The Hoax of PeacetanA Story by Sami Khalil Real peace is within...
The Hoax of Peacetan …………By
Sami Khalil Peace is found within… He saw the sun descend upon the
heathered hills of Peacetan. Time rushed past his pondering thoughts, slipping
through fingers as fish. The welding of old days had its tugs and pulls as a renaissance
of boyish eagerness. He bowed his head, praying in silence, while the umbrella
tree was yawning above him. Caravans trundled in and out of the famed city,
which had four gates guarded by wraiths from all sides: The eye of the needle, eye of the
tiger, eye of the storm, and the evil eye. He was a new pilgrim on a mission; had
a curious mien to him that can arouse suspicion in others. He always wanted to
visit the city and experience the pilgrimage. At least he will be closer to
God, he supposed. Had he not fled the assault of the breathless coffins in his
hometown, he would have become a vandal like them in the making. He sought
peace that was lacking in the world of wiseacres. Although his courage had
broken symmetry, he still would venture away from the quiver and crumble of
human nature. Even so, when legends of Peacetan reached high and wide and were
published back home, readers lapped it up in record numbers, for they all had
broken dreams that needed mending. He thought to himself, well, everyone has
burdens. Some buckle underneath, and some rise up to the challenge. Some sweep
them under the rug, others confront them. The main goal in life is not finding
happiness, so to speak, but to find peace and balanced harmony. As he kept
thinking, he fell asleep in deep state. Rain drops woke him up at dawn as he
felt the convivial rays of the sun penetrating his hollow joints. At a
distance, he saw flashing swords, clashing in a battle, outside the eye of the
tiger gate. Blood was almost to the knees, while bodies were strewn for miles,
as the battle raged on for hours where shadows of death hesitated to announce
victory. Looking across the eye of the needle gate, he saw large processions of
golden coffin boxes shimmering in refractive patterns. Mourners were chanting
in an innominate language with great dolor befalling them. Looking towards the
evil eye gate, he saw people fleeing in different directions from the auguries
of its curse. They wore ornate amulets around their necks for protection. Some
held lamps, even in the daylight, to ward off evil spirits. Toward the eye of
the storm, people wandered aimlessly, but with veiled eyes of true grit, while
the fulsome harvest was at hand. All of a sudden, he felt with certitude a kind
of hunger and thirst, immovable though with feet as clay for it was getting
after the noon hour. Out of nowhere, an old man carrying a basket of fruit,
approached him with the offering. He said: “Son, no need to be unduly alarmed! Call me the (seven lightening bolts). I inhabited these mountains for generations. I watched the city grow, prosper and fall from its humble origins of vineyard grooves, from its varied landscape to its famed nobility. Let me tell you about her secrets. You see the clouds overhead. They come and go. Seasons change. Empires rise and fall. You, as a pilgrim, are not going to find your peace in this city. It is transient. You can only find meaning. Your first vision showed you the spirit of conquering. The second revealed the plight of the rich and powerful cut to size in the end, where none took their golden edifices with them. The third conveyed powerful legends and superstitions, that become a fact of belief. The last one spotlighted the spirit of adventure, taking risk and reaping the fruit. My son, to find true peace is to dig deeper within. Peace is like gravity unseen but felt. It anchors all who find it. A state of oneness and balance it is. Enough talking, let us eat, drink this herbal tea, and be merry.He departed from him after that, saying: “Peace be with you.” © 2018 Sami KhalilReviews
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Added on May 16, 2018Last Updated on May 16, 2018 Author
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