Originally written by Teresa Canive.
Haz click aquí y lee la versión en español
She was descending into the depths when she heard a call from the surface. It was her own voice, the one that pronounced her name in capital letters. Why now, of all times, when she most needed to embrace the darkness? The syllables echoed again and again, testing her patience. Yet, she resisted, pushing herself further into the abyss.
This isn’t a tale of beauty or pride. It’s a crude story, uncovering all that we bury within ourselves. The more we yearn to expel it, the more we swallow it back down, choking on our own secrets. Alicia didn’t quite understand why humans behaved this way, but she felt at ease. In her hair, she wore a beautiful ribbon of deep, intense blue.
At seven years old and not even 1.2 metres tall, Alicia viewed the world through a scratched, foggy lens. When she finally spotted a tiny hole in one corner of the glass, she decided it was time to take a step toward the surface. She gazed into the crystal-clear water above, only to be blinded by its brilliance for two whole days.
- “Aha! Is this really all there is?”, she asked herself as her sight returned.
- “I can’t believe I dragged my body and soul to a field of poppies, flowers, bees, cobwebs, heat, and dry leaves.”
Alicia awoke in one of the most beautiful villas Earth could offer at that moment. Yet, her limited experience in the underground world of darkness allowed her to see only a few plants buried in a fistful of sand, their roots timidly peeking out.
Then came a whisper, a sound that made her shudder. It wasn’t fear she recognised but a strange, creeping dread that fixed its gaze on her, silencing any cry for help. She turned left and right, glanced up and down, searching. Where could such a menacing sound come from?
Determined to banish her fear, a precious emotion she cherished like an old woman clinging to life, Alicia pressed on, firm in her step, venturing into the unknown without the faintest idea of where she was heading.
A breeze ruffled her golden curls, and for the first time, she sensed their shimmering brilliance. The poppies, flowers, bees, cobwebs, heat, and dry leaves seemed to perceive it too, brushing against her as she walked. But Alicia remained oblivious to the infinite, dark, and vibrant universe awakening within her.
The deafening noise returned, closer this time, stopping her in her tracks. Enraged, Alicia shouted:
- “What do you want from me? Face me, I’ll wait right here!”
Even she was surprised by her outburst, directed at a creature whose identity and origin she couldn’t fathom.
- “Well, young lady, there’s no need for such hostility,” came the reply. “Just because you dislike my voice doesn’t mean you have to shout. I’m right next to you.”
Confused, Alicia questioned her sight. Had she truly regained it? She spun around, sniffed the air, and touched the ground. Nothing. There was nothing there.
Terrified, she continued, not wanting to encounter someone or something, she couldn’t see. Yet, deep inside, she felt drawn to the strange, unyielding landscape.
Suddenly, a Heart-Shaped Droplet fell silently from the sky, startling Alicia. The drop was massive yet delicate, translucent, and achingly fragile. For a moment, Alicia longed to possess it, to claim it as her own, despite its apparent insignificance. She cradled it gently, whispering kind words, and zipped it into her bag.
As she walked on, a sixth sense emerged, sharpening her awareness. At last, she felt she might locate the source of that grave, haunting voice. She looked where she needed to, at just the right moment, and her inner voice exclaimed:
- “Aha! There you are. A tiny Semicolon like you couldn’t have gone far.”
On her shoe, the Semicolon gazed up, seemingly aware of every word her inner voice uttered on repeat, unbeknownst to her.
- “See? I told you you’d find me,” said the Semicolon.
- “Told me what? I didn’t hear you,” replied Alicia, her frustration mounting. “Next time, I’ll clean my shoes better—though in the dark, what could I do?” her inner voice muttered again.
- “I heard that!“
- “What? How? You’re stuck to my shoe and spying on my thoughts?“
Alice was starting to lose her nerves. And indeed, that mental intruder stuck on the shoe would accompany her on the long journey to a grove surrounded by pine trees, walnuts, and firs on a windy day.
The leaves whipped against each other, producing a sharp sound quite unlike anything the girl had ever known. It was as if they were warning her of imminent danger, barring her way, as if they wanted to hold her back against her will. With each step she took, Alicia felt herself drawing closer to what she believed she had found. But her shoes felt heavy, even though the Semicolon couldn’t possibly weigh more than 0.0001 grams; and her bag weighed her down, though the Heart-Shaped Drop couldn’t weigh more than, what, 0.0001 grams? Yet, our little one was determined to press on towards voices incapable of building any wall around her.
The grove would soon transform into a majestic forest, full of burrows, cobwebs, dry leaves, ferns, shadows, nests, and ants.
As she reached a swirling gust of air, she saw her most precious deep blue ribbon slip away. It soared and soared until a branch of a fir tree caught it firmly. It was the only tree in the vast forest that refused to sway in the strong gale. Alicia, surprised but unwavering, kept her gaze fixed on the blue ribbon and, determined, went after it.
The Semicolon warned her of the danger of climbing a tree that refused to be swayed by the purest mountain wind. But stubbornness arrives uninvited, without being asked or granted permission to enter. It needs no introductions; it cooks itself up and clears itself away.
When she finally reached the base of the tree, she began to climb. Without letting go of her bag (for she always wanted to keep her fragile, captive heart close), she watched as she lifted herself away from the grimy, mud-covered ground.
First, she could make out all the burrows scattered across that section of the vast forest. Then, she began to grasp the sheer magnitude of the branches of the nearest trees. And then, she found something she hadn’t expected at all. Just as she was about to reach the branch where her deep blue ribbon awaited her, Alicia found herself surrounded by thousands upon thousands of ribbons in the most vivid colours imaginable, brighter than any rainbow, all belonging to girls with golden curls.
She gasped, her voice trembling with disbelief.
- “Ah, it can’t be! What is this? Where are all those girls? Why have they abandoned their intensely coloured ribbons?”
No one answered.
- “Semicolon, help me, look what I’ve found. What does it mean?”
She received no response. Then, with one foot almost hanging over the abyss, Alicia felt the most unnecessary urge to let go of one of the tree’s unmoving branches to check on the drop she had tucked away in her bag. As she did, she tried to ask:
- “Heart-Shaped Drop, help me. What are these ribbons? Will I disappear too, just as those girls have?”
She was opening her bag when, all of a sudden, a sharp, muffled, and very dark scream took hold of her existence. The Heart-Shaped Drop had evaporated, and no trace remained, just as the Semicolon had disappeared, leaving her completely alone, unprotected, and misunderstood in the vastness of the abyss.
Her tiny friend had warned her. Why didn’t she listen? Why hadn’t she heeded the advice? And what would happen to her now? Uncertainty overwhelmed her senses and extinguished her understanding. She couldn’t believe it, couldn’t think, couldn’t move, and, worst of all, couldn’t feel anything.
But thanks to her pure soul, which shone with its own light, Alicia managed to think, move, and feel, climbing out of the pit she had found herself in. She summoned the last bit of strength she had, letting her bag fall to the muddy depths, and was able to reach the solid branch where her blue ribbon continued to shine just as brightly.
Now, not only did her shoes stop weighing her down, but they seemed to fly, giving her a superhuman strength that, millimetre by millimetre, brought her closer to where she wanted to be.
Her fingers began to stretch out, aided by arms as long as the plains she had walked through just hours earlier, where poppies, flowers, bees, cobwebs, warmth, and dry leaves had accompanied her every step. Now, she could perceive the beauty of one of the most stunning villages that could have existed on Earth at that precise moment.
Suddenly, she stopped hearing the sharp sounds made by the leaves of the massive forest. Time froze in that very instant, and she understood why she was standing on that brilliant surface.
When her hand touched the deep blue of her hair ribbon, Alicia chose not to take it. It no longer belonged to her; it had become too small, lacking even the faintest interest. Her senses were now fixed on another parallel universe.
She lifted her gaze, spotting the tiny treetops of the vast forest, and it was then that Alicia saw exactly where she needed to go next.
Neither the bag, nor the Semicolon, nor the Heart-Shaped Drop, nor the Deep Blue Ribbon could have understood it. She didn’t need them anymore. Alicia had moved on to another dimension. She stretched out her arms, fearless, confident in her new universe, and her body rose, leaving behind a sweet, vibrant harmony carried by a caramel-like, juicy wind.
She turned her head to hear every note of that angelic melody and etched one of the most beautiful images of her life into her memory: the trees bidding her farewell with smiles in the form of hair ribbons in the most vivid colours, attached to their branches.
Hi, I'm Teresa Canive 