Читать книгу Guardian of the Dream - - Страница 9

Lisa sat, leaned across the table, totally absorbed by drawing. Suddenly she stopped and straightened up. The light from the lamp lit up mountain tops, touched with blue aquarelle. But Lisa didn’t finish that drawing. Beneath the mountains she started on a new sketch. She tried to put on paper something that had occupied her mind for the last few days.

A couple days ago, Lisa forgot a book at school and went back to pick it up. It was late in the evening. She didn’t expect to meet anyone except the security. But while walking the school corridor she suddenly heard music. It came from the open door at the end of the corridor. She became curious, approached the room, and looked inside.

Surprisingly, she saw Denis playing the piano. He was alone. Normally he would be surrounded by girls from their class, asking him out, inviting him to parties, or just trying to talk to him. This time Denis was alone.

Lisa stood in the doorway, watching him playing totally immersed. He didn’t see her. He didn’t see anything – he was totally in his world. His beautiful world.

Lisa wanted to enter the room, but kept standing at the door, mesmerized. Suddenly he stopped playing and closed the piano lid. Lisa rushed out and leaned on the door from the corridor side. She thought of what to say to him. Nothing came to her mind. Time passed, but Denis didn’t walk out. For some time, Lisa listened to the silence and then looked inside the room again. Denis sat, looking at the closed piano lid.

Lisa breathed out as she walked out of her memories. She continued drawing Denis’s face. Then she sketched the piano. Lisa’s grandma walked in. She watched Lisa’s head leaned towards the drawing, then looked around. All over the walls there were pictures of mountains in pure calming, rosy, violet lighting. Grandma smiled.

In the corner of the room, there was an armchair. A big floor lamp by its side, cast light over the colorful pillows scattered on the floor. Grandma sat down in the armchair and looked at Lisa. The girl raised her head.

«What is it?»

«Just admiring you.»

Lisa looked down at her drawing. She wanted to say something and searched for words. Grandma waited patiently.

«Yesterday… Sasha told me… that I am SOO not cool… She doesn’t want to be friends anymore.»

Grandma smiled.

«You think it’s funny?»

Lisa sighed.

«My only friend is seven years old!»

Grandma kept being silent, just watching Lisa attentively. Lisa took a breath and turned to Grandma,

«So, you say, „New energy“ … It depends on what you do with it! But what can I do if nobody gets me?!»

«Now I understand why this map caught my eye this morning.»

«What map?»

«Lisa, have you ever thought… maybe you are searching for the answers in the wrong place?»

Lisa felt a rush of energy, as in a premonition.

«What do you mean?»

«Your school is just a tiny bit of the Universe. If you don’t find your answers there… maybe because THERE they don’t exist. Or not yet exist?» she added quietly.

Lisa looked at her Grandma waiting for her to continue. No continuation followed. So typical for Grandma, to light up and go silent…

«And what shall I do?»

«Accept it! Accept yourself the way you are, with all your questions. And accept that Sasha is, the way she is.»

«You think it’s easy?»

«You think, it’s not?»

«When Sasha says that I embarrass her in front of her friends…»

«And what is important for YOU? What do YOU want?»

Lisa looked perplexed. Grandmother dragged the floor lamp closer, sat down on the pillow on the floor, pulled up a map, and laid it out in front of her.

«It should be somewhere here…» Grandma ran her finger through the mountain area.

Lisa approached her; she read, «Sun City’.

«Wow! The map of the Sun City. So, you think, it really exists?!» she sat close to Grandma.

«I know it.»

For some moments they sat in silence. Light from the lamp lit up the map. Grandma carefully studied the mountain areas.

«But it’s not easy to get there,» she said. «Many travelers have tried to find Sun City… They had the best maps.»

Lisa imagined mountain tops covered with snow, grey dawn, illuminated highways, streams of cars heading towards mountains… Forests. Groups of people. They talk, look around. And again, she saw mountain tops. A snowstorm was starting…

«However, if the Sun City doesn’t invite you, doesn’t call you – the best maps are of no use,» calm Grandmother’s voice returned Lisa to the room.

«So how does he choose whom to call?»

«It welcomes those who ask TRUE questions…»

Lisa looked at the map. She gathered the courage, trying to find the way to formulate her question. Suddenly, as if she caught a perfect wave she asked,

«Sun City! Tell me, why can’t I be normal, just like anyone else!!?»

Immediately a little violet spark flashed on the map. Then it gently lifted off the map and flew around the room. Lisa jumped to her feet. Mountain tops on her drawings on the walls were glimmering violet. Lisa was in the middle of a violet wave. Amused, she looked at her grandma. Grandma smiled and nodded.

«It couldn’t be otherwise…»

Lisa looked around in awe; she looked at the map, then at Grandma. Grandma’s face had almost no wrinkles; soft clear joyful gaze of brown eyes. Strands of gray hair came from under the hat. Lisa rushed to hug her.

«Let’s go there! Let’s go today! Let’s go for a real adventure!»

«Is this what you want?»

«More than anything!!!»

«Hmmm… And what if Sasha wouldn’t consider this idea as cool?»

Lisa burst into laughter.