Who knew that one day my life would go absolutely shit!? Losing everybody I love. Losing relationships with people who I thought would never leave me.
Now I just sit in the rain pouring down my face.
Now I can't even afford basic necessities after losing my job.
My will to live? Gone. Perished away.
Now I live in a tent with nothing left to my name. As I look up to the sky, I, Gidoh, cry out: "GOD WHY!? Why ME? Why must I suffer when I have done no wrong?"
As the tears roll down my face, sitting all alone with no one to comfort me. Laying on top of this park bench, my head is heavy, thoughts unwavering, struggling to breathe, trying to accept the situation I'm in.
I put my head down, hoping something tragic would happen to me so I could leave this earth, as I have nothing left to share with the world.
An object flies from the air and hits me in the back of my head.
"Aw shit, what the fuck was that!?" Gidoh said angrily.
Looking down at the ground, I eventually realize what hit me was a book. As I bend over to pick it up, questioning how I get hit by a book of all things?
I read the title and see its name:
"The Distant Flower That Blooms of Empathy?"
I stared at it questionably.
"How could my life get any worse? God, you've already left me with nothing. What more is there worth living for?"
Hate filled his voice:
"And now you throw a book at ME!?"
Gidoh starts to think—why a book? Holding it in his hands, looking at it, analyzing it. This thick ordinary book does nothing for him except grow his anger.
Puzzled, scared, and hurt, for some odd reason this book now in his possession emits an aura of warmth, love, and understanding.
"Heh… maybe this is my last sign from God…"
"Oh, what the hell am I saying!? Look at the situation I'm in," he said as his last sliver of hope diminished away.
As he sits upon this lifeless park bench with a book in his hand, regretting within the rain, knowing it does him no good. He looks up to the sky once more and sees it starting to get dark. Plain and bleak, stripped of the sun's beautiful, enticing rays of light that he can't bear to bask in.
He took the book he deemed useless with him, walking his way back to his tent that resided within a back alleyway between a few run-down shops and crappy homes that harbored no people.
Exhausted and hurt, he zips open his tent and throws the book inside before stepping within. Wet and cold, he lays down, resting his head on the hard, uncomfortable ground—not even a pillow nor blanket to rest upon.
He curls himself up, holding the book within his arms. Sleepiness showers over him. His eyes grow heavy, head empty, body motionless—almost as if he were a dead body, a lifeless husk one might call it.
Before closing his eyes, he takes one more glance at the book and repeats its name once more:
"The Distant Flower That Blooms of Empathy."
Maybe I'll read it, he thought to himself, having nothing left to do.
Gidoh finally falls asleep.
Little did he know the wonders of the book he held close to him.
The book suddenly starts to glow, letting out an aura of warmth surrounding Gidoh's resting body, keeping him warm with life and love. Then suddenly, words begin to flow from the book, lifting into the air. Life pours from its pages—lush greenery and flowers envelop the tent, sealing Gidoh in a chrysalis.
Mother Gaia descends.
The roots of the earth surround the outside of the tent. She takes a step and speaks:
"Oh my child, how you've suffered. This is only one of four trials you must endure."
Sorrow fills her eyes, her tone heavy with sadness. Mother Gaia takes her beautiful, soft green hands and gently brushes Gidoh's face before finally speaking once more:
"This is the best I can do for you at the moment. We shall meet once again."
She slowly ascends, bright lights following her, showering the dark night as if the sun had suddenly appeared once more—then disappearing within a passing moment.
The beautiful world that emerged from the book slowly flows back into its pages, almost as if this anomaly never happened. The only thing left behind is a single distant flower, reverting back into a seed, lying upon the book's cover.
And Gidoh—soft and sound asleep—with a smile upon his face.
Day arrives, and the blazing sun showers Gidoh, letting him know that morning has come.
"So bright… I can't even have the luxury of a good sleep," he mutters in a dreadful tone.
Gidoh rises from the rough ground he slept on and opens the tent to go outside, but suddenly a voice calls out to him.
"Gidoh…"
The unknown voice calls faintly.
He looks around and sees no one. Confused, he listens closely. He lives in a tent within an alley surrounded by abandoned buildings—there is no one around. Who could be calling his name?
Each time the voice calls him, it draws him back toward the tent. Gidoh slowly approaches the entrance and, with anticipation, enters.
Inside, the book floats in the air.
Gidoh can't believe what he sees. The book is flying!? As he approaches, he notices a seed surrounded by mystical energy.
"What the hell is going on!?" he says in shock.
Was it magic? Has he gone crazy? As he creeps closer, words once again fly from the pages, surrounding him.
The voice speaks again, its tone snarky:
"It seems you are one of the chosen, those laughable beings… I can't believe Mother has chosen you."
"What?"
Gidoh is confused, this unnerving spectacle presented to him.
"Who is Mother?"
"What do you mean, chosen?"
Before he can finish asking—
The seed shoots roots at him with shocking speed. They strike his forehead and begin merging with his body. Gidoh feels power surge through his veins, connecting with his mind. His body lifts into the air.
Words from the book flood his thoughts. His eyes glow. Light radiates from his body.
An explosion of power erupts, blowing the tent apart and destroying the surrounding area. Plants, vines, and trees rapidly form, encasing him in another chrysalis.
The pain is overwhelming. His mind is flooded with information, and he loses consciousness.
The unknown voice speaks once more:
"It seems he successfully merged with it. Now he must finish the test within the dreamscape."
The seed takes shape, forming into an earth-like spirit—its skin covered in flowers, body entwined with vines and stone, a godly aura emanating from it.
"Time to head to that place…"
A portal shatters time and space. The being steps inside and disappears.
He would soon come to understand the trials it spoke of and how Gidoh's life had changed. Only then would he truly understand the path set before him—the contents of the book that fell from the sky—and that his journey had only just begun.
We must now dive deep into his mindscape, to a place where dreams and nightmares prevail.