Buzz. Buzz. “Oh now what?” Someone along the line thought it would be fun to code Fer Elise into the phone’s ring tones, but did it as a vibration mode. I’m not really sure what the master would have thought of that. You pick up the phone and hit the answer button. “Hello?”
“Hi Jin! It’s me.” I call out. “I gather you’re not quite awake yet. Did you have a good night?”
You smile, “Yeah, It was good. What time is it anyway?”
“Well, you phone should be able to tell you that, but it’s 2 in the afternoon.” I answer. “Would you be interested in getting some fresh air? Might help wak you up.”
“Ok, what did you have in mind?”
“Well, I was out shopping this morning, and I found a bottle of wine that I had no idea was still available. A good deal. I realized that as long as I’ve known you Jin, I’ve never treated you to my favorite wine. I was thinking of going over to Knobb hill, get a little walk going up the hill, and we could have some wine and cheese at the top. It’s a beautiful day, and I would love to share a part of it with a good friend. I can pick you up in an hour if you would like. Give you a chance to get some of the sleep out of your eyes, and ready to go. See you then?”
“OK, sounds good.”
“See you in 60 min Jin.” and you hear the phone disconnect.
“Why did I agree to do that again?” you ask yourself. “I know he’s a good friend, but, Well, OK, he’s a great guy. Lots of fun to hang around with. Never pushy, doesn’t stare at my boobs, seems to know where my eyes are, almost as if he’s more interested in what’s inside of me than anything else. OK, I’m going.” you laugh.
An hour later you hear my bike pull up. You throw on your jacket, grab your helmet and are putting it on as you step out the front door. You nestle in behind me, arms around my chest, and lay your head against my back. As we take off, I can feel you singing as the vibrations shake your chest against my back. It’s one of the things I love about riding with you.
The road flows away behind us as we ride over to Knobb hill. The parking lot is pretty much empty. Well, it is 3 in the afternoon. I bring the bike to a stop in a parking spot, you get off the bike, your hair tousled behind you. I shut down the bike, get it on it’s stand, lock it, and grab the saddle bags. We each take our helmets off, and hang them from the frame of the bike under the seat, and lock that down as well. You brush out your hair one last time, I love how you can do that. “Let’s go!” I declare. I throw the saddle bags over my shoulder, reach out a hand to you, and wave to the trail head. “The world awaits presently for a good friend to enjoy.”
You laugh and grab my hand almost pulling me along. “Yes! Let’s!” you declare, and we are off.
As we step into the woods, there is an old sign that reads “Foresta de Memories: The forest of memories, dreams and more. Hold on.” which you think ends oddly.
“Hold on? I wonder what that’s all about?” you muse.
“Well, there are stories of people who have some strange memories after a walk through the woods.” I reply. “I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t think I’ve ever had an experience like that. How about you?”
“Nope. So tell me about the wine.” you say.
Walking through the forest, the main lane is broad and well traveled, but there are hundreds of side trails, some look fairly well traveled, others look like they are little more than a trail for a mouse on it’s daily walk.
I start talking about the discovery of the wine at the store. It’s one of those conversations that takes little more than an occasional ‘Hmm’ or ‘Uh huh’ on your part, and your mind begins to wander.
And wander it does. All of a sudden you look around, I’m not there any more, but you are in a room, lined in shelves, most of the shelves are filled with fine wooden boxes. Beautifully carved, some with hasps, some with out. ‘Someone cares a great deal for what is inside these boxes. But what hapend, I was on the trail up Knob hill with my friend?’ you think to yourself.
“You still are. See?” and an image of the two of us walking along the trail is displayed in front of you. “I see we have a little bit of time. I’m Vakt, keeper of your friend’s memories. Welcome. He cares for these memories more than even he is aware of. You are the first person I’ve met who he cares enough about to be open to sharing even a part of them with. Even if he is unaware that it is happening.”
“Well, it has been an odd day. Might as well enjoy the experience.” Jin replies.
“Good!” Vakt replies, “A curious Jin is someone who can make magic happen at turning points.”
“Oh great another joker who treats my name like I’m a Djihn, which I most certainly am not.” you say as you roll your eyes.
“Perhaps not.” Vakt responds laughing, “Just the same, magic can happen around you.”
Vakt explains “This is the memory storage room for your friend. Each box is for a friend, a lover, a family member, someone who did something marvelous in his life, and a few people that he has done nothing more than dream about. Being here means that you are welcome to learn about some of his past. Oh, he would talk about them, but long ago he learned that most people don’t want to hear about other people in someone’s life. So while they are as precious as the boxes make them appear, they are only shared with the curious, who ask. While you are completely welcome, and you can spend as much time as you would like right now, once you are back on that path, there isn’t much time left. And while you may return, it will never be the same.
“Why do some boxes have locks on them?” You ask.
“Various reasons. Let’s start with this one.” Vakt pulls out a key and removes the lock. Takes the box down and the two of you sit at a coffee table. Vakt puts the box on the floor next to the table, opens the lid and lifts out the contents and spreads them over the table. The image of a beautiful woman appears. She dances, long flowing gown, hair almost floating, later you see your friend and her dancing together, first hand in hand ball room dancing, then later on, in a slow embrace, bodies pressed together, kissing. You see the two of them making love slowly, deliberately, and at times enthusiastically. And as time progresses, you see them separate. Close to the end of the collection of memories you see her in a wedding dress. Your friend is there, but he’s not the groom. That’s his best friend, or was at the time. There is a piece of paper. A note for the memories, but clearly not one that was given to anyone else. “My dearest June, Thank you for some wonderful memories. They will live forever inside of me. I’m truly happy to see you two together and happy. You are both blessed, and treasured as friends.”
“I feel like I know this woman.” you say.
“Oh, you do. She wasn’t his first love, or the most intense of them, but they are still good friends, and you’ve seen them often.” Vakt replies. “June looks a bit different these days. And she is still madly in love with her husband. Your friend knows that, and he is the one who put the lock on the box. Oh, he still sees the beauty in her. But he does not wish to come between the two of them. So he locked up these memories, they are to be cherished, but they are a danger for him, and he knows it. Oh, his best friend knows that his wife and your friend were lovers at one time, but he also knows that it is over. Locked away, treasured but only to be experienced in the past.”
“How are they organized? The boxes that is.” You ask.
“Mostly they are organized by how important the memory is to him.” Vakt replies as he puts the box back on the top shelf, and locks it again. “Also with some order of time. Way over there are some of the oldest memories. People whom he has not seen in most of his life.” Let me show you. Vakt pulls down a box, comes back over to the table and pulls out the memories putting them on the table. “This was Dawn. When they met, your friend was 6 years old, and they only knew each other for a couple of years.” The memories playing back show them playing baseball with Dawn’s sisters, fades to building snowmen, having a snowball fight, fades to out picking raspberries, and talking about the difference between boy’s and girls. They show each other theirs, though he is strangely scared at the time. “He found out that she got married a few years back. But hasn’t been back to even say hello.”
“Will he? It looks like she was someone he thought about a lot. The box looks like it is handled more than many of the others.” you note.
“That’s a good question. I think he doesn’t really see the need. He has his memories and he knows he is not the person he was then, and by extension she is not either. She was about as close to a girlfriend as a 6 year old can get I suppose, but again, it was a long time ago.”
“What is with the boxes near the bottom there? really unimportant people?”
“Nope. all people are important to him. However at the bottom are friends and people whom nothing ever happened with, though they are the foundations for many a dream.”
“What do you mean? Foundations for dreams?” you ask.
“Yes. Some are people he met, but for whatever reason they never got beyond knowing each other’s names. Robin for example.” And he pulls out a thin box bringing it back to the table. The memory unfolds as a stunningly beautiful high school student. There is a strange mist surrounding some of the memories. “He knew her from middle elementary school, on up till they both graduated from high school. They sat next to each other in some classes, and he was infatuated with her, but later on she always seemed to be interested in older guys. The fogginess around some of the memories are an indication that they are dreams.” And the memories go back on the shelf.
As you look over the shelves, you see what looks like someone took a sledge hammer to a section. The boxes are intact, but the shelving is clearly damaged. “What happened there?” There is one box with a different type of lock on it. Not just locked to the shelf, but sealed. On top of it there is another box.
“That is from when he was married.” Vakt responds. Not even I can open the double locked box. It requires both his, and my agreement. However we both agreed that there are memories involved worth keeping available.” And he pulls down the box sitting on top. As the memories unroll, the most beautiful woman yet appears. Walking, holding hands. Memories of her pregnant, giving birth, nursing a son, and a daughter. The memory positively shines with love. Times shared in embraces, dancing, making love. There is a lot in there.
“She looks wonderful.” you say. “I can see why he loved her. But why the damage to the shelves?”
That is the result of the other box. The one I can not show you. All I can say is that when his marriage fell apart, it nearly destroyed him. The things he would do, The memories are locked away because they are important to him. They are locked this way because he knows that they can destroy him. As they nearly did then.”
“It did change him though. He’s never quite been the same since. Oh he still loves people, but he is a lot more cautious about giving his heart fully to anyone. That’s part of what June found, and why she moved on. It still tears at him, and I wonder at times if he will ever love someone completely again. Though I know that he wants to.”
“It is a big reason that so few boxes have hasps after that though. Only a few ever got to the point where he felt it was necessary that he put the memories away for good.”
As you look over the shelves you see that there are a few worn spots that don’t have boxes in them. “What are those spots?” you ask.
“Oh, those are boxes in the making. Good friends, women he’s interested in. Because they are in progress, I can’t really show you the memories of them, but I can show you what he sees.”
“Oh? OK.”
Vakt picks up a box from the table. shavings show that the box is almost complete. Clearly there is a position reserved to add a hasp, though carving could be extended into the area as well.
As Vact places the contents on the table, an amazingly beautiful woman appears. “I wish I looked like that!” you declare. Vakt smiles. The woman dances beautifully, sings with a clear and distinct voice, in there is a sad harmony keeping pace. A smile that can warm a room. A familiar laugh. “Who is this?”
“Someone he loves very much, but who is not aware of his feelings. She is someone he considers a very good friend, and would probably be willing to share the rest of his life with, but he also knows that she’s had her share of trouble with guys. What you see is what he sees, not necessarily what you would see of the same person. In fact you probably don’t see the same things, but that’s OK.”
“One other for now.” Vakt takes the box to the table, and brings back another. What is revealed is a stunningly beautiful woman. Someone who cares deeply for those around her, shares of herself. She’s been hurt of late, and you can see that your friend is sad because of the hurt, and is doing what little he feels he can to help this woman. She is also someone he clearly loves.
“That will do for now Jin.” You and your friend are getting close to the top of the hill. He is beginning to wonder if you are really paying attention, all the ‘Hmm..’ and ‘Uh huh’s are beginning to get him concerned. Usually you are more talkative. I think he’s chalking it up to you having a late night last night. He did wake you at 2 this afternoon right?’
“Yes, it was a wonderful night. I wish he could have been there to enjoy it as well.”
“Hmph. It probably would have done him some good, but he doesn’t know that does he?” Vakt asked. “In any case you should know that he’s about to put another friend’s memories on the shelf, and he’s not really happy about it. What happens at the top of the hill can be magic. He does love you a lot after all, even if all you know is a good friend. You can take that any direction you want to go. I don’t know if letting you experience this part of him is a good idea. But I’ve seen enough of you to know that you do care about your friend and the people around you, so perhaps. He trusts you. Which isn’t freely given. But he’s not going to survive another experience like he had with the woman who was his wife.
Fade back to the trail, we’re near the top. “Hey here we are.” There’s a couple of boulders over there with a flat spot next to them. I pull out a picknic blanket from the saddle bags and spread it out. From the other bag I pull out the block of cheese, the bottle of wine, a bottle opener and a pair of glasses from the blanket side of the bags. We sit, our backs to boulders, I open the bottle and pour for each of us. Look into your eyes and toast you. ‘Jin, one of the loveliest women It’s been my fortune to be friends with.” look off to the view the hill provides and raise my glass “The world before, where no one knows it shall lead, to friends, family, love, and memories, may they be everything we aspire to.”
