I have seen a human at the peak moment of her life, but not like this. The setting sun is illuminating everything in front of me and paints the image in shades of orange. Soon the sun will be obscured behind clouds and dip below the horizon. In front of me is the Dutch shoreline to the North Sea. The evening is calm and silent. Small waves break on the beach sand. My ears catch a rhythmic noise coming from far away. Rapidly, it increases in strength.
At full speed, an elegant horse is approaching along the shoreline. Four hooves splash the shallow water. Within seconds the animal passes just in front of me. A young female rides the horse in full gallop. Her ponytail stretches in the slipstream.
I was walking along Rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris. I passed a newsstand with a lot of postcards on display. Among hundreds of them, I saw one showing this scene. On the spot, I was overwhelmed by deep emotions. I started to cry. These emotions did no leave me until later that evening. I did not have a clue about why this happened.
The card carries a sentence written in French. My knowledge of this language is weak. But I happened to translate it into something like: ”You should take living seriously”. Later I understood that it was not that bad a translation.
The event occurred decades ago. Still, I don’t know why I reacted this way. This is one of my mysteries. I have a closet full of them. I better guard them and let them be my secrets.
Göran Stille, © June 2018
Göran Stille 
“In front of me is the Dutch shoreline to the North Sea. The evening is calm and silent. Small waves break on the beach sand. My ears catch a rhythmic noise coming from far away. Rapidly, it increases in strength. “At full speed, an elegant horse is approaching along the shoreline. Four hooves splash the shallow water. Within seconds the animal passes just in front of me. A young female rides the horse in full gallop. Her ponytail stretches in the slipstream.”
So beautiful, Göran
(I tried to leave this as a comment on your WordPress site but it would not let me post it. There was no reason for the error provided by WordPress; only âunable to post this comment.â)
xo n
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Thanks Nadine. Your responses mean a lot to me both hear and on email. I feel warm inside every time I hear from you.
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Goran, yes, it is a mystery, a secret. Why is it that something like a postcard or a fragrance, or bit of a tune will spark deep emotion without interpretation? I love this little piece and I am glad you shared it and didn’t leave it hidden in your closet. 🙂
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Glad you liked it. Secrets do not create joy as long as they are stored in my closet
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The immediacy of your writing makes that decades-old memory seem like now. Good job. Dr. Bob
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