Graveyard Of The Living

A worried Simon found himself guarding a compound gate at night. It was a dark and silent night. The chirping of the crickets and the rustling of leaves on the trees were the only sounds that interrupted the silence of the night. There was an eerie feel about the night. Simon sat in a chair by the gate, leant back and closed his eyes.

"Hey, how you doing?" asked a woman. Simon was startled and scared, he wasn't expecting anyone. "Hey, I did not mean to scare you!" said the woman. Her soothing voice was most comforting, Simon immediately felt better. He looked up and saw she was as beautiful as her voice. "Do I know you?" asked Simon. "You don't, but I do know you. I'm Angelica", she said. "An apt name, your beauty is angelic!", exclaimed Simon.

"So what are you guarding here?" asked Angelica. "You won't trust me even if I told you", replied Simon. "Try me", said Angelica. Mesmerised by her charm he felt compelled to tell the truth. "This is a graveyard, well not actually a graveyard, it's my heart", he said then stopped and looked down in despair. "What have you buried in there?" asked Angelica. "All that's dead. My feelings, emotions, dreams, wishes and above all else, hope", he replied.

"You seemed to have faced a lot of troubles. I understand your sadness. But I'm here to help you. Open the gate, let us go in", she said. "No, I don't let anyone in anymore. Let me be to myself. Go away", he said. Just then there was a flash of bright white light. The sudden brilliant light blinded Simon temporarily, he covered his eyes with his hands. The intensity of the light gradually reduced. Slowly he opened his eyes and was surprised by what he saw. "How is this possible!" he exclaimed. For there stood Angelica, with a halo over her head and wings on her back!

"I'm an angel sent by God to help you. Do not hesitate. Let me into your heart", she said with a smile. Simon obediently did as he was told, she was an angel afterall. They walked up to the first grave. "What's in here?" she asked. "Here I have buried my feelings. Hurt so often they were dead long ago", replied Simon. "Dig it open", she instructed and a shovel appeared beside him. "Why? They have been dead for so long", argued Simon. "Just do it, you won't regret it", she replied with a smile. Simon started digging. He dug till he reached the coffin, just then he heard something inside the coffin move. He looked up at Angelica in disbelief. "Go on, open it", she said. He opened the coffin and a bright red light emerged from inside and hovered a few feet above his head.

"My feelings are not dead", said a teary eyed Simon. "No they are not", replied Angelica with a smile. "Come, let's move on to the next one", she said. Same happened with emotions they weren't dead either. His dreams and wishes were alive too. "How is this possible", mumbled a sobbing Simon as he dug up the last grave of hope. Again, hope was alive and as soon as he opened the coffin a brilliant green light emerged from within and hovered above his head. Five different spheres of light now hovered above his head, each representing one of the virtue he had buried.

"Do not weep Simon. Rejoice for your feelings, emotions, dreams, wishes and hope are all alive. You see, they will live in your heart as long as you are alive. Don't try to bury them away while they live. This is the reason for your distress and despair. Yes your feelings must have been hurt, your emotions misunderstood, dreams shattered, wishes unfulfilled and hope must have been bleak, but even then, they live. And who are you to pronounce them dead? God can work things in your favour any time. Only God has the right to declare life and death. Your job is to live with faith, faith in God and his timing. He gives what is best for you and gives at the right moment. Have faith, do not shut the door to your heart. Your heart is supposed to be a garden where the plants of feelings and emotions flourish, where the flowers  of dreams and wishes blossom and the sun of hope never sets. Be free from doubt and despair, live, live with happiness and with love in the garden of your heart. Time to change this graveyard of the living to a garden of life", said Angelica.

Simon was down on his knees and sobbing. Moving her hands from one side to other Angelica set the lights of feelings, emotions, dreams, wishes and hope in motion. They started to circle above Simon's head. He looked up with swollen eyes and face wet with tears. The lights circled faster and faster until they merged and became one beam of brilliant white light. "Let go of doubt, welcome hope and happiness back into your life", said Angelica as she pointed the beam towards Simon's heart. The entire beam of light  entered his heart. Simon felt calm, he felt peace return to his heart. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a beautiful garden. There were beautiful plants and flowers, his heart was no longer a graveyard of the living! He stood up and looked around in joy. Though Angelica was gone, there in the middle of the garden stood a statue of the angel. It would always remind him that it doesn't end till its actually over.

He looked to the east and saw the sun rising. His face glowed in the morning sun and that's when he opened his eyes. He looked around and realise he was in bed. A shaft of sunlight entered through the open window and lit up his face. He got up and sat in bed. With a smile on his face he recollected his dream. Was it just a dream or a message from the universe? He took it to be the latter. He decided to make conscious effort that day to never give up, to never assume that his feelings, emotions, dreams, hope and other virtues were dead and to live happily with faith in heart.