked in a shipping company. He needed to talk to a person so
he ran to his new friend Doctor Caesar, he found him at the door of the
office building. Caesar saw how troubled and unstable Dante was; he
took him in and offered a cup of coffee, told his assistance not to disturb
him:

- Why do you look so troubled? What happened?

- I think I found my soul and I lost it because I wasnt so courageous
to follow it as it leaves.
- I dont understand you Dante explain more, lay down on the couch
it may help. Do you care for a cigarette?
- I went to this hill outside the town and I sit there watching the big
moon, thats when I met this woman, she was mind alike, we felt
this instant connection. We talked and laughed; we cried and
opened to each other about our fears, regrets and hopes. We
exploded our plans to a bright future and we showed our intention
to fight any obstacles life might throw in our way. At sunrise, she
was leaving, so I grabbed her by the hand and kissed her. The taste
of her lips made me meet with the sweetest memories, the most
beautiful dreams and the best of myself. But I let go of her and she
left. I dont know her address or her number. I just know her name
Eros. My Beautiful Eros.
- What made you so sure that you will not meet another one more
suited to you? She may be the perfect for that moment and that
moment only. In this life, we meet a lot of potentials lovers,
mirages of soul mate but you cant be so sure of any of them. You
say that you are ready to any obstacle life gives you but here you are
crumbling at the first test. Hold yourself my friend because Im
sure the one is still to meet.
- Im not so sure about that doctor. You know I have always heard
the same monologue all my life. its that mysterious and absurd. I
met many people to figure out the truth that we are living in this
civilized forest and we are the talking animals. We are creatures
that labor that the assumption we are better creatures, that we are
better than animals only because we have developed a conscious
and our brains are more developed than the other living souls on
the planet. But underneath all of that, we are living to satisfy mostly
our desires and those are simple and easy to figure. We can resume
them in one word and that is Egoism, our personal gain of all. We
love mom and father because they gives us shelter, we study
because we need a degree to work , we work because we need
money, we need money to buy whatever we want, to have control
over others. All others do for you in life are in order to gain
something from you and thats the reason I have this kind phobia
for humans. Im sick of them and the masks they hold. I came to
know them well so I have this ability now to see beneath the masks
and figure out that ugly horrible faces they hold. I found myself
feeling more like Tarzan did. And that girl made me feel in such a
short period of time that Im no longer the only one in the jungle.
- The jungle is wide place and none of us has the resources to explore
it all. So Im sure that you are not alone in the jungle, you just have
to be open and search for that ideal partner.
While returning home, he was thinking about what his therapist said and
if he will choose to believe his words or just get in sorrow and sadness
over the lost of such potential love.

Love, pain, those are sentiments we live by each day and we fear to admit
we have them. People dont want to say that it hurts them such an action
or they refuse to accept they are in love. I believe those emotions are the
thing most appreciated about humans. Its the thing that makes us
special.

He didnt feel love or attachment; he didnt feel obsession or passion.

Dante felt something far deeper. Dante felt for the first time of his life
that red string of fate, He knew that both of them were linked by fate.
And that was the first time Dante believed in real fate.

But as the theory of the red string of fate tells, we are all connected by an
invisible red string, all of us meant to meet at certain point in life, Dante
understood another meaning in the theory, that string is not fixed, our
existence and vibration on this planet are the ones controlling it. That
kind of comprehension he had for this legend made him restore a bit of
faith in himself.

He was back on the bus of the believers that tomorrow will be a fine day.
Tomorrow is a day to discover other people, to be there a member of the
world but not as a sheep, more like an explorer.

The next day, Dante woke up late because he didnt have much sleep
early last night. He took a shower and shaved. He opened his e-mail to
keep updated on the worlds news. He didnt care for real about the news
but he wanted to know them as extra information he may need in the
future.

In the late night, Dante decided to go out, have couple of beers and
returns home. A night for himself will be very good from his perspective.

He entered the bar and it was such a quite place, you could hear a pen
drop as he walked towards the counter, head down to the ground as a
long lonely day passed and boredom was the main event of it. He sit on
that almost broken old chair and ordered a cold ice beer. He was about to
start drinking when a voice interrupted his empty thoughts. He looked
around him to find a lady playing the piano and enchanting the room
with her voice. Dante knew right away that the evening was turning on
and the day will not end as it started, he took that beer and went to sit on
a table in the end of the room, in that dark side.
He was drinking, watching her sing her heart out in that song, looking at
her and the way her body vibrates at the tempo of the piano playing, it
was a perfect scene for Dante, entertaining and full of joy and passion.
He envied her and the happiness she surely felt according to his way of
thinking.
On the other side of the room, there was the piano lady sitting affront of
that instrument, she was smiling yet she was faking it. She was singing
and letting the negative emotions go out of her system however she
wasn't happy as Dante thought, She was called Eve and she is new in
town, She ran away from her parents house like Dante did long ago, she
came seeking redemption, a chance to build up a new home for her but
life was too harsh for her, her dream was to become a journalist, report
the live news, be there on the scene at first sight. But thats not an easy
thing to accomplish.
In fact, however the dream is small or big, high above or right before your
eyes, life finds its way to make it the most difficult for you to hold.
Anyway she ended up playing on that old piano in that cold empty bar.
Its true the spotlight was on her but she wished it wasn't, she looked at
the audience to find a nasty drunk guy on the front lane looking at her
talking trash and then she noticed Dante smiling in the back of the room
while he was drinking, he wasn't smiling at her, he was looking at the
ceiling. She thought he was relaxing remembering his highlights of the
day while she was entertaining him with her voice. She smiled too
thinking she will get a big tip.
Those two strangers made each other night without knowing it
themselves. Their interaction was not physical in any kind, hell, it was
not an interaction. Its the meeting of two lost stranger souls which made
both of their skies starry.
Happiness can be given by anyone in this life; you only have to be open to
get it even if it was from a drunken dreamer sitting in a bar or from
broken piano woman that got lost along the way.
Dante left the bar couple of minutes after that ladys show was over. On
his way to take a cab, he saw her walking that empty dark street alone.
He followed her and introduced himself, she wasnt in the mood to talk
so she told him she wasnt interested and kept her way with fast steps
this time. He stopped and he yelled this old poem he wrote in high school
and forgot until then he suddenly remembered it. She stopped and
looked to him, she said that he seems a nice guy but she cant do anything
with him. He laughed and told her he wasnt on any high hopes, he is just
following the flow and he invited her to have a late dinner. She looked at
him and I dont know but its like that vibration they made, forced the red
string of fate to link them.
They went to this restaurant down the corner, he introduced himself
formally, he told her that about his 12 tasks on his to-do-list and how he
is trying to accomplish. She told him about her struggle career. They
actually had a kind of argument about this particular subject. Dante felt
this struggle in her job hunting is just an obstacle that led to a better way;
he thought she is an amazing pianist and very talented singer with a
remarkable voice. He asked her about the dream job she had in her years
of youth, and the answer verified his hypothesis. Eve and Dante spend all
that night talking and this time, they didnt want to leave each other sides
in the morning. It was magical, They visited the beach late that day, even
it was winter they had the best time of their life, they wrote their wishes
on the sand, waited until the ocean washed it away, they wrote their
bucket lists and the ocean took it too. They laughed and laughed. Almost
the night has come and they didnt go home from yesterday, the
adrenaline pumping in their veins made it impossible for them to get a
rest. Suddenly the rain started falling so hard and strong, they found a
shelter in a small cave at the lowest of the mountain. They stayed there
waiting for the storm to end. Dante lighted up fire; she sung poems and
old songs. He joined her in singing La vie en rose by Edith Piaf and all
kind of old French songs. And the song that made them fall for each
other was Beth harts Take care of you. The song started playing as the
background sound of the scene where magic happened, where he
approached her and touched her soft hair, smelled it and found how
yummy it is, the scene where she touched his lips while looking into his
eyes, piercing his soul inside, the scene where they kissed and kissed and
turned to be this goddess of love and passion. The beauty and the magic
werent in their physical interaction. There, was kind of something odd
with those too, their minds were alike. Anyway, Dantes life changed
slowly after meeting Eve. They lived with each other directly after that
night, they passed already all the types of dates and bases there is. She
was a light in a sea of darkness, he was the hope and the warm she finds
comfort in during this cold winter.
Later in the days, Dante remembered how he missed Caesars
appointment and he felt obliged to visit his home in suburbs where he
lived because it was a Sunday and the office was close and his phone was
off. He arrived at the doctors home step at 9 a.m. He rings the bell and
this lovely charming lady came out carrying a beautiful charming baby in
her hand. She invited him with such warm and joy. He had their
breakfast together and then Caesar asked if he would care to share a
cigarette with him in the garden and then he said:
- Im so lucky to have this wife, this family. I know you are in that no
over thinking state but for me I have to protect this chemistry and
love I have in this family and thats the reason I close my phone,
and I dont go to the office on Sundays. Anyway thats a comment I
had to say and now back to you Dante, where have you been lately?
What happened made you so pumped up?
- Its Her. I will just describe her as words can describe even I know
it will not be perfect as her. This girl I came to know in my missing
couple of weeks is just pure magic, something between us instantly
clinked. I was able to feel her feel it too. Trying to describe the
sensation I feel and I barely can, I wrote hundreds of words and
every time I delete them all because they dont give this girl about
the way she made me feel. Im known to all those close to me that
Im kind of guy that find words easily, Im a talker, I dont shut up.
But for the first time, Im speechless. She made me be what I never
thought I become
I will not talk about the perfectness of her hair, her face, her eyes
and the goddess of hotness she become as wearing those glasses. I
will talk about the undeniable chemistry we have, the easiness and
comfort I find in talking to her. The comfort I feel when I tell her I
love her and the happiness and that beating heart of mine when I
hear her whisper in my ear I love you . She is The true Destiny I
always looked for.
- I told you before Dante you will find love and thats how it feels. So
Congrats my friend.
Dante havent loved anyone before, he doesnt know how to figure he is in
love, he doesnt have a clue, He just found her in his dreams awake or
sleeping, upon his knees, he is creeping, he was deep in her ocean. His
very life is in her keeping and He is the prisoner of love.

Dante continued his life freely after that day; his life was all working out
as he wanted. Years and years passed since he decided to break free of
the routine he had. He is now living in that lovely warm apartment with
his girl Eve, he did finish those 11 tasks and at that time a problem has
been born and brought to life. Dante is a man that his sickness was his
brightness and genius of mind, he was an egoist bastard that loved to
manipulate others and play with facts and truth. He found shelters in his
love to Eve the sweetest person you know. Now that he finished up his 11
tasks, he had his best of life. Its was the final time to finish his 12th task
and thats to jump of the highest building and there when, we go back to
the point zero in the story, The magazines building, that one he used to
work in years ago. He claimed the stairs and get into the roof, on that
edge.

Life is a mystery to be unlocked for any living soul but some persons give
up on the fight and they just quit the game before they lose. Humanity
has searched for eternity all her life, we looked for ways to become
immortal and safe from any harm, we searched for a way not to lose that
game. In the end, we failed and thats because we were looking so far and
distant from the answer. Moments before he did the final jump, Dante
smiled and looked to the sky, He knew that ending his life is not the end.
But he is just resetting the game. Life he lived was not the real thing it
was just a dream. And he will keep restarting all of it until he breaks
through and gets the freedom he wanted, until life gets real and then he
jumped. On his way down, he recalled all the events he had during his
life; he recalled all the emotions he felt. He remembered love, hate,
jealous, cheat. He remembered the first kiss he had; He remembered the
first disappointment he had. He remembered his first ride on the bike
and how he felt free, he remembered the writing he did when he was a
young man, He saw it all even the name of the songs in his old playlists.
Dante also recalled a conversation he had with his therapist. He
discovered as he was relooking down that memory lane and 10 inches
before he turns into pieces that he figured life so long ago, he was too
scared to face it. He asked himself the ultimate question whether he is
satisfied with what he accomplished and all he thought of was the tasty of
eves lips, the warmth of her hug and the love he is giving up for his
selfness and so he was not satisfied yet but by then it was late to make a
change

15 September 1982;

- Hello kids The teacher said

- Hello Madame! The children replied back
 - So today, I want to you to read your task of last week, what do you
want to be when you get older? I will now call the first name to
come on here and tell us his story.

The teacher took a piece of paper and she read the first name Dante , a
young man came on and he said:

- This is my story, This is Dantes tale