The Rice Paddy
A Short Story
Hello dear humans,
Emerging from ceremony, this story came through. I also have two new essays I’ll be publishing here in the next weeks. Thank you for being my relatives.
The Rice Paddy
She opened her eyes and saw nothing but green. She was lying on a soft bed of rice stalks, surrounded by an endless field of the same. The sky above was a bright blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily. She felt a gentle breeze on her face and heard the rustling of the plants.
She had no idea where she was or who she was. She tried to remember something, anything, but her mind was blank. She felt a pang of fear and confusion, but also a strange sense of peace and calm.
She got up and looked around. There was no sign of civilization or life, except for the rice paddy. She wondered if she was dreaming or dead. She felt a pulse in her wrist and a breath in her lungs. She was alive, but for what purpose?
She decided to walk and see if she could find anything. She walked for what seemed like hours, but the scenery never changed. She felt neither hunger nor thirst, neither fatigue nor pain. She felt nothing at all.
She was about to give up and lie down again when she saw something in the distance. It looked like a metal box on wheels, with two arms and a head. It was moving towards her, slowly but steadily.
She felt a surge of curiosity and fear. What was this thing? Was it friendly or hostile? Should she run or stay?
She decided to stay and see what it wanted. It stopped in front of her and looked at her with two glowing eyes.
"Hello," it said in a robotic voice. "I am here to help you."
"Help me?" she asked. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"I am R-47, a robotic assistant," it said. "You are in the rice paddy, the place where souls return between incarnations."
"Souls? Incarnations?" she repeated, feeling more confused than ever.
"Yes," it said. "You are a soul, a spark of divine light. You have lived many lives on many worlds, but you have forgotten them all. You are here to remember who you truly are before you incarnate again."
"Incarnate again?" she asked. "Why would I do that?"
"Because that is your choice," it said. "You have free will. You can choose to stay here or to go back to the physical realm. But before you make your choice, you should know yourself better."
"How can I do that?" she asked.
"By drinking tea," it said.
"Tea?" she asked.
"Yes," it said. "Follow me."
It turned around and started moving again. She followed it, feeling more curious than afraid.
They reached a small wooden table with two chairs and a teapot on it. There was an old woman and a young man sitting on the chairs, smiling at her.
"Hello, dear," the old woman said in a warm voice. "We've been expecting you."
"Who are you?" she asked.
"We are your guides," the young man said in a cheerful voice. "We are here to help you remember."
"Remember what?" she asked.
"Everything," they said in unison.
They gestured for her to sit down on the empty chair. She did so hesitantly.
The old woman poured some tea into a cup and handed it to her.
"Drink this," she said gently. "It will help you."
She took the cup and looked at the tea. It was clear and colorless, like water.
She smelled it and felt nothing.
She sipped it and tasted nothing.
She drank it all and waited for something to happen.
Nothing happened.
She looked at them expectantly.
They smiled at her patiently.
"Give it some time," the old woman said softly. "It will work soon."
She nodded and waited some more.
Nothing happened.
She started to feel frustrated and bored.
She opened her mouth to say something when she felt a sudden jolt in her head.
She gasped and closed her eyes.
She saw flashes of images and heard snippets of sounds.
She saw faces and places, names and dates, joys and sorrows, loves and hates.
She saw herself as different people in different times and places, living different lives with different purposes.
She saw herself as a farmer, a soldier, a teacher, a doctor, a thief, a king, a slave, a saint, a sinner, a hero, a villain, a man, a woman, a child, an animal, a plant, a rock...
She saw herself as everything and nothing at all.
She felt a rush of emotions and sensations, from ecstasy to agony, from bliss to despair, from love to hate, from peace to war, from life to death.
She felt everything and nothing at all.
She felt herself expanding and contracting, growing and shrinking, merging and separating, creating and destroying.
She felt herself as one and many, as part and whole, as finite and infinite.
She felt herself as a soul, ancient and fresh as morning dew.
She opened her eyes and saw the old woman and the young man looking at her with compassion and understanding.
They nodded at her silently.
She smiled.
They smiled back.
They drank some more tea.
They talked about her past lives, her lessons learned, her karma balanced, her soul evolved.
They talked about her future lives, her choices made, her challenges faced, her soul expressed.
They talked about her present life, her purpose here, her role there, her soul awakened.
They talked about everything and nothing at all.
They talked as souls.
She felt a deep connection with them, a bond of love and trust.
She remembered they were not strangers, but friends.
She remembered they were not guides, but equals.
She remembered they were not others, but herself.
She remembered they were all one being.
She thanked them for their help and their company.
They thanked her for the same.
They hugged each other warmly.
They got up from the table and walked towards the metal box on wheels.
R-47 was waiting for them, ready to take them to their next destination.
They climbed inside and sat down.
The old woman and the young man looked at her with a gentle smile.
"Are you ready?" they asked her.
She nodded confidently.
She was ready.
She had remembered who she truly was.
She had remembered why she was here.
She had remembered what she wanted to do.
She had made her choice.
She looked out of the window and saw the rice paddy fading away.
She saw a new world appearing in front of her eyes.
A world of her choosing.
A world of her creation.
A world of her incarnation.
She felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.
She felt a spark of light.