The Bayon

You appeared out of nowhere and with a kind smile, you said,

"Come, follow me, I'll bring you to the most beautiful place in the world."

On my way there, in between thoughts about work and other mundane thoughts, I studied the intensity of your shadow as I put my feet deep in the tracks that you made. At first, I thought I should make full use of the silent trek to contemplate on what to do with my life, or at least, what I would do about all the things to do back in the office... you know, 'constructive' thoughts. My only revelations were, however, to realise that I was lucid dreaming again - from noticing how the shadows looked very serious despite it not being particularly sunny - and that I did not recognise you from anywhere I could remember.

"Excuse me," I asked, "but where is the most beautiful place in the world?"

"You'd know where, when you get there," you said.

I tried to relax myself.

We walked by a dry pond, where a lot of headless dragonflies congregated - almost a swarm - but it was not very beautiful, just miraculous, perhaps, and somewhat creepy, so we didn't stop.

We walked by a ruined temple, about which gathered a group of ladies who had the upper body of humans and the lower body of snakes. They were singing and dancing - or that might have been the way they spoke normally - and they were really quite beautiful... with their graceful poise and dresses, and especially, with the way their snake scales glowed or shimmered... but I didn't think this was where, so we didn't stop.

As we went deeper into the forest, the ground became muddier until it didn't make sense for me to walk in your tracks any further, so I tried to find my own footing... I was engrossed in keeping balance and thoughts on how tedious it would be to clean my shoes until I made up my mind to throw them away when we were through.

When we came upon a clearing where the ground was hard again, I looked up and knew I was there.

I stood before the Bayon, stunned. All my silly thoughts and worries and wastes of mind dissipated into the glorious light that engulfed me - I was quiet. I carefully beheld the sight before me and dared not to breathe too hard lest I were to wake myself up.

From the silence, a whisper in my head secretly told me you had left, and that I was alone, and it asked me what to do next. I did not know. It asked me something else. I did not know. I did not know anything. And I did not care anymore. I could no longer.

I could only be quiet, in awe of the most beautiful place in the world.