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Saturday, March 8, 2014

A Short Story - The Beach

   What a salubrious day! He feels so blessed to spend this balmy, spring day at his most favorite place in all of life --- the beach. The smell of the ocean, the constant breeze, the gull cries, the white noise of the rhythmic surf --- it is mesmerizing, relaxing and energizing, all at the same time. The human hordes have not yet descended on this naturally beautiful locale, so the sands are relaxed, duned here, flattened there, tracked by sandpipers and other busy creatures of the shoreline.
   So he chooses a spot and sits, his field of vision filled with the blue sea’s expanse and far horizon. He cannot avoid a sense of bliss beginning to radiate from deep within. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and joyful bliss blurs the edges which gives us the illusion of separation of being .  One…Om…One --- all is One.
   The day passes, and a few people walk by this unassuming form on the quiet beach. The sun sets, a night passes, the sun rises. He has not moved. So few beachwalkers, completely unaware of his deep experience. Another day passes, the sun sets. Then someone stars to notice. It is just after sunset, and a beachwalker notices this sitting figure in the dim light, seeming to itself glow. Curious, the beachwalker is drawn to investigate, and meanders toward the faintly glowing form. He wanted to inquire if the man is okay, but cannot approach the figure any closer than about six feet.  All around him there appeared to be an impassable energy. He did not respond to the beachwalker’s attempts to communicate.
   The beachwalker called a friend, who called a friend, and together they tried to figure out what to do. The sitting figure seemed okay, but something out of the ordinary was definitely happening here. Together they passed the night, eyes fixed on the form outlined in light. Another sun rose, announcing a new day. They called 911.  Others came. But no one could get closer than about six feet. The blissful figure seemed enclosed in a huge ball, like in a snow globe, which felt to the touch like a wall of energy. And again, calling out to the figure brought no response. More people came. The media came, too, setting up camp in order to document this happening, whatever it was, which had drawn an increasingly growing crowd. The beach was full of onlookers, the curious and the mad, the dreamers and the God-seekers. So many came. The excitement  and anticipation was palpable. What’s going on here?
   Day 3 --- Day 4 --- Day 5 --- no change to the bliss-filled form, but the beach… the beach was abuzz with humanity, no one quite sure of what to make of the happening. Who is he? What is he doing? Why is he here? Is he a prophet? A guru? A holy man? A God? Is this … God?
   Day 5, high noon --- The seated figure begins to rise vertically from the sand. The crowd moves a little farther away. The dim light radiating from his body increases, and soon surpasses the brilliance of the noon-day sun. But yet, it doesn’t hurt the eyes of everyone staring in amazement. Their hearts are beating, eyes are filling with tears of  … what? – Joy? – Love? –Holy Fear? …. Now what??!!
   The figure rises ten feet, then 20, then thirty… Where the heck is he going?? But then, within a few minutes, his form slowly descends to the sands which supported him earlier. The light slowly dims. The man is as he was before, sitting still on the surf’s edge, a bit of a smile on his face, his hair being tossed by the constant breeze.
   Then he moves, stretching his arms wide, as if just waking from a restful nap. His opening eyes are met with the eyes of hundreds of souls staring at him, as if waiting for something. With arms wrapped around his knees, he smiles  and says: “He---y! What’s up?”
                                                                                                                                a. dec 2014

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