This, That, Everything!!!

I had a dream - short story

I had a dream last night. It made me realize...

I had enough of everything on Earth. Violence, blood and religion criticisms shocked me as I opened my TV just a while ago. As I sat on my couch I felt my fluffy carpet under the sole of my feet. I grabbed my remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV and the sounds of the news surprised me as its lights flicker on. My cat purred under my feet and I smirked a little.

"Terrorism In The World, Religion As Main Cause?" The reporter said with his low and completely serious tone.

Religion again. This news could really be truer than true. Muslim on holy wars and Christians doing colonialism during the middle ages? I feel great in my situation not caring about my righteousness of everything and something that wasn't essential to living by and would just make me and the people I look up to in wars. I now feel doubt about everything. Almost All things on Earth is crazy. Oh wait, maybe ALL things in the world is crazy

After the news, I changed my clothes and changed into my sleeping clothes. I entered my bedroom and fixed myself into bed. My cat lied beside me and I slept not knowing this would be a revelation.

You were religious, but your friends and the things you like changed you.

I turned around and saw a monk sitting down under a tree. What tree was that? It seems to be like a tree full of vines dropped down that seems to have endless journey under the soil.

"Who are you?" I asked

"How sad. Top of his class in Social studies and doesn't know me? Tell me, how much have you changed?" The monk said showing me a river and a man the other side

Changed? This was my real nature. I enjoyed being like this than my old nerd self. I went into the river and looked at it. I saw my reflection. Nothing special really, just my eyes that is curved on the outer sides. My nose as pointy as always and my expressionless face. Then the image shifted. My face changed into a younger and nerdier face like I was a student again. Back when I was in Grade 7.

The man at the other side of the bridge under his black hood smirked and pointed his finger somewhere to me.

I turned around and saw my old social studies classroom. The same square classroom with the seats arranged in a U-type of structure with the teacher's table in the middle of the classroom. The framed Asian map at the left side of the classroom while cabinets lined up the right side of our classroom and behind it a view of the garden. I looked at everywhere and noticed I was alone in the room. The lights off and the whiteboard clear. The door suddenly clicked and my social studies teacher came in and signalled someone to go in. But it wasn't just one but they were many. As the students entered I noticed my younger self at the end of the line and sat in the chair where I was sitting like I was a ghost.

The scenery kept on glitching and glitching and whenever it pauses, my old self would raise his hand up and speak words of wisdom about religion unity or anti-religion criticism. I loathed my old self. Pride and over-confidence was the only thing I can do.

The scenery changed. I was graduating high school and I talked again about the effects of religion criticisms in our world. The podium that seems to be as high up until my chest. I spoke and saw my mother smiling at me.

Everything went dark and I was now my present self.

"Religion is such a stupid thing isn't it?" My friend, Joe, asked

I nodded and took a sip of my beer. I walked down the terrace and observed the urban roads below me. I realized that religion was the root of all wars and the fruit wasn't always sweet. My religion was said to be the worst one and always cause wars. Islam. They always thought that Islam is the cause of all wars. I changed my religion and just become religionless so when the time comes, I don't have to pick sides.

Then, I was back at the place at the start of my dream. I saw the same guy under the bodhi tree. He smiled and looked at me.

"So how was your trip among time, Vincent?" He asked me

I realized that this was a dream and this man could do no harm

"I feel fine and no regrets about what I have done. Now, let me wake up," I told him

"You're not going anywhere, man. I feel your mood. Let's talk about it. Sit beside me," He told me

"How do you know," I told him as I sat down "You never felt being like this I guess. Rejected and always criticized. You never knew,"

"Why, because of your past religion?" He asked me his bald head shining the grassy field.

"Don't talk about that," I pointed my index finger at him

"Sorry, but it wasn't you who feel rejected because of your state or religion all the times," He told me

"Who, you?" I asked him while smirking

"Yes! Locked up inside a palace of a kshatriya family but look I felt enlightened not because I had something inside me that could but, I never thought of thinking bad about religion," He said

"Buddha story huh," I told him

"I am Siddharta Gautama. People call me Buddha," He smiled at me

"Woah!" I stood up shocked

"sit down," He pointed and I followed. "Look, you don't need to be afraid of what your religion has become, be proud of it. Something bad might happen, remain your happiness on it. You used to be faithful to your religion but now. Look, use your religion as a symbol of control, not pride or denial," He told me.

I shed a tear remembering my mom who was killed by the suicide bombers in the world trade bombers. Muslims were said to do such a thing. I missed her suddenly.

"You ready for religion again," Buddha told me again

I nodded, not sure why, but I felt the change in my heart.

Winds wrapped me together with leaves. Buddha waved and said

"Remember, don't fear religion. Fear having no religion. Don't be mad about people discriminating you. They are just wasting their time and please, be happy,"

I woke up crying. It was already morning. I have to return to home, My home, Saudi Arabia and be a proud Muslim.

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Thank you for reading this chapter. This short story was supposed to be a post in our facebook page which was our project in social studies but my classmate did a short story so I just didn't post it there but here on wattpad. If you loved the story, don't forget to comment ot vote on this chapter.