Collection: "Meeting With Aliens"; Photo: "Arrival"Copyright © Paolo Campisi, Sicilian Family Productions,
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The Pebble And The Stone
For Li Zi Shi
A certain student met her teacher one day walking along the road at a place where 7 roads meet. The day was very hot. She could see him from a far distance away walking towards her, slowly. As she walked closer to him she could see he was badly wounded and bleeding. She loved this teacher very much, she started to cry and weep because she could see that he was dieing. She spoke to him; "Master who did this terrible thing to you? How did you receive this great wound? " The teacher replied; "The wound is a curse and a mystery. I received it form my enemy and from a friend. The curse is a blessing and the blessing is a curse, this is the mystery of the wound. The pebble and the stone, I am a prisoner in a parable on the road to death. I am searching for the road to life. The curse has blinded my eyes by stealing the love from my heart. The blood that runs out of the wound that you see is the love of my heart, it is killing me, it has made me grow week, I can no longer see." The student was very sad and confused, she asked; "Master I don't understand your words, how can you say the curse is a blessing, the curse is killing you?
And a blessing is a curse, is there good in evil? Where is the pebble and stone of this parable that hold a prisoner the master I love?" The master replied; "The parable is a mystery that I will reveal to you. The pebble and the stone are the same thing, they are placed on the road between us and our dreams, the pebble and the stone stand between us and the answers we seek, the pebble and the stone are on the road ahead of me, and they are the mystery that separates the road of death from the road of life. When a traveler on the road approaches the place of the pebble and the stone; one traveler will see a pebble, as this traveler passes they simply step over it unaffected by its curse, it has no power to stop this traveler from reaching their dreams. Another traveler approaches the same place as they approach closer they see the stone, the stone appears to get bigger as they get closer, a rock, closer a bolder, then closer a mountain! This traveler becomes discouraged by the curse of the stone, they lose heart, the curse becomes too big, this traveler can no longer see their dream or conceive a way to find it!" The student realized as the master spoke these words that without her help he would die on this road. "Master", she spoke, "it is my dream to help you find the road to life. I love you! Let my love be your eyes, I will share my blood with you together we will live and love."
She reached her hand to touch him. He said to her "STOP!" "You can not touch me my love, the pebble and the stone are between us!" Tears ran down the students face out of her eyes and tears of rain began to fall from the sky. It was in this moment the student awoke from sleep. She thought to her self; this was only a dream! She looked at her hands they were covered with blood. It was then that she understood her master's words; "I received it from my enemy and from my friend." It was her hands that held his wounds from his enemy open! It started to rain hard, tears rushed down the students face from her eyes, she wept in bitter agony. She was so confused. She cried out loud; "What is the dream and what is not the dream? Where does one dream begin and the other dream end? Where is the master the love of my heart? How can I find him before love dies and the dream is gone? YES! The curse is a blessing and the blessing is a curse, but I am afraid!" Her many tears fell to the ground. She watched them fall upon the road. She looked up at the road and on the road before her she saw something in the road. It appeared to be a pebble or a stone.
Paul Li Campise
