ZEN
STARDATE 03.10.21
GRAW PROJECT
Omen strolled through the beautiful and serene Zen Garden at a snail’s pace. Beside her flew a Small White Dove.
“Tell me your Tale again, Omen,” the Zen’s Counselor said in a chirping, bird-like voice.
“You already know it,” Omen answered to protect herself. She did not want to tread those harmful and dangerous memories again. “I’ve told it to you several times, Amour.”
“I know,” Amour replied innocently. “But I wish to hear it again. Your perspective on the Tale means everything, because it shows how you perceive the events. Please…indulge me, Number One.”
Omen sighed. The beautiful ghost let her mind slip, allowing ancient memories to surface once again. Memories she did not want to revisit. But she had to…in order to find Meaning.
“When I was a young woman, all I wanted was to Fall in Love, to get Married, and to have a Family. I thought I found that when I met Tregan. He was so gallant, so charming, so thoughtful. I fell head over heels for him. There was nothing else I could think about in life. Later, we got Married. My Dreams were becoming Reality.”
Omen paused. Her voice started to quake. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Amour landed on her shoulder and caressed her head with her wing for support.
“Then my Dreams turned to Nightmares. I came home early one day to find Tregan cheating on me. He was in bed with another woman. I was devastated. My heart cracked open. I ran out of the house. Tregan tried to catch me in order to explain, but I lost him in the woods behind our home. I ran and ran and ran…until I came to the Cliffs overlooking the Ocean. Distraught, Betrayed, and Without Hope, I threw myself from the Cliff, Ending my Life.”
Omen let out a huge sigh. She clearly remembered Dying. She remembered not wanting to Live any Longer. She remembered her Intense Hatred for Tregan. Amour rubbed her soft white feathers against Omen’s head. The Sad Ghost was sometimes Corporeal, if she wished to be.
“Later, I awoke as part of the Geist Haunthood. They had taken me in as one of their own. My Tragic Tale gave me Immortality. I was Reborn as a Living Ghost.”
Omen looked at her own Transparent Hands. They were no longer flesh and blood.
“But with the Geist Haunthood, I lost my Way. Their strange plans for the Graw Project did not sit well with me. I realized that I did not belong with them, even though they were my Brothers and Sisters. So I left and discovered the Warrior Poets. “
Omen stared at the Zen Garden. She looked at the different size stones, each with ripples of sand emanating from them. Could this Dry Landscape be Symbolic for the Events of her own Strange Existence?
“I was intrigued by the Warrior Poet’s Path of Enlightenment. Their Higher Calling to Life really touched something inside of me. So I joined their organization and studied hard, until I became the First Officer aboard the Zen.”
“Which brings us to this moment, the Present,” Amour stated while taking flight once more. She hovered next to Omen. Together, the two admired the Zen Garden’s tranquility.
“Yes, now I am unsure of my Future,” Omen said in a tone of uncertainty. “I want to become a Captain someday. But I’m not sure if I’m ready. I am full of such intense emotions, mostly because of my origins, and they are hard to control. If I become Captain one day, I fear they would put my Crew at risk.”
“And Captain Siddhartha?”
Omen looked at a Statue of Buddha that sat in the middle of the Zen Garden.
“I am Honored and Thankful to Serve under Captain Siddhartha. There is so much I have to Learn from him. He is a Magnificent Warrior Poet. But there are times when…”
“When you can’t Connect with Him?” Amour interjected.
“Yes,” Omen admitted. “He is so far down the Path of Spirituality and Enlightenment, sometimes I can’t even Relate to Him. I try, but it’s so Difficult. It’s like this Zen Garden. See those Ripples? Well, my Ripples just won’t reach far enough to touch Captain Siddhartha’s Rock. It’s like it’s just too far away.”
Amour landed and folded her wings over her body. The beautiful Dove looked up at Omen.
“We All feel that way, Omen. The Warrior Poets are Different Beings, Far Beyond Any of Us. That is Why they are Here. To Show us the Way. To Show us the Possibilities. To Show us what we would Never have Seen by Ourselves.”
Omen nodded her head in agreement. She knew that Amour spoke the Truth.
“Give yourself Time,” Amour said to Omen in a reassuring voice. “Your Destiny will Reveal Itself when it is Ready. You can’t Force it to Happen. Omen, you’ve come a Long Way. You’ve endured Unimaginable Hardship. But it has only made you Stronger. Now, you can use that Inner Strength to aid everyone on the Zen. That’s why you’re Here in this Moment of Time. You will Grow into Something Else, but you have to let it happen Naturally and Organically. Be at Peace with your Current Self, my Friend.”
Omen nodded again in agreement. She willed her hand to become Corporeal and reached down to pet Amour. She lovingly stroked her feathered head and body.
“Thank you Amour. I am grateful to have you to consult with. You are an invaluable Friend. I Treasure what we have Together.”
Amour flew up and landed on Omen’s shoulder.
AND TOGETHER, THE TWO SAT IN SILENCE, STARING AT THE ZEN GARDEN FOR HOURS. THEY DIDN’T DEMAND THAT THE FUTURE REVEAL ITSELF. INSTEAD, THEY JUST APPRECIATED THE GIFTS THAT THE PRESENT GAVE TO THEM.
