INSIGNIFICANT

She clenched her fist as the cool air inside the cave caressed her chin. The lady was right, the hijab made her feel warm. The woman who’s name she still doesn’t know pointed her finger at a fire in the middle of the cave. A man can be seen sitting in front of the fire. His hands softly dancing in the air, and out of it, tiny sand dusts began to form into various forms.

It created miniature form of animals, trees, mountains and even the rivers and the seas. Then, he waived his hands, and everything disappeared.

The man slowly stood up and walked into the entryway of the cave. They followed him, welcomed by the cool breeze of the desert.

The stars were ecstatically bright that night, and all Charlie could ever do was admire in silence. She has never been anywhere outside of her own apartment or the university’s premise.

She used to dream of being able to travel even just for studies, but she never had the chance. And now, she’s in the middle of the desert, said to be during the 24^th century. And a mysterious woman is the only one who has taken her out of her comfort zone.

They were standing at a not too close distance from where the man is standing.

“Now we can talk.” the lady whispered.

“Who is that?”

“My creator.”

“You mean--?”

The lady nodded.

For the first time in her life, she gasped the site of the one man she’d never expect to meet, well, watch from a distance at least. But this is the generation of creation.

The next thing she sees is how two forms started to appear from the clay that in front of him.

In her eyes, appeared the form of an angel and on the other side, a demon.

“Look at that, isn’t it wonderful?”

“It is.” She gazed at the sight of two creatures taking flight out into the horizon. “Any man on Earth would have wanted to see this moment. The creation of all things living on earth.

A few moments after the two entities flew, his hands danced against the cool air once again, collecting a surge of wind, almost creating a quiet tornado.

And in another sway of his hands, another form was made.

“What is that?”

“That my Dear, is my ancestor.”

the wind simply molded into almost the same as with the angels and the demons that flew away, only, its head was also forming a horn.

She twitched her head sideways and wondered why it looked so strange.

“Just so you know, Adam and Eve were not even made yet.”

“Oh...”

“This is the time of creation of anything that people think is uncertain in this world.”

The wind that formed started to fly away just like the two creatures.

“This is awesome.”

“Let’s go!”

“Wait.”

“We can’t stay for too long. Let’s go.” She clapped her hand twice and the door reappeared in front of her.

Charlie was hesitant to leave, but she must follow whatever the lady says. Or else, she could get herself in trouble.

They stepped back into the door and was once again back into her huge house.

Everything she just witnessed is literally taking her breath away.

“What just happened?”

She heard the lady flick her fingers together again and she was back in her own clothes.

“See, it could have been so easy.”

“Again, you needed to experience it. Now, where were we. Right. Come along.”

She followed her like she was puppy eager to follow its owner. Her curiosity is defeating her senses. This woman is not kidding and as much as she’d want to not believe her, she just can’t.

They ended in front of a huge double door, and swing it open as wide as she can.

The aroma of old and new books combined attacked her senses like never before.

She was led into the biggest library she would ever imagine. It was as huge as the roman church, and she could barely count the books that filled it.

Everywhere she turns, there are books that she would not even imagine reading in her entire life. On the edge of each bookshelf are paintings she’d only heard about in movies and art history.

She stopped in front of a huge painting that caught her attention. No one would not recognize that face. The face that confused people in so many levels.

“Hold on, is that---”

“What?” the lady came back to where she was standing and look up at the same painting she was looking at.

“Oh.. The Mona Lisa.”

“Is that the real one?” she wondered in amazement.

“Well, yes.”

“But isn’t the original located in Paris?”

“That is the second canvass Leo painted on with the same woman.”

“What? And wait, you call him Leo?”

“Yes, I do. Oh, you are so easy to please. It amuses me. Well, he basically had two other people paint the Mona Lisa. It was their attempt to keep a copy of the painting. One was made by his trusted assistant and the other is by his lover. This one… is the canvass made by his dearest lover.”

“Please don’t tell me you were his lover.”

“Oh no. He wasn’t my type. His lover however was who I liked. So...”

“What? Wait…” she catches up with the woman while constantly catching her breath as well, “So if you’ve met his lover, how long have you’ve been alive then?”

“Hmmm. I actually lost count after my 50^th thousand birthdays. So, I can’t give you an exact number.”

“Holy shit!”

“Language please.”

“Wait so, you’re a Jinni that doesn’t live in a lamp. You’ve been alive for a very long time; you can transport through time. I have so many questions.”

“Well, I know. You see, when he created the world, he also created three basic entities before humanity. As you’ve seen a while ago, the angels, the demons and us Jinni’s. But unlike the angels and the demons, we were made from thin air. By then, he didn’t have an actual image to replicate. So, he created us into something that could transform to anything. But we were the closest creatures just before humans, intended to never choose sides and to be on neutral grounds as always.”

“So, you don’t grant wishes then?”

“Oh we do. Only we don’t do it for those who captured our lamps. Like what everyone knows.”

“So how does one qualify for those wishes?”

She suddenly turned around and faced her.

“First of all, there can only be one wish. One great desire that you have. And we grant it to chosen lonely souls.”

“What? Damn Disney! Ohhh... Ohhh... do you ride magic carpets?”

“No, we don’t but I guess I can make it possible.”

“That’s a bummer. So you don’t get to be anyone’s slaves in exchange for three wishes?”

“No we don’t. We’re very sane individuals and we don’t have to be anyone’s slave. But we do ask something in return.”

“In return for what? Wait, where are we going? This hallway does not seem to end.”

She found herself bumping against the lady’s back when she stopped suddenly. Right in front of them is another sleek door, located at a very distinct corner in that hallway.

“A portion of someone’s memory.”

“Memory?”

“Yes. Memory.” She then swings open the door and stepped into a room filled with transparent jars.

“Woooahhhh.” Her eyes grew wide in amazement. Each jars had bright colorful lights dancing around, “What are those?”

“Those are the memories of every person granted with a wish.”

“Wow. Wait. So, if you hypothetically grant me a wish, you will then take a portion of my memory?”

“Hypothetically, yes.”

“No way.”

“But they must be expensive memories. And before we take it, we ask them to sign a very detailed contract, each tailored to their wish and the memory that they trade in.”

“So, you do trade.”

“Yes, but not with you and certainly not my name.”

“So why are you telling me all of this?”

“Because you my dear, will soon be insignificant.”

“What do you mean?”

The lady simply smirked and turned her back away from her.

“You’re not gonna answer that too. Well, then what do you do with all those memories?”

“I eat them.”

A chilling feeling started to creep her.

“Scared now?”

“No.”

“Let’s go.”

She stepped back outside the room once again and closed it behind her.

The lady faced her while they were still in front of the door.

“Now, everything that I have told you today is a secret that you must keep. Do you understand?”

“Yes I. And please you don’t have to worry. I can keep a secret.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that.”

The lady leads her back again to the ground floor until the main door.

“Wait, why are you pushing me out the door? I still have questions.”

“I know, but that’s all the time I have for you today. Now, remember this, the chosen once will be the only once who will get to come back here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll know soon enough, or never. But I will only appear when your mind will allow you.”

“You sound strange. Wait. Can I come back here though?”

“Yes, you can. I will be here waiting.”

“Great! I’ll see you again tomorrow. But thank you again. For all the things that you have done to me.”

The lady smiled as though already expecting her gratitude.

“I will see you soon, Charlie.”

Charlie nodded and excitedly walked out of the gate and was even hopping as she treaded the sidewalk.

After a few minutes, she stopped and looked around her.

“How did I get here?” she turned around, trying to know if the place was familiar, “Huh, I must have been lost. Uggghhh. This is silly. Oh,” she turned to her watch and realized that her class is about to start, “I’m gonna be late.”