A Light That Surpassed Art

A little something I did for my Italian class. It's a short story. The reason it was written this way is because it was easier to translate from English to Italian.

A Light that Surpassed Art 

A dream

A series of thoughts, images, and sensations that occur within our sleep.

Many people are able to control these dreams

Others find themselves in a different reality, unaware that they are dreaming.

Often times we find ourselves in this type of situation, unable to control the flow of thoughts that stream inside our subconscious minds.

Many times these dreams hold no significant vale. We end up forgetting them.

But once in every blue moon, for a very brief moment in time, there comes a different kind of dream.

Have you ever found yourself face to face with a dream that you just could not get out of your head?

A dream that has a way of digging deep inside your heart, grasping at your very soul.

You go on through the day, maybe even days, carrying that dream with you.

This is a story about one of those dreams…

As I lay there in my bed I began to feel peaceful and deeply relaxed.

My mind lost within the vast blue ocean of my thoughts.

Moving with the flow

Moving with the waves

As I walked upon the sandy beach I could see those waves rolling towards the shore.

I looked down and I could see the water from the ocean seeping deeper, and deeper in my shoes with every rolling wave.

With every step I took I could feel the cold from the water slowly spreading across my body.

I looked forward and all I saw was  ocean and sand stretching out as far as the eye could see.

It was at that moment that I caught the scent that lingered in the air.

A fresh aroma carried by the ocean that filled my lungs with salt and blue earth with every breath I took.

Overpowered by my surroundings I had to stop and see the ocean.

As I stood there for a moment lost in thought and taking in the view I heard a woman’s voice behind me.

“Hey!” She called out

It sounded far away so I ignored it

“You, staring out at the ocean!”

I turned around to see where the voice was coming from.

In the distance I could see a woman sitting on the sandy beach with a drawing pad in front of her.

Surprised and a bit confused I replied, “Yes?!”

“Are you on your way somewhere or are you just going to stand there all day?”

“What?!”

“It’s just that I was originally painting a picture that didn’t include you in it, but if you don’t have anywhere you need to be you can stand there all you want.

A man dressed in a black sweater, black pants, and black shoes staring out at the ocean and getting his feet soaked by the waves does make for an interesting story.”

I stared at her for a few seconds, but I slowly turned to walk away.

As I started walking again I heard her voice calling even louder this time.

“Wait!”

I looked back at her and answered, “What is it?!”

“You never answered my question!”

Curious to know what she was talking about I began to walk towards her.

“What was the question?”

“Are you going to stare at the ocean all day or do you have somewhere you need to be?”

“I thought you wanted me to leave?”

“When did I say that?”

“Just a few seconds ago.”

“Oh, I See.”

There was silence, a brief pause between us.  As I looked at her I could see the tension slowly building like a snowball rolling down a mountain.

I quickly looked back at the ocean in order not to make her feel uncomfortable.

And then she broke the silence

“Why are you dressed like that anyway? That’s some strange clothing to be wearing to the beach.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of being called strange.

I replied, “I don’t have to worry about matching when I get dressed in the morning. You’re a bit strange yourself, talking to a complete stranger that you yourself find strange.”

“It’s not strange if you’re absolutely sure the other person has no harmful intentions.”

“How could you possibly know that by just looking at me?”

“Years of being observant.  I saw you walking along the shore and the thought of you being strange and unusual did cross my mind.  A bit weird also.

But then I saw you stop to take in a deep breath.

Then you turned to look at the ocean.  For a long time you did nothing else but stand there staring out at the ocean.

It was at that moment that I noticed you innocence.

A man so deep in his thoughts and that admires the beauty around him

I couldn’t help but to think to myself, ‘this person means no harm,’ and it was at that moment that I instantly felt comfortable.”

Taken back by her response I couldn’t help it when my thoughts escaped from my mind.

I was silent, but not wanting to be in silence I asked, “What is it that you’re painting?”

“Have a look; I’m painting everything that I see in front of me.”

Curious, I kneeled down to look at her painting.

I looked out at the ocean, and back to the painting again.

“That looks nothing like what I see out there.”

“Well, we’re both looking at the same ocean. Nothing outside of ourselves has changed.

Perhaps we just perceive the image differently.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perceive things differently? It’s like when I first asked you a question and you took it as a sign to leave.

What I really asked was if you were going to stay or if you had somewhere you needed to be.

You only heard one part of my question, but not the other.”

My eyes shifted to the clouds above me as if to try and grasp from midair what she just said to me.

She sat there, looking at me. Slowly I saw I big smile spreading across her face.

She got up from the sand taking her art supplies in one hand, and taking my hand in the other.

Then she said to me in a cheerful voice, “Come one, there’s something that I want to show you.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.  Let’s go! Let’s go!

At that moment I took notice of something I did not see before.

Behind her was a lovely small house with white colored steps leading up to it.

I got up from the sand and started walking with her towards the house.

As I made my way up the small steps I remember that rather than feeling scared of walking into a strangers house I felt welcomed.

I remember that just by looking at the house that it looked so inviting that just had to go in.

From the moment I set foot inside this home it was clear to me that this was a woman’s place.

The imprint of her personality and creativity was everywhere,

By looking at the paintings she had on the walls I could tell that she was an artist.     Other than that, I could tell she was a person with great passion for her career.  She was doing something that she truly loved to do.

As I looked around to see the paintings I noticed she had left the room.  Still, baffled by the art all I could do was stand there admiring her work.

Within a few seconds she returned holding a small suitcase in one hand.

I pointed to one of her paintings and asked, “An hourglass?”

“Yes. Notice the sandstorm in the hourglass, and the random bolts of lightning?  Time is unpredictable, sometimes it’s on your side and sometimes it’s not.”

“What about that one?” I pointed to another painting.  “A pair of eyes? That seems kind of strange.  The way they stare out almost seems as if they were looking right through you.”

“Only if you perceive it that way.  But what if they weren’t trying to see through you? What if those eyes just symbolized a connection being made between two people?”   We both stood there, admiring the paining in front of us.

After a few seconds she finally said, “I have to go now, but make yourself at home.  I can tell you really appreciate my work so you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

She gave me a piece of paper with a number written down on it.   97) “I’ll be back in a few weeks.  Give me a call so we can talk.”

Still holding a smile she turned around and walked away.

As the distance between us grew I couldn’t help it when I noticed that I began to miss this woman.

Suddenly I heard a loud noise that pulled me from the other world.

Thunder and rain outside of my window. I had woken up from a deep state of sleep.

Again, even in my conscious state I began to miss her.

I remember feeling her energy and vibe resonating through my own body, radiating out my mind like a light bulb shining bright.

This made me missed her even more.