“The Golden Ten Days” - The Weekend Freewrite -11/16/2019

This is my entry for this Weekend Freewrite by @mariannewest. A little bit late to post this as we had a friend came over visiting from Bali. We had fun though! I hope you enjoy it!

https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/weekend-freewrite-11-16-2019-part-1-the-first-sentence

https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/weekend-freewrite-11-16-2019-prompt-2-the-interference

https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/the-weekend-freewrite-11-16-2019-part-3-the-dramatic-twist

First Prompt

Spending ten days stuck in my own mind felt like being locked up in a cramped cell with a crazy person and not having any way out.

And those ten days had just began.

Dedicated, Geraldine was on that plane to this remote island with a lake in the middle of it. A free spirit and open minded lady, with lots of stories and memories to share, she decided to take a little break from everything to join a 10-day silent retreat.

It was groundbreaking and her fellow journalists bet on her that she would fly back home couple of days early, before the closing ceremony. They just needed to wait and shall they see.

After posting few live stories while she was up in the air, she continued her journey to the middle of the juggle where a shaman lived. She was familiar about the ayahuasca exciting experiences but this journey wouldn’t include any of those psychedelic ingredients. As she struggled with worries of what’s to come, she started calming her mind to prepare for more than a week long lasting silence.

The bus arrived the next morning in a quaint village with around 200 habitants of this old tribe. Geraldine was welcomed by a young English speaking man in his 20s who was volunteering there as an intern to welcome all retreat guests. She was shown to her cottage with simple furniture, nothing fancy but she had all the neccesity: a room with a thin bed on the floor covered in white linen, a chair and a small table in the corner of the room and a mosquitoes’ net hanging from the ceiling to cover the bed like a cute tent. And, a oil burning lamp on one side of the room. That’s it. Yes, and lots of NO (no talking/whispering/yelling, no internet/tv/phone/book, no writing/reading, no thing).

The bathrooms and toilettes were located on the main house. Eventhough there were enough ratio of the number of bathrooms versus the retreat participants, they still had to share the area and had get out of the confort of their individual cottage.

The kitchen and the cantine were also located in the main house as all other facilities as well. Everyone needed to wake up at the same hour, joining the same meditation session, using the bathrooms area, having the breakfast at the same time & place, and so on. But they were not allowed to speak. Same thing every day, for ten days.

Second Prompt

They found their way through the decrepit streets to an open square where they perceived a large archway with closed doors.

The retreat participants were allowed to wander around the village for around 2 hours in the afternoon after lunch. They had to pass through the main old gate and had the possibility to explore the village. They didn’t have to do so, but many went out so that they didn’t feel like in jail where no tvs, phones and books are allowed. Then they needed to be back to the retreat center by 4pm before the main gate was closed for the night. This was their third day and they almost couldn’t find a way back at all.

They were four taking a casual stroll together, including Geraldine and one other women. They took the same turns they had the day before but this time, they were surprised by this open square and the huge archway. They had not seen this before, nor on their arrival day and nor the day before when they took the same route, and they were sure that they weren’t lost. How could these four adults manage to get lost in a such small village with only three main alleys? And yet, these closed doors were not here yesterday!

Still in silence, their faces showed a total confusion and lots of questions. How amazing was it to be so sensitive of what others surround you were thinking when there was not any single word spoken. You could feel as if the trees and flowers were also listening to every single heart beat.

One man in the group, a bit older than Geraldine, maybe in his 60s, approached closer and tried to open the red door. It was locked. The other women, who was very very pretty and had a long black hair to her elbow, found a bronze key on the ground just behind the archway. She picked it up to look at it closer. She also showed it to the group. It wasn’t the type of key we use to open doors, but more like a key to open an ancient gate. She kept the key and put it in her pocket. Geraldine was indifferent. She was a bit tired and just wanted to go back, so she turned around and started walking back to the retreat center. Only the other man followed her, the younger fellow retreat guest with a red baseball hat worn backward.

Third Prompt

A cigarette butt in front of the pot on the entry way of the center was still fresh and burning. No one was allowed to smoke or indulge in any form of comforting habits including alcohol, internet and smartphones. Geraldine wondered how did it end up there.

She passed through it and precipitately walked faster back to the center. She had a fear mongering feeling that the gate might be shut closed before she got there. She found herself walked even faster and quickly she run hoping she wasn’t late.

She was there in front of the gate followed by the young man from her group. The gate was closed. There were crows waiting on the top of the gate, watching them closely, investigating with their little dark eyes.

Geraldine was so sad and couldn’t believe that she missed the time. She was always on time and that was one of the things she held proudly, that she always delivered her columns one day before the deadline. But now, standing there with a stranger in a red hat, of whom she didn’t even know the name, on an island where she signed up for a no-speaking retreat, she guessed yelling HELP would be out of option. So upset, she was lost and was almost out of her mind.

The young man started to turn back. He didn’t hesitate and just walked back to the square where they left the others. Geraldine didn’t want to bother going back and forth between the gate and the village so she sat down in front of the gate. Few minutes went by. The crows flying away and there came the silence once again.

So tired, Geraldine leaned back against the gate. Suddenly she heard of some footsteps coming closer behind her. Quickly she stood up. She took a long deep breath and started knocking on the door. Few steady knocks with few seconds interval in between, but pretty strong. Knock... Knock... Knock... The footsteps were approaching. The gate started to slide open just for a few inches and then it stopped. Geraldine waited to see if someone would say anything. She didn’t move, but there was nothing. Then the footsteps went away. Geraldine pushed the gate wider so she could slide in. Seeing nobody inside, she went back to her cottage and went to bed.

The next morning, Geraldine wondered if the other three were ok and if they found their way back to the center at all. She woke up early before the morning call and she went to the meditation hall. There, she saw her three friends sitting crossed legged on the floor blissfully with their eyes closed. Phew, what a relief! Now, seven more days to the closing ceremony.

Love from us x
Surrounds you