In an island surrounded by deep green waters, there existed an alluring forest in its center. Only a few people lived on the outskirts of the island, having created families after fleeing from war. They were scavengers for food, often choosing to stay apart to avoid tension, possibly because they didn’t wish to socialize after enduring disastrous experiences.
However, the oldest among them always encouraged the group to meet up, share experiences, and possibly console each other during these trying times. She also warned the group not to venture deep into the forest, as she found it strange that no wild animals ever seemed to wander around.
In this group, there was a mother and her child. The mother was a wanderer and scavenger, and the boy was often left alone. He craved attention, but life was not easy for the two. His mother would leave early in the morning, and by the time the boy woke up, he was left with loneliness. However, his mother always left him something to eat, and each day she warned him never to step out of the house when she was not with him.
Bored like every other day and wanting to challenge his loneliness, he decided to unlock his door and step outside. As he stepped out, he felt the wind playfully brushing his hair. He started playing with stones, leaves, and twigs, creating little play buddies with his made-up stories; it was his way of feeling included in a world of joyful nonsensicals.
That day, just before his mother returned, the boy went back inside, planning to keep his adventure a secret. It remained a secret for the next few days as well, as his mother never noticed any changes. One day, while playing in the courtyard of his little house, he noticed something moving in the bushes.
From within the bushes, he saw green sparkly eyes. Emerging was a man in torn clothes, old and wrinkly, but with a somewhat pleasant aura, although his clothes barely clung to his body as if they had completed their role and wanted to be free. The stranger came out and asked the boy, “What time is it? Which day, month, and year am I in?”
The boy answered based on the weather and what his mother had told him. Hearing the answer, the slight smile at the corner of the man’s lips faded—it was as if he had heard bad news. Immersed in his thoughts, the man was interrupted when the boy asked, “Who are you?”
“I am a teacher of the universe. Who are you?” the man replied.
The boy was puzzled—a teacher? He didn’t know school existed on the island. He had always thought that life on the island was all about getting by; there was no learning. If there had been, his mother would have sent him. He asked again, “Which school? I haven’t seen anything like that here.”
The stranger, amazed by his query, pointed towards the forest and answered, “I teach in the universe—it exists there. I teach kids like you and often train them on subjects that allow them to become great leaders of life and the universe. But who are you, and where do you live?”
The boy pointed to his hut and said he lived there.
“Can I check this place out?” the stranger asked. The boy, knowing enough about the world to recognize that strangers could bring danger, changed the subject. “What were you doing by the bushes?” he asked.
The man pointed towards the big pine tree close to the bushes and replied, “The pit led me here. I was teaching my lesson when I was pushed out.” The boy, not understanding, listened as the man felt he needed to be more descriptive.
He showed the boy his wide bracelet adorned with six sparkly stones that shone in the summer sun, explaining, “These stones appear in my bracelet each time I properly educate students on a life lesson. My teacher told me that once I collect four stones, the universe would find the next teacher. Even after four stones, the universe showed me no signs, and I assumed I had to continue. But as I was about to get my seventh stone, I was pushed out of the pit.”
“Which pit?” the boy asked, now fully invested in the story. He followed up with another question, “How did you know you would get the seventh stone?”
The man was pleased to have his attention and started walking towards the bush, and unknowingly, the boy followed him.
As the man pushed the bush aside, the boy saw millions of pine trees with large roots all tangled. Each pine was home to many birds and even bats, and to his surprise, he saw that the pine trees had inner passageways that were not completely visible to his eyes.
The man continued, “Once I train you, my stones will break along with my bracelet, and I can return to live on the surface again.”
The boy, curious and slightly overwhelmed, asked, “Where is your family?”
The man looked at the boy, then back toward the bush, and after a moment of silence, he said, “It’s all about perception — you will see.”
As they walked through the tangled roots and hidden passageways of the pine trees, the boy’s bracelet felt heavier with every step. He was entering a world he never knew existed beneath the familiar landscape of the island. The man led him deeper into the forest, where the light dimmed and the air cooled. They arrived at a large, open cavern, illuminated by bioluminescent plants and stones that cast a soft glow on the walls.
“This,” the man gestured broadly with his arms, “is where we learn and teach. This is where beings from the underground and the surface converge to share knowledge and maintain the balance of our world.”
The boy was awestruck. He saw beings of various shapes and sizes, some with features he had never imagined. They moved about, some studying intently, others teaching, and all coexisting peacefully. The boy felt a sense of unity and purpose, something that had been missing from his life on the surface.
Over the next few months, the boy immersed himself in learning about the laws of nature, the stories of the universe, and the intricate balance of life both above and below the ground. He lost track of time, absorbed in his newfound purpose.
During this period, as promised, the man’s bracelet cracked, the stones breaking apart, marking the end of his duty as a teacher. The man smiled at the boy, now a young learner brimming with knowledge and confidence.
“Remember,” the man said, his voice echoing slightly in the large cavern, “what we perceive as boundaries are often just illusions. You have the power to see beyond them.”
The boy watched the man walk away, and a thought lingered: where would the teacher go? He was just beginning to think about himself when the beings around him looked at him, as if asking him to teach.
And just like that, the day came when the fourth stone embedded itself in the boy’s bracelet. As he began his lesson, he was suddenly pushed out of the pine tree and into the bushes. Emerging from the foliage, he saw two girls playing alone.
He walked towards them.