One cool, summer evening, I lay awake replaying the events of the day in my mind and the stresses of tomorrow. I finally began to doze and I became conscious of the presence of a tall, beautiful woman in pure, white robes. He eyes were a piercing blue and she held me in her gaze. I was finally able to break my stupor long enough to see that, just beyond her, a brilliant light was shining, its horizon hidden from my site.
“Who are you, lady?” I stammered at last. She didn’t answer, but simply smiled and gestured to the light behind her. “What is this place?” I asked, becoming more nervous that, perhaps, I had died. Was this it? Had I passed in my sleep? As I pondered these things, the lady smiled again and regarded me with a mixture of amusement and kindness. “You are not dead”, she said at last. “This light is your childhood. It is the collection of your experiences, thoughts, and all the things that have helped shape who you are.” I was awestruck. “Why am I here?” I managed to ask. She looked again at me, this time with a kinder expression and said, “For the opportunity at a second chance.”
I had no idea what to say, nor did I know what she meant. After a long pause, she continued, “If you step beyond this light, you will be granted the chance to relive your childhood, but this time, with different events and results. Be warned, those who have passed and gone cannot be reborn. You will become a child once more, but your loved ones will not be the same as you knew.”
I stared at her, my mind racing at the prospect. At last, I asked the question. “If I do this, what will I remember of my family?” She looked at me with a sad smile and said, “Nothing.” I knew in my heart this would be the answer. I thought of all I had done in my life and the things I had experienced. Could I manage to make better choices with a second chance? Could things actually be worse in the end? Would I even be aware of any of this? I wanted to ask the lady all of these questions and more, but she simply turned her head toward the light. I knew then she would give no more answers.
I stood frozen in place, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. How could I throw away the memory of my loved ones? Then again, what if I didn’t KNOW I had? How would their lives be affected? Could I change the course of my life for the better, or even for worse? At last, I turned to the lady and I spoke, for the first time in my life, with perfect calm, clarity, and conviction.
“I thank you, lady,” I said, “The offer is tempting and I am very curious what would happen. However, my experiences have made me who I am and will ultimately shape who I become. How I allow my childhood to determine the course of my life will be up to me, I know now. Even if I step through that light, the result will be the same and I will have to choose for myself how I proceed when I am an adult and the choices I make.”
She looked at me for what seemed like an eternity, it felt as though she were staring into my soul, reading my thoughts. At last, she said, “You have chosen not to change the past. Therefore, you can only choose to change the future. Go from this place and remember the future is a gift guaranteed to none. You must choose to either live in the past or make the most of your present.” With those words, she and the light vanished and I was left once again staring into the darkness of my quiet room.
Fairy Tales
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