Chapter 2

The Tale of the Mirror

Once upon a time, there lived a queen.

One day, she suddenly realized that she could no longer remember the last time anyone at court had praised her beauty. And a small doubt took root in her heart.

Perhaps, she thought, she was no longer beautiful.

After all, she was no longer a young girl. Perhaps she was no longer the woman she had once been.

One morning, she stood before her favorite mirror and looked into it.

But the mirror had grown dim.

The queen could no longer see her beauty. Nor could she see the light that had once seemed to shine from within her.

And so doubt began to consume her.

She sought the counsel of magicians and sorcerers, asking them how to restore and cleanse her beloved mirror.

Their remedies were many and strange.

One advised her to use a potion made from snake venom. Another told her to throw the old mirror away and replace it with a new one.

But nothing worked.

Then, one night, the queen had a dream.

She dreamed that a poisonous toad had taken up residence inside her. The creature had covered the mirror within her with its venom, so that nothing bright or beautiful could be seen upon its surface.

And the toad whispered into the queen's mind:

You are old.

Your skin is fading.

Soon your hair and your teeth will fall away.

And then you will lose your beauty altogether.

The toad lived on the queen's inner peace.

It fed upon her joy.

And the more she listened to its whispers, the stronger it became.

When the queen awoke, she understood that she needed advice of a different kind.

So she went to a very old and very wise woman who lived far from the palace.

The old woman listened carefully.

Then she said:

“The toad may grow very large. If you allow it to, it will devour all your joy, and your inner light will grow dim.

“But there is a way.

“Find the source within you, and pour its living water over the toad.

“To find the source, you must listen for its sound. Follow it inward. Do the inner work of finding your way to it.

“And above all, do not listen to the unkind voices outside you—or the ones that have learned to speak inside you.”

The queen returned to the palace and did exactly as the old woman had said.

She closed her eyes and listened.

At first, she heard only the noise of her thoughts.

But she listened more deeply.

And deeper still.

Until, beneath all the voices, she heard something else.

A quiet music.

She followed that music inward and, at last, she found her source.

But beside the source sat a dragon.

The dragon was enormous, ancient, and watchful.

And it refused to move.

“I will not let you pass,” it said, “unless you give me something in return.”

The queen thought for a long while.

Then she understood what she had to surrender.

She gave the dragon her doubts.

She gave it her endless struggle for material and energetic resources.

She gave it her fear of being judged.

And she gave it her expectation that the world must always support her.

The moment she let these things go, something extraordinary happened.

The dragon began to change.

Its scales disappeared.

Its great wings folded away.

And before the queen stood a small gnome dressed as a secretary.

He adjusted his spectacles and smiled.

“Now,” he said, “I can show you how the source works.”

He showed her the sluice gates and distributors, the flow regulators and the taps that controlled the pressure of the water.

He taught her that the source had always been hers.

She had only forgotten how to use it.

The queen opened the water.

Living water flowed from the source.

She carried it to the poisonous toad and poured it over the creature.

The toad trembled.

Its poisonous skin began to dissolve.

And then, before the queen's eyes, it transformed.

The terrible creature became a small and helpful administrator, ready to take care of everyday matters, errands, and all the little tasks that needed attention.

The queen smiled.

Then she turned toward her mirror.

Slowly, the darkness upon its surface began to disappear.

The mirror became clear.

Clean.

Bright.

And when the queen looked into it, she saw something she had been unable to see for a very long time.

She saw the light of her own inner source.

It was shining through her.

Not the light of youth.

Not the light that comes from being admired.

Not a light given to her by anyone else.

It was her own light.

It had never left her.

And from that day onward, it illuminated her from within.

The queen finally understood that beauty was not something that could be lost with the passing of time.

It was something that became visible when she was at peace with herself.

And so she no longer needed the mirror to tell her whether she was beautiful.

For she carried the source within her.

And in its radiance,

she was whole.

She was luminous.

She was perfect.

         Of the Life of Fairies

Two beautiful fairies, Gloria and Serenity, were having their morning tea. They had brewed it from rose petals, honey, and a single drop of a magical elixir.

The elixir had been prepared long, long ago. It tuned the spirit to a musical and poetic wavelength and helped one remember things long forgotten. It also helped one understand one’s own feelings—for fairies, just like humans, could sometimes find their hearts a little difficult to unravel.

The recipe was written on the little bottle:

“Dewdrops gathered beneath the Full Moon, starlight, leaves from the Forest of Fireflies, and a love of poetry. Recite three poetic spells over the potion and let it steep beneath the light of the Moon.”

It had been prepared by Serenity’s grandmother, a renowned poetess.

And then, through the open window overlooking the blooming garden, came the sound of extraordinarily beautiful music.

The notes slipped into the fairies’ delicate ears and stirred a rapturous ecstasy within their souls.

A wandering musician was playing a harp.

The harp was unmistakably elven in origin. Yet the musician himself looked nothing like an elf, although there could be no doubt that the music was enchanted.

The sounds seemed to wrap themselves around the fairies, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. But in the musician’s eyes flickered a sly little spark.

It seemed that the harp had been stolen from the elves’ sacred halls. It had revealed their secrets, and now it longed to return home.

Fairies are extraordinarily perceptive; they are not easily deceived.

At first, they remained in a gentle trance, bewildered by what they were hearing. But after a while, they decided to consult one another about what was truly happening.

“Do you see it too, Gloria? Do you feel it?” Serenity asked.

“Yes, dear. Something strange is happening here. The harp was clearly stolen, and it must be returned to its rightful guardians,” Gloria replied.

“Do you think we can do it?” Serenity asked.

“Of course, dear. Who else will do it, if not us?” Gloria answered.

“Well then,” they decided, “I suppose we shall dance today.”

The fairies stepped out into the garden and began to dance.

With their gentle movements, they wove a circle of enchanted light around the harp, following the rhythm of the music. Magical gestures of their hands summoned glowing winged creatures from the air.

Suddenly, the harp rose into the sky, blazing with brilliant light.

And then it vanished from sight, journeying back to its rightful keepers.

Its delicate, shimmering notes lingered in the air for a long while, filled with what sounded almost like joyful gratitude.

The gypsy musician, realizing that he had been discovered, relied on his nimble skills and swiftly slipped away behind the bushes, dissolving into the shadows.

The fairies decided to celebrate the restoration of balance and justice.

They held an enchanted evening of music, dancing, and poetry, inviting all their beloved friends.

Silver, ringing laughter filled the forest. Magical creatures danced and rejoiced beneath the bright, shining stars, celebrating the liberation of the Sacred Elven Harp.

      Fairies Cannot Be Beguiled

Fairies cannot be beguiled
By counterfeit displays of love.
They feel, they know
Where truth resides
And where deception hides.

For they were born
Of the breath of spring,
Of starlight,
Of the fragrance of flowers,
And of the songs
Of wandering minstrels.

        A Tale of Blossoming

Once upon a time, a Rose growing in a garden began to wonder about the future. Of course, she had some inkling that one day her blooming would come to an end and she would wither away, for she had seen other roses fading, and the thought made her a little sad. Most of those roses, as they faded, seemed rather sad themselves.

Then, one day, she noticed a rose that was already half-withered, yet was wonderfully fragrant and surprisingly cheerful compared with all the others. Our Rose felt an irresistible desire to speak with her.

And so the two flowers—the young and the old—began to talk. Before long, they discovered that they had much in common: a dreamy nature, for one thing, and a keen, almost piercing curiosity about life.

“Are you not afraid of withering away completely?” the young Rose asked the fading one.

“No. You see, I have done my work faithfully. I have adorned this world simply by being here, and even now I still adorn it—with my wisdom and my fragrance. Even my appearance is not so bad. It would be far worse if everything and everyone were the same.

“I would surely grow tired of remaining forever as I am, of being just like everyone else, never changing, never becoming something new. Besides, the very intensity of my fragrance depends on how deeply I am willing to transform, to change my form and become something other than I was before.

“And I am deeply curious about what lies beyond this garden, beyond the life of a flower. I am certain there is so much there to discover. I would not want to spend eternity in this garden, even if I were the most beautiful rose in all the world.

“And, truthfully, I rather long to be someone—or something—else. A little bird, perhaps. I would so love to know what it is like to fly.”

The young Rose fell quiet and pondered her words, for there was much wisdom in the voice of this old, well-lived Rose. And, listening to the quiet voice within herself, she realized that she wholeheartedly agreed with this way of seeing the world.

For she, too, longed to learn how to sing and play the harp—things that, sadly, a rose could never do.

And yet she had no doubt that when one longs for something with all one’s heart, somehow, someday, it may come to pass. After all, where do our dreams and our deepest desires come from? Surely they come from somewhere. And if they come to us, then perhaps that is proof enough that what we dream of is possible.

She did not want to limit herself with the thought that, beyond the life of a rose, God had nothing else in store for her. She had no intention of living by such a narrow belief.

And so—well done, little Rose. And thank you, old Rose, for your wisdom, your courage, and your openness to all that lies beyond the garden.

 Into the Depths

Masha was ill. She lay on the little sofa in her pajamas, studying her own body.

What is this? A body? What a strange substance. But perhaps, if I have found myself inside it, there must be a reason. It seems I am meant to learn something from it. I wonder if I could exchange it for another one? Although, this one isn’t bad either. It’s beautiful. It has simply been getting sick rather often lately. Well, all right. I’m sure we can come to some sort of understanding. I’ll get better.

So Masha thought.

A great many questions came into her mind.

What, after all, is a body made of? Stardust, perhaps? Why is it shaped exactly like this? Who made it? Could I complain to the manufacturer? How does one stop being afraid of it, ashamed of it, embarrassed by it—and instead learn to love it, appreciate it, and cherish it?

There were so many questions.

Masha also realized that she felt rather cramped inside her body. Only two arms and two legs. She couldn’t fly, and she certainly couldn’t swim very well. Moving from place to place required so much effort. And sometimes she wished she could be in several places at once.

And then she noticed that someone was sitting beside her on the sofa.

It was a fairy with fiery red hair.

There was absolutely no doubt that she was a fairy. Her body was large and strong, and she was looking at Masha with cheerful curiosity.

“My dear girl, I know exactly how you feel,” the fairy said. “For a very long time, I wasn’t happy with my beautiful body either. I wished I were smaller. But now I understand that it is the finest body in the world. It is warm and responsive, and wonderfully pleasant to hug.

“But if you would like to try on another body, I can give you that opportunity.”

“I would love to be a mermaid,” Masha replied without hesitation. “I want to dive very, very deep.”

“An excellent choice. Well done. It will be a wonderful experience, and it will teach you a great deal. Just one thing, please: find out what is truly important down there. Discover what mermaids really are—and where your own inner mermaid lives.”

With those words, the transformation happened naturally and almost imperceptibly.

Masha became a mermaid.

And with the transformation came an immediate knowing of what mermaids were.

Mermaids knew a great deal about the unseen. They were sensitive and intuitive. They understood the hidden currents and the treacherous places beneath the surface. Mermaids did not think the way humans did. They thought with their entire bodies. They could sense and command sound frequencies and send information across great distances, especially to beings with whom they were attuned.

They loved touch, dancing, and play.

Mermaids were fearless and curious. They possessed an explorer’s spirit and could easily find themselves swept into adventures, escapades, and the unknown.

Masha swam along a coral reef, lost in thoughts that had changed along with her body.

The troubles of the earth seemed to have fallen away. Her body was light and supple, and her tail effortlessly carried her wherever she wished to go.

Beneath her, the watery abyss shimmered in every color of the rainbow.

And Masha decided to descend to the bottom and see what was waiting there.

Reaching the depths proved far more difficult than she had imagined.

The deeper she went, the darker it became.

And then, after several minutes, she saw sea monsters.

Or rather, she saw their gaping jaws and glowing eyes—eyes in which she could sense an enormous curiosity, and an even greater appetite.

Well, let them look, Masha thought. I’m not afraid. I have agility, a sense of humor, and courage. And if things get really bad, I can always return to my human body.

So, come what may, she swam deeper.

She did so with such determination that the monsters seemed utterly bewildered and taken aback.

Later, it was difficult to remember exactly what had happened during those moments. Apparently, she had had to punch someone on the nose, stun someone else with a burst of sound, play with another, and dodge yet another.

But she survived.

And she continued downward.

Then the inner depths began.

Negative thoughts came to visit her. Pain arose. Waves of sadness and depression passed through her.

Masha did not fight them.

She did not resist.

She simply saw them and felt them. She watched them. She allowed herself to experience them fully.

And just as they had come, they departed.

One after another, they dissolved and drifted away.

Along the way, Masha had to pass through her longing for love, through pain, through the necessity of letting go of her attachments—to other people, to her body, and, finally, to herself.

At last, she touched the bottom.

And there, at the very bottom of the world, she felt an astonishing freedom and serenity.

She was whole.

And the entire world was within her.

The whole Universe—everything manifested and unmanifested.

Everything that had come into being, and everything that would come into being.

All beings.

All energies.

She was the soul of the world.

Pure consciousness.

Clear, unclouded, and free.

It was time for Masha to return.

No matter how wonderful it was down there, she had made an agreement with the Red-Haired Fairy.

She had thoroughly enjoyed inhabiting the mermaid’s body. She swam with dolphins, played with other mermaids, and reveled in the freedom of the sea.

But eventually, she began to long for home.

So Masha gave the fairy a sign that she was ready to be brought back.

“And what did you discover down there?” the Red-Haired Fairy asked her.

“I didn’t exactly understand anything,” Masha replied. “I felt something. I found a beautiful state of being.

“There is peace there.

“And silence in the mind.

“I tried to bring some of it back with me. But I’m not ready to become completely quiet on the outside. I want to keep that stillness inside me.

“I still have so much to do in this world. So much to create, to bring into being, to experience.

“But resting in the silence of the depths is wonderful.

“Especially when I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, or ill.

“I want to radiate that peace outward. There is so little of it in life here on Earth.”

“Keep that state within you,” the Fairy said. “Return to it whenever you wish.

“Your inner mermaid will always be with you.

“Just as your inner fairy is.

“After all, I too live within your inner world.”

And with that, the Fairy dissolved into space.

Masha fell asleep.

And when she woke, she felt completely, utterly well.

The Tale of the Squirrel and the Magic Crystal

Once upon a time, there lived a very lively and cheerful little red squirrel. She was endlessly curious, always full of energy, and forever bouncing from one adventure to another. She found an orderly, ordinary life terribly dull. What she wanted was for her days to be filled with wonder, exploration, exciting experiences, and new discoveries.

One beautiful day, she was invited to a gathering of storyteller squirrels, where she was to give a talk about her research and read some of her newest tales.

You see, there was a secret behind the stories our Squirrel created. Her grandmother had left her a magical crystal as an inheritance. The grandmother had been friends with fairies, and the crystal itself was of elven origin. Its glowing facets shimmered with a thousand colors and could create luminous passages through space. Through these magical passages, stories from enchanted worlds could be read and brought into our own.

And that was exactly how the Squirrel used it. She adored her crystal.

So, when the day of the gathering arrived, she set off on her journey. But she mixed up the dates and nearly missed her train! Luckily, her magnificent, bushy red tail came to her rescue. It had the remarkable ability to create streams of energy that could carry her swiftly through space.

By some miracle, our Squirrel managed to leap into the very last carriage of the Polar Express just as it was leaving for the North...

When she arrived at the gathering, our heroine looked around at everything, introduced herself to the other participants, and then wandered off to explore the surrounding countryside.

Suddenly, she caught an intriguing scent. It seemed to be leading her deep into a beautiful northern forest. The Squirrel trusted her instincts and followed the mysterious fragrance.

And that was how she came upon a bear's den...

You see, a Bear lived in that forest. He had lived there for a very long time, leading a quiet, peaceful, well-ordered bear's life. He dried mushrooms and berries and gathered roots and herbs.

Then, quite unexpectedly, our Squirrel appeared at his den—with her magical crystal.

The Bear was astonished and fascinated. He had never met a creature quite so lively, cheerful, and full of motion.

The Squirrel twirled her magnificent tail, sweeping through his familiar, carefully arranged life. She bounced around his den, peeking into every corner and asking about everything she saw.

At first, the Bear found her fascinating. But before long, he became frightened. The Squirrel spoke with remarkable courage and openness, and she expected the same from him.

But our Bear was not used to such things at all. He had lived alone for so long that he had forgotten how to speak openly and freely with another creature.

And so he realized that if he wanted to have any kind of relationship with this extraordinary Squirrel, he would have to change his life—and change himself. Otherwise, there was simply no way the two of them could truly connect.

In his characteristically gruff bear-like manner, he told the Squirrel as much and asked her to leave.

The Squirrel understood. The Bear did not want to change his life for her.

So she left the way she had come.

She was so upset that she completely forgot her magical crystal in the Bear's den...

When she returned to the gathering, she realized that she would have to give her presentation without it.

At first, she became anxious and panicked. But then she took a deep breath, pulled herself together, and decided that she would manage somehow.

Meanwhile, something quite unexpected was happening in the Bear's den.

The Bear decided to keep the crystal as a memento.

But the crystal glowed and shimmered with such dazzling colors that he could hardly sleep for long.

Then the Bear noticed something else.

He had become thoughtful. Dreamy.

He began forgetting about his mushrooms and roots. His mind kept wandering, and he found himself thinking about things he had never thought about before.

Finally, he decided to cross the forest and return the crystal to the Squirrel.

At that very moment, the Squirrel stepped onto the stage without her crystal.

She felt as though she could no longer concentrate, as though all her stories had suddenly vanished from her memory. Her little ears and fluffy tail trembled nervously.

But then she said to herself:

“Dear one, everything you need is already inside you. You don't need anything to lean on, and you don't need a safety net. The crystal is with you—and it is within you.”

At once, she grew calm.

And she gave a magnificent presentation.

When the hall erupted in enthusiastic applause, the Bear walked in.

He held out the crystal to her.

But our little Squirrel smiled and said:

“Keep it, dear. I am strong and talented even without the crystal. But you need it much more than I do. It will help you think and create. It will chase away your long winter sleep and your boredom, and it will teach you the joy of laughter, playfulness, and love.”

                  Dreams

    Masha slid through the theater corridors like an octopus on the seabed. Today the ballet "Swan Lake" was running in the theater, and she really liked the way the ballerinas' hands trembled, depicting a splash of swan wings. It affected her somewhere in the nose area, made her draw in the air, feel the coolness of the night lake. She also really liked the confused eyes of Prince Siegfried at the first appearance of Odilia, sharp, jumping, catching by surprise. Adagio's sensual istoma also did not leave her indifferent, and for the sake of these moments she watched "The Lake" again and again. But today it was some kind of special, quiet and mysterious, it seemed that she was about to fly over the clear water in the moonlight. And then she felt that she had wings, but not swan, but rather moth, transparent, and she flies silently over the water, covered in moonlight. At first, she thought that she needed to tell Siegfried urgently that they were trying to deceive him, but then she decided not to interfere in ballet, it was not her game.

And she flew, full of curiosity, to meet the Moon. "I need my own fairy tale," she thought. And immediately I saw a witch, it seems that a fairy tale can't do without it. Having given in to the first (not the smartest reaction), she crossed her, which drove the witch crazy. The witch turned around and rushed after her, and almost caught up. Masha realized that things were bad, and now she will be snatched. The witch in terrible anger was burning with crimson color, grabbed Masha by the heels with her sharp claws, but only scratched, quite noticeably.

Then Masha woke up. It turns out that she dooped in the theater (it happens), and the first act has not yet ended on stage. There was pain in the heels from the claws. "This, yes," Masha thought, "I won't make anyone angry anymore. After all, it wasn't my business at all, a witch was flying on her business, she didn't touch anyone, why I came across her anger." And with this thought, she began to watch the ballet further with pleasure.

It was a special evening. When she returned home, she told this story to her grandmother. And grandma told her that dreams are never just dreamed, and all the characters in the dream are you, so the witch is also you, your unaccepted and rejected part, free and independent. The desire to be only a good and obedient girl, suppressing independent, creative parts in yourself, can be very harmful to us. Therefore, sometimes it is worth apologizing, even to the witch, no matter how strange it sounds.

"Grandma, tell me a fairy tale," Masha asked her grandmother Nastya before going to bed. Grandma sat on the edge of her bed and tried to put a blanket on her. "Do you promise to fall asleep right after that?" she asked. "Of course, I promise," the granddaughter nodded vigorously. "Well, okay, listen: there was a hedgehog, her name was Snezha, she was an albino. She is white, and her eyes are red, her nose is pink and snub-nosed, very charming. She was born in a hedgehog kennel, and then she was bought and given to the girl Masha for her birthday. Masha adored her, fed her various delicacies, let her out for a walk at night, bathed her in a basin. And one night Masha wanted to drink water, went to the kitchen, and there Snezha is sitting under the table, melting needles, her eyes are burning, and something is hissing. Masha listened and suddenly realized that she understood what Snezha wanted to tell her. Communication took place at the telepathic level. "Let's go, what I'll show you," says Snezha and runs her little paws under the closet. Masha looked under the closet and saw that there was a ring with a pink stone. She took it out and tried it on right away. And then the miracles began. Looks, and the whole apartment was transformed, instead of the usual city apartment - a wooden hut, four walls and a roof made of large branches, a large window all over the wall. And outside the window, it seems, there are jungles and a starry sky. Well, yes, Snezha is an African hedgehog, so she sent Masha to her homeland, here she is sitting in the corner, she has become so big, beautiful. "Let's go for a walk," he says, "it's not dangerous here." They came out of the hut, and there the birds are singing, the sound of the waterfalls is heard. "Well, Africa. I know you wanted to get here, sit on African soil and ask what you want, you'll get an answer."

And the land here is not like the one in the city, it's red and smells especially charming and fascinating, I want to talk directly to the ground, it's kind of alive, attractive. Masha sat down on the ground and seemed to unite with her into one whole, felt at home and on the spot, I wanted to bury myself in her, and lie down as long as possible. She felt how the earth nourishes her with its power and tells her secrets, explains to her that she is the mother of people, the basis, the primary element. It's as if some threads connect Masha to the center of the earth, and there is a huge force and magmatic energy. Everything around and the jungle and the sky and the earth merged into an incredibly beautiful picture, where everything is one, there is not the slightest division, and Masha is also a part of this picture, the beloved daughter of the Earth.

Snezha sat next to her and panted comfortably. "Well, Masha, and now we have to go back, you can just take off the ring" "Snezha, dear, can I get here whenever I want?" the girl asked. "You can, you just have to keep your child's faith in miracles, and then it will be a magic ring for you, not just a jewelry," the hedgehog replied.

And Masha came back, but not the same as before, now she knew that she had a space where no one would disturb her, and miracles were happening. There you can ask questions, talk to the earth and feel at home, and the hedgehog is not just a hedgehog, but a highly qualified guide to spaces and worlds. That's it.

Grandma finished telling, after all, she poked the blanket to her beloved granddaughter. "Sleep, my dear, good night," she told Masha. "Grandma, I want such a ring too," Masha asked. "I have it, I will definitely give it to you," replied the grandmother, "and you will be able to travel through the worlds and spaces, you are my beloved granddaughter, well, sleep, and let the earth talk to you in a dream, people need to communicate with it, be filled with wisdom, otherwise they can be carried away by the wind, good night." And Masha fell asleep, and she had an amazing dream.

She found herself in nature, the time was twilight, there was fog in the air. The lake was shining ahead, the moon was reflected from its surface, frogs were croaking. "It reminds me of Gogol," Masha thought, "well, that's great, I have a grandfather from Ukraine," and went to the water. As soon as she thought about Gogol, she saw a girl in a long white dress with her hair down. Well, it's a classic! "Hi, dear," says the girl, "do you want to dance with us?" "Of course I want to, especially since I study in a ballet studio," Masha answers. "Well, great, let's go dancing."

And so the girl brought Masha to the clearing in front of the lake, flooded with moonlight. And there are five more equally beautiful girls, they were very happy, they welcomed Masha into their circle with pleasure. And the dance began.

I must say that Masha has been studying in the ballet studio for two years, but there was some kind of climax of all these classes. The movements flowed, smoothly flowing into the other, the streams of energy swirled, they could be seen this time. Thoughts stopped, and consciousness poured into this stream, and everything became one, dance, body, nature, music. Problems, fears, tension went away, only dance remained, an incredibly beautiful drawing was created. The girls became one whole and part of something bigger and beautiful. There was strength and health that could not be taken away.

At the end, everyone bowed to the ground and each other. Masha felt that she would wake up. "I want to come back here again and again. Is it real?" she asked the girls. "It's possible, but your task is to dance this dance in your life. Go and dance, we're always with you," they replied.

Masha woke up. "What a wonderful dream I had," she thought. She decided that she needed to lie quietly for a while, to be in this beautiful and quiet state. Unnoticed by herself, she fell asleep again.

She was flying in the twilight sky near Moscow University, she had no wings, she just soared and hung in the air, like a plastic bag. Flying up to the main building, she saw an open window and decided to sit on the windowsill. It was a hostel and there was a fun student life, someone was preparing for the test, someone was sleeping, someone was playing the guitar and humming to themselves. She inhaled this atmosphere with a full chest and felt such an irresistible, charming, somewhat crazy taste of this life that she wanted to stay here. Then, when the dream ended, Masha realized that this was the very university portal from which she got into this life. After all, her parents were university students when she was born to them.

When she woke up, she had an absolutely happy feeling of learning something important about herself. These pictures, like puzzles, were put together in the mind into one big beautiful picture. Without the discovery of this information, she would not understand something important in herself, and would not accept it either.

These were the most precious knowledge that came to her not from the outside, but from her own essence, from the inner light that was always with her. Now it was necessary to learn not to lose this light, not to let it go out, but to stay in it, no matter what.