***Before you read this, I would like to request all readers to provide a feedback for this story, be it positive or negative. I am trying to develop this into a project and it would really help if you lent your opinions down below in the comments. It would be a great help***
I am about to narrate a story here, but in all its spirit of storytelling, the story isn’t really complete you see.
Our story starts in a jungle. A big, beautiful jungle that keeps growing and knows no bounds. There are happy creatures that sing happy songs, and there are sad creatures that sing tragic songs, but they are both equally important for the survival of this forest. However, there are some other creatures that live here too. Creatures of myth and might. Creatures that are part of the legends and folklore of this jungle. Some creatures are vile and some are virtuous. Some of these creatures whisper all things that are vile and some others who rally all that is good.
In this mysterious, beautiful forest, a lonely soul starts a journey. A journey to attain the ultimate prize, the fabled treasure of the legends, “The eternal flower”. There is a story that goes along with this legendary flower, a story that can be sought upon by anyone who seeks this flower of fable, and it goes like this-
“Legend has it that this flower blooms somewhere in the forest, for its sweet fragrance can be felt anywhere within the bounds of its canopy, no matter how wide the forest spans, or how tall its trees become. However, very few souls have ever found one, for the flower is there, but it is very rare. For there are enough flowers for all souls that tread here in this forest, there is, but only one for each soul that seeks it. To attain this flower means to become one with eternity. To attain this flower means to become whole with the universe. To attain this flower means to be wise in all that there is to be known.”
But there was a lingering question that this lonely soul couldn’t help but obsess about. It wondered and read this story over and over, and over and over, till there was nothing but only the question you see, “Why does the legend not make any mentions of where and how to find this flower of fable?” And this question ate away its peace, turmoil gripped onto it like a disease, everywhere it looked around, there were no answers, but only this one question. But little did it know that the journey had already begun with this very interrogation.
Ah yes! I guess I left a little portion of the story out of the narration, but in case you are still wondering how to find the flower of fable and why the legend does not mention anything about finding it, you haven’t been paying attention well.
The legend says enough about where the flower blooms doesn’t it? It says that the flower’s scent can be felt from anywhere in the forest, no matter how big the forest grows which means that the flower is where the forest grew out of. And since it is somewhere in the forest, you only need to search, inside the forest. Pretty easy isn’t it? But wait, there’s a catch. There’s always a catch. You have to navigate through the forest to get to the flower, and the forest is big. And by big, I mean very big, probably even bigger. Now let’s get back to our lonely soul shall we? It is about to enter a realm of adventure, like never before.
Sitting at the edge of the forest, right at an open clearing by a stream that led into the forest, it kept wondering about that problem it was obsessed about. “However, I will never find out sitting and thinking about it here of course” it decided and strode into the jungle. Inside, the jungle was beautiful, vibrant and almost mysterious in ways that the soul couldn’t explain, but understood easily enough. As it walked in awe, wonder-struck at all that it saw, it kept wondering about them. However, as the soul made past a tree, whose roots were sunk deep into the forest, whose leaves whispered in the air of the jungle, it decided to rest for it was dejected and cried aloud, “Why can’t there be any answers to my questions?” and tired from the day’s journey, sad and dispirited, before long our lonely soul fell sound asleep.
It was almost twilight when there was kindled little shiny spirit was hovering around our journeying soul and it woke up from the satisfied slumber. This tiny little spirit was full of energy, bright and shiny.
“Who are you?” asked the soul.
“I am the guardian spirit of this mighty forest”, replied the little ball of shiny light.
Excited for having never met a spirit before, let alone the guardian spirit of the forest itself, the eyes of the soul lit up for it had so many questions, and so, so many questions about his quest. “This is my first time meeting a spirit; I am honoured to have met you, O spirit of the forest. May I ask what you are called?”
“I am called Thought”, replied the spirit, but with a little perplexion, asked back, “Are you sure I am the first spirit you’ve met?”
The soul was confused at this question, but was sure of what it had said and nodded in approval.
“Just like I am the spirit of the forest of the mind, you also have a spirit inside you. Its name is Decision. I am sure he must’ve guided you before” stated Thought, “Without having the spirit of Decision inside you, you would have never decided upon anything!” she added gleefully.
“Guided?” asked the soul, in an apparent blank expression of bafflement.
“Yes, guided! Decision will guide you in all that you want to do and you don’t want to do, like it always has been. I however, am your guide in this forest. I know all about your quest, and I will guide you to ask all the right questions, for that is how you will be able to complete your quest. But I can only guide you to ask the right questions, you must rely on your spirit of Decision to guide you upon what answers you feel are best suited to form your path to the flower of fable.”
The soul sat there for a while, quite joyous at the turn of events and couldn’t believe its luck, but there was something it couldn’t understand, “How do you know of my quest if you and I have never met before?” it asked in utter amazement.
Thought smiled and replied, “Isn’t Moksha the quest upon which all souls enter into the Mystic Forest of the Mind?”
It was nightfall and the jungle lit up like lamps on all that could be touched and felt and the soul smiled as it stood up to continue its journey.
