The Tangled Garden

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That night, Vi had a dream of whimsy. A flock of small birds in the colours of the rainbow entered her house through holes in the window. They sang and flew around the fig tree in her living room. Then the Coconut Boy appeared out of nowhere. Fearing he would disappear again, she hastened to ask how she could find him when she needed him. The Coconut Boy answered, “Look, and you will see.”

A songbird awoke her. Vi stretched and sank deeper into the folds of the duvet, hoping to continue her dream, but from the east window, the sunshine flowed in, filling her room with a warm and translucent light. The echo of the Coconut Boy’s words still rang in her ears, “Look, and you will see.”

She relaxed her body, putting her hand on the left side of her chest, noticing her heartbeats, a gesture she’d learned from her meditation teacher at the beginning of the practice. Focusing on her breaths, she felt as if someone had planted a tiny seed in her heart, and it was blooming, pushing away dark thoughts, sadness and resentment. The Coconut Boy reminded her of Phong—smart, brave, and uncompromising. Phong could be abrasive with his words, but she knew that his heart was pure and his intentions good.

She opened her eyes, picked up the phone, and dialed Phong’s number.

 

Enchanted garden with butterflies.

author
Born and raised in Vietnam, Dung-Chi Tran cherishes her heritage. She has found her love for Canada during her thirty-year career with the Federal Public Service, and has made her home in Ottawa. She is now aspiring to deepen her understanding of life through poetry, prose and visual arts.
2 Responses
  1. author

    Barbara2 years ago

    Lovely magical story with a gentle lesson about overcoming ego and resentment. Also lovely picture of the garden.

    Reply
    • author

      Dung-Chi2 years ago

      Thank you for reading, Barbara!

      Reply

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