GABRIELA

Gabriela, the tree was dancing. I blinked my eyes. That tree was kept on dancing. Again I blinked my eyes while wiping them. The tree was rather tall yet not as tall as coconut tree. It grew at the centre of the town. Its leaves were as lush as clouds. The hanging roots were long sagging as ponytail. This banyan tree now stared at me. Its eyes was glowering, its mouth was closed-valve like reading mantra. Its hanging roots  which was sagging as ponytail  was swung like a dancer who was swinging her shawl. I was getting wonder. There must be a mistaken. How came a there was a dancing tree? I observed my surroundings. People were passing by, some by on feet, some were riding motorcycle, and the other was driving car. They seemed normal like there was no something happened, passing by the tree. They were not surprised seeing the dancing tree or they just pretended not to see the tree? Or was it only me who saw the dancing tree? Answer me, Gabriela.
It's been 17 years I've lived with this strange eyes. I realized when I was just turned 3rd years old. The strange eyes that were not owned by anyone. Strange eyes that had made me aspire to be blind because I could not watch many strange things milling around me. One time my eyes were harassed by other strange sights, such as the heads of the people who suddenly turned into the beast's head like snakes and pigs. Later it turned out I understood that these animals were a reflection of their properties, such as pig represented greed, and the snake represented deceitful. I was so amused smile when people headed beast was passed or could even talked to me. I smiled because I could see how their properties clearly but they did not realize it. But, most of my friends thought I was weird because often fear alone, spoke alone, even laughing alone. They did not understand because they did not see what I saw.
The only person who best understood me was my father because my father since childhood also had been awarded the strange eyes like me, well, let's called it strange eyes. I was equally aware that it looked like, then my dad started sharpening my awareness. Now, I began to see the colors glowed from the human body, in addition to the heads of animals in humans who had striking properties. These colors were various aura in humans, also described the situation of their feelings. Red. White. Black. Green. Yellow. Purple, just like seeing a walking rainbow. Sometimes, they were also unsettled. Once in a street, I saw a girl who was crying for whatever reason. Above his head as there was a dense cloudy, jet black. She must be very upset. Then, across the road, a small child seemed very happy after his mother bought him a balloon. Instantly, yellow gushed over his body. I particularly loved seeing this view, in spite of the sadness felt by the girl on the sidewalk earlier.
"Daddy, Congratulations!" I said while smiling.
"Congratulations for what?" Dad replied.
"Daddy has a long life."
"How did you know?"
"I dont know. I just saw it."
I circulated my eyes to a corner. Something as though was watching me silently. There, behind the door. But I tried to calm down and ignored it.
"Surely, you dont know, Dad?" I continued asking my father. "Yeah, I dont know. Actually I had closed it because I cant control it. " "What? What about me? " "I also dont understand. We've tried it several times, didnt we? "
Silent.
Time flies. When I was turned 25th years old. I accept ever oddity in me willingly. I was getting used to be friends with my strangeness. Not only the trees that suddenly dancing, human-headed animals, as well as walking rainbow, now I was starting to see the past and future of the people who intentionally or unintentionally interacted with me. Everything just like micro-film rotated its own. One day, I was talking with a female friend. She was gorgeous. Her skin was fair, her eyes was as pure as dew that was entrenched on the foliage, her red lips like a tangle of rose petals, her long and curly hair down to her waist. Her words were very gentle. She was also very religious. That micro-film was suddenly rotated its own, telling the girl's past. In her past, she was always been a good girl yet not as now. She was born again because there was a debt that she should have paid, whatever debt was it. Vague shadows began to fade. This girl would have a bright future. The debt would be paid off in the last of her life, then, she would not be born again. It was really a beautiful story. Meanwhile, I hated to know my own story. There is one which did not change since my conversation with my father in the afternoon in the living room, something who was always watching me from afar. I knew it was hiding. What was it afraid of? Who should actually be afraid of whom? Why did not it show its true form just like the others? Coward.
Seeing something that could not be seen by most people was fun, and knew their past and their future as well. Yet, I was getting bored. I did not want to keep ahead of the will of the universe on myself and also those who I had seen the past and future. Once in a while I also wanted to be a normal person who could not see the tree dancing, could not see the heads of animals, could not see the colors of the humans aura, and also the most important could not see the past and future of a person. It was terrible. Well, pretending that it was that good destiny, if it was bad or would be bad? I felt very guilty knowing their personal affairs that were totally unnecessary to be known. I also hated to see my own future. I began to distance myself from the things that allowed me to see everything. I would start from the rarely went out of the house, probably I went out only for working and buying food, the rest I would shut myself in the house. At least, I would be increasingly rarely interacted with people or saw the trees out there. Yet still, I just stayed with my father at home, yet still, the house was looked crowded. They all were me and my fathers guests. No, we never invited anyone! They did not want to go, especially the one who was always watching me.
I was going crazy. I was very tired and bored. Even I could not distinguish between real and unreal creatures. Did I ever manage to differentiate them? Actually, the real was like what? Unreal was like what? I was born with two different worlds in my hands, coexist with them, and I was never taught to distinguish them. This was so unfair! My head began to ache. I tore my hair. I wrung my clothes. I banged my head against the wall. Dad could not stop me. I ran out of the house. I did not know where to go. I did not know, I just ran wherever my feet move. I was running up to the end. South. I stop at a beach. I saw vie waves licking the shore. The atmosphere was very quiet. Wind gusted alternately tossing my long hair, I did not care. A man waved his hand in between the waves of it. He waved his hand for me. His movements like taking me to follow him. Swim together? No needed to worry. I followed him, the farther, deeper, sinking land.
Gabriela. Once I finally knew, your name was Gabriela. The mysterious who always snooped me, let me see everything before picked me up.