A little red eft danced by, and then another. A tiny girl next to me giggled, and I did too.
The child-- very young-- seemed surprised that I thought the dancing amphibians were funny, and she studied my smile carefully for a moment.
There were earthworms before us, and lots of them. At once, hundreds of them linked themselves together in a chain, and as we watched, another chain formed next to it, and then another.
While I marveled at the choreography of earthworms slithering before me, the girl suddenly cried out in wonder, pointing at the long chained sections of worms nearest her as they began to merge with one another, forming a netlike mesh over the soft grass.
”It’s a bunch of holes, tied together with worms.” I offered, but the child was already captivated by the little efts who had begun playing their happy flutes again, and were obviously excited about something that was in the sky behind me, spinning with a whispery flitter from their wooden pipes, then stopping to gaze with those odd little eyes-- behind me. I turned to see what it was, but as I turned, the young girl started to pull on my sleeve-- she had something to say.
It was tempting to bark out “hold that thought, kid... I wanna see what these salamanders are looking at”, and I’ll admit that there was a big part of my curiosity that did want to see what was behind me at that instant, yet I knew that the child’s thought couldn’t wait.
A child her age is not limited by time like I am. For such a child, everything is happening at once, and there is no clutching mind to demand an audience to her attention-- to drag her into a fabricated future or haunted past-- she is strictly here, and knows that all of reality is going on right now.
To live as a beam of light-- such as this child-- is to already be at your destination the moment it is realized.
An older, more time-worn mind might claim that such a light-beam travels quickly, but that is only a matter of perspective; this child is rightfully seated on a solid Earth, while I was busy rushing into the future to erect an imaginary sky, and it was a sky that was already well behind me now.
Her position is fixed and sure, while mine is one of stumbling about blindly in false worlds, even while the true world is manifest all around me, and is very well-lit.
Between this child and me, only one of us was living in reality. The little girl lives here, while I keep drifting about rather aimlessly.
How long ago had I wandered away from Earth? Now I know not to ponder that thought-- there’s really no time for that here, and now that I’m able to embrace what really is happening in this surreal vicinity, I shall endeavor to memorize each detail of every second for as long as possible, starting now.
It was amusing when I thought about it; a four-year-old girl was more in touch with reality than I. With another gentle tug on my sleeve the child began to speak, and now her soft voice took command of the four winds, the elements, and the syncopated dances of the efts and worms. Like a god she spoke, and like a vivid spark, she had my absolute attention: ”Do you like my dream?”
Without hesitation I answered, 'I do like your dream... thank you for bringing me here!' As she vanished, I noticed that the forest was still and quiet, and the peculiar circus had packed up and moved on.
all of the pictures in this post are from Pixabay free images
That turn at the end was perfectly executed. I really enjoyed this short, intimate tale. The dynamic between him and the girl really carried the story. These introspective stories really get me every time. Is this the same god that you have written about in the past?
I think the 'god' that shows up in these tales is all of us. I tend to use the term 'god' to suggest the potency of us all, and our responsibility in making the world whether we realize that potential or not.
You know, that's actually my first thought way back when I first read the character. I'm glad you confirmed it.
Me gustó muchísimo, excelente!
Gracias Rinel! Welcome to Steemit!
great post @therealpaul
Thank you! I appreciate it.
I think you're on to something here - small children do seem to inhabit a clearer, more immediate reality than us. When I watch my daughters learning about the world, it amazes me how they become deeply fascinated and immersed in something (although their attention span is short!), and suffer less distractions than us adults. The world through a child's eyes is completely different, and something we should all try to regain from time to time.
Yes I learned a lot from my daughter when she was little. I still learn a lot from her now, but the lessons I get from the little children are some of the most important things that I know now.
Am short of words, you are damn good
For one short of words, you said a lot! I appreciate it.