Emerald

“Oh no!” she exclaimed.

Her morning was spent at one of her favorite spots-a bench that looked out over a waterfall.

An ordinary day, but once she made it home, she realized her notebook was left behind. This was not just any notebook. It’d became one of her most prized possessions- a trustworthy and faithful confidant.

The park wasn’t too far from her home, so she hopped back on her bike to reclaim her dear friend.

The bench was empty. The notebook was nowhere to be found. Defeated, she sat down to reminisce and collect herself. The saddened girl was about to head home when something down at the bottom of the waterfall, along the edge of the river caught her eye.

“My journal!” she screamed with eagerness.

There was a fence between her and the waterfall. Oddly enough, there wasn’t anyone around, so she climbed over the fence and headed down the rock wall. She had too! That book held her deepest thoughts, secrets, and wishes. It even had a pretty tree engraved on the cover that she couldn’t just walk away from.

As she carefully scaled the rocks, she slipped and fell bumping her head.

Who knows how long she was out?

Finally, she came to, but something was off. Her brown leather notebook was now black. “Manifesto,” was printed along the spine in gold letters. Never had the two crossed paths but there was an undeniable connection. She picked it up and inside were vibrant emerald-colored pages. Not the ivory pages filled with pieces of her she desperately wanted to retrieve.

Hmm they’re emerald like my name, she pondered.

There was writing on some of the pages, leaving Emerald feeling like a violator of someone’s inner workings.

“Wait, these are my wishes!”

There on the pages were wishes she’d written word for word under many New Moons. Some that came true and some that hadn’t. Confusion came swarming in. It was her writing, her wishes-but just the wishes.

The poems were gone.

Secrets gone.

Emerald decided to take the notebook with her and head home before dark.

How did it get this late? She’d left home at 10:00 a.m.

All the questioned that surfaced led to exhaustion. The puzzled girl tossed the notebook to the ground and lied in bed to mourn her loss and get some rest.

3:33 a.m. shined bright red on the clock.

Hmm, that hasn’t happened since I was kid.

She replayed all the times her eyes pierced open at that exact time when she was supposed to be recharging for school the next day. Too many thoughts raced through her mind to go back to sleep. What better time to meditate than after such an unexplainably eventful day?

“Inhale, exhale”

With each breathe she let go; losing track of time and transcending the barriers of her mind. Somehow during the trance, the notebook and the pen found its way to her hands. On these captivating pages, in her handwriting, was “I’m ready, I’m ready for the adventure of my life.” “It’s time.”

“OK, what is going on here?” she yelped.

Emerald took another look back at the page and watched as each letter appeared:

“T h e a n s w e r s a r e w h e r e y o u f o u n d m e.”

She couldn’t believe her eyes. Quickly, they squeezed shut. Once they opened again the pen was on the floor, and a new entry read: Hurry, time is of the essence.

Unsure of what to do, she paced back and forth. But you know that voice in your head we all try to silence. It screamed at her go, go now! On went her jacket and hiking boots. Never had those bike peddles moved so fast.

Finally, there was the waterfall. The waterfall that mesmerized many before. She peered over the edge one last time, when suddenly it was as if the wind grew arms and pushed her over.

Scared? Freaked out?

Most would be, but this adventurer felt free- freer then ever before. Her body gracefully crashed into the water, with the notebook in hand. A smile stretched from ear to ear.

What happened to my shoes? The soil felt cool beneath her feet.

Where’d the waterfall go? Where am I?

Emerald looked around to find she was in some sort of tunnel. There were so many colors and the walls were laced with the most beautiful flowers anyone could ever imagine. Glares of astonishment traced every speck of the room.

Then, she realized she was empty handed. The black notebook was gone, but in front of her appeared a black treasure chest with the words Manifesto in gold letters, so of course she opened it. Strangely, the key was her palm. In the chest was a gold map with emerald writing.

Is someone playing a trick on me? I dreamed of treasure hunts my entire life and now I’m embarking on one. Bare foot.

The seeker traveled across valleys and hills. There were dinosaurs, mermaids, and dragons- creations you’d normally hear about in folk lore or fairytales. The journey seemed to go on forever and she almost gave up. But she reached a treehouse that had a light on inside. Excitement rushed over her guiding each foot up the stairs. The door swung open and there was the black notebook under a light sitting atop a podium. It was turned to a page that had three things written on it. Three things she’d previously wrote in her long-lost leather journal:

1. Is magic real? If so, show me.

2. I have an abundance of money that I’ll use to save the world from pain, hunger, and hardship!

3. My heart yearns to be free, to roam wildly.

Emerald re- read it a few times with tears rolling down her face. Tears of joy and understanding. Again, she inhaled, and exhaled letting go of disbelief. Then almost in an instance, a 7 ft. woman whose skin was like glowing bronze appeared. In her hands was a bag. The figure handed it to her and said, “Hello star seed, you can pull money from this bag whenever you need for anything you deem important.”

The girl’s jaw dropped. “w-h-a-t?” she stuttered.

“Yes dear, this is your money bag, for you to go and save humanity. Don’t you get it, this is your purpose? You weren’t just manifesting, you were preparing. And we believe in you!”

Miraculously, the aspiring hero was surrounded by giants. Giants who inhaled as one-in unity and as they exhaled, she was carried home by the strength of their breathe.