The Hermit

It was a frosty February night in 2009, just before 9 o’clock on a side road in central London. The street was empty except for the odd car passing by. I was walking with my backpack on my shoulder, taking short cuts to get to the Tube. I was feeling particularly sad and lonely that evening. Walking the empty streets of a metropolitan city like London, which I did most of the time, would do that to me. It had been several months since my relationship with Emma had ended. I was trying to let go but I was not able to, at least not for long enough to move on. I knew ending the relationship was for the better but my memories would replay scenarios that kept raising raw emotions of rejection.

I saw a man up ahead kneeling with his forehead completely to the floor, arms stretched out and palms faced up. I had seen many homeless people during my city walks but this person was different. He remained completely stationary in that vulnerable begging position even as I stopped in front of him. Without thinking I took out a few pounds from my wallet and placed them lightly onto his palms. He did not move and somehow I did not expect him to, but I knew he was grateful. I continued to walk with the image of the homeless man ingrained in my head. Suddenly I felt a strange presence looking at me. Out of no where a woman approached me quietly. Her black hair was tide back tightly, her face was completely plain but she held a slight curious smile towards me. She was wearing a very long, thick brown skirt reaching down to her black shoes and a tanned wool jacket buttoned all the way up. I couldn’t help thinking how bland her clothes were.

“Excuse me, can I ask you something?” she asked politely.

I stopped and thought that she must be another person asking for money. I was apprehensive but I nodded anyway.

“What does God mean to you?”, she proceeded to inquire.

I didn’t think, the words just came rushing out of me. “God is everything and in everything”, I responded.

“Do you mean to tell me that God is even in that piece of paper on the floor there?” she asked sarcastically with a slight grin.

“Why must you be so narrow minded?” I responded a bit arrogantly. “You see our problem is that we are always fixated on one insignificant part of the whole. We need to step back and see the true picture. Don’t take my statement about God and then point at that piece of paper that obviously means nothing to either of us.” I concluded.

“How did you reach such mature thoughts? You seem so young” she asked curiously.

“I have always been searching for meaning in everything, ever since I was a child” I answered.

“Then let me give you this” the woman said as she opened her bag. She pulled out a tiny copper cup and handed it over to me.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“This is a gift, to drink some water from while you walk. Perhaps it will help you in your search” the woman said.

I am generally a cautious person and it was unlike me to just accept things from strangers. However I sensed something strangely mystical and magnetic towards the cup, so I accepted. I also felt humbled considering my slightly arrogant answer before.

“I’ll leave you now, my children are waiting for me” she said never losing her smile which now seemed warmer and reassuring.

We parted and continued on our way in opposite directions. As I walked a few steps ahead I looked back but she had oddly disappeared. I opened my backpack and took out a small bottle of water. I poured a little into the tiny copper cup. It didn’t take much for it to be full to the rim. What could be the harm I thought. At that instant the color of the water turned to copper and began emitting a bright light that I could feel reflected on my face. I dipped the tip of my index finger into it to test it was safe. The liquid was incredibly cold and when I removed my finger, I could see it was resonating in multi-color wave forms. It looked as though it was a foreign object that I had never laid eyes on before. I was in complete awe. I sipped it slowly, analyzing for any strange tastes that could potentially harm me with my lips and tongue. Fortunately the drink was unbelievably fresh and invigorating. I put the cup and the bottle in my backpack and continued on down the street. In no time, my mind became clear and void of any worry or trouble. My eyes began shaking rapidly and I had the widest smile on my face. After a few steps I felt my feet become lighter as though I was walking on air. I looked around and although I felt fine, everything around me became slightly more fuzzy. The lights were much brighter and dance with each other. The street, the trees and the road became grainy as though I was seeing their texture through a microscope. Everything around me became conscious and pulsated with life. All my loneliness began to fade and a feeling of reassurance overwhelmed me from within. I understood that it was time to move on with my life. I understood why she fell out of love for me. She had every right to feel the way she did. I made mistakes. Even though she was not honest. It was fine, she did it because she knew the truth would hurt me. Forgiveness brought such sweet relief. My mind continued to wander on to so many issues I felt I had been struggling with. My parents, my friends, my job, my self image, there were so many thoughts racing through my mind but they did not burden me anymore.

I continued to walk in amazement until I came upon an extraordinary sight. There was an old white bearded man wearing a long hooded robe. He held a wooden cane in one hand and a lantern containing a bright light within. Without looking at me he said softly, “Another one”.

“Who are you?” I asked in astonishment.

“They call me the Hermit. I’ve been searching since the beginning of time holding this light here in helping people find what they are searching for” he responded.

“Do you know what I am searching for?” I asked.

“You are just trying hard to stop feeling bad because of that woman you think you lost. You are simply feeling unloved and unworthy. I have had countless love struck souls come searching my way. Romance seems to be a very big source of unhappiness with your kind. I mean the amount of music you creatures write and sing on the subject!” he laughed out loud. “So many of your problems where just thoughts of how different your life is to what you want it to be. But one little sip from the potion and you were able to make sense of the truth behind your relationship” he explained. “What about that homeless man you handed money to generously?” The Hermit questioned. “he was searching for food, the most basic requirements for living. If it wasn’t for his gratitude, the woman wouldn’t have approached you. You should be grateful to him for this glimpse to how wonderful your life could be”.

“What do you mean by glimpse?” I responded in confusion.

“The cup she gave you was just a passing gift. You humans seem to think every gift is yours to keep. If you want to return to this state then you must learn to create the potion from within” the Hermit explained.

“But what if I drank from the cup again?” I asked anxiously.

“Cup? What cup will you drink from? ” the Hermit said looking directly at me with an eerily similar grin as the woman that handed me the cup.

I pulled my bag off my shoulder and unzipped it to check for the cup. The inside was pitch black, there was no cup, no bottle, no note book, no mobile phone, nothing! To my horror an image of my face came out of the blackness with my eyes staring back at me. I fell backwards in shock, I felt my heart racing erratically. I looked up to the Hermit but he was gone. My vision had returned to how it was before drinking the potion. I looked around frantically and found the world as it was before I drank from the cup. A wave of grief took hold of me and tears began to run down my face uncontrollably. All my emotions that I was holding on to were being released. I stood there crying for a few moments until I realized that I was truly given a gift and my tears can be that of gratitude instead of despair.

I dried my face with my jacket sleeve and checked my bag. I decided to feel it from the outside first before looking inside again. I felt the plastic bottle of water and my notebook. I looked inside carefully and saw that the everything was there except for the cup.

I picked up my mobile phone and checked the screen. It was still 9pm.