THE GREATEST

She switched the lights on as she skippered through the library once again. She’s been in that library for almost a week now. Each time, the books are added up with more and more.

She wanted to just throw the white flag and end her suffering. This was not leading to anything useful for her at all.

What good does reading books give you? And how is it even helpful to someone who’s studying to become a jinni? Do jinni’s teach subjects?

“No, but it keeps them grounded, helps them be smart about all the thing that they do.”

He heart skipped a beat the moment she heard Alvah’s voice who was now just standing behind her.

“You startled me! Please don’t do that again.”

“Well, how are you with all the readings?”

“I’m great!” she faked a smile as she proceeded on opening another page with the book she was currently reading. It was the story of Jane Austen. A very well know artist during the 18^th century.

“Well, you’re reading Jane Austen. That’s interesting. She is interesting. More so was her wish.”

“You’ve met her?”

“I did. And honestly, if there’s any part of the entire human history that you could visit, you should visit hers. She's a great writer. Knowing you, I know you’ll enjoy talking to her.”

“Wow, that’s interesting.”

“It is, hopefully I could take you soon to her time.”

“That would be awesome!”

“I know right? Now read.”

“Ugghh.” she suddenly felt defeated. Nothing about this entire reading thing was making her interested with the whole jinni training. “Look, I don’t know what I’m supposed to learn in all of these readings.”

“What do you mean?” Alvah stood still.

She blatantly looked good with the sleek gown she’s wearing that day. Charlie could not even recall a single day she hasn’t worn anything extravagant. From the gowns to the robes, to the Victorian outfits every now and then, to the suits. She has always been wearing something interesting. And it’s one of the other things she loved about her, the fashion statement. It was as if the weather does not even matter, if she wants to wear a coat that day, even though the sun is scorching hot, she will.

She has no regards to whatever fashion rules that ever existed.  

“I was under the impression that a Jinni training would be action packed. Filled with the most endearing training sequences or whatever you call it. Not some reading tasks. My life is boring enough right now, and you go and add all these books that are even centuries old. How will I ever get that adventurous feel when this is all I get?”

She heard Alvah sigh.

“Darling, your life is not boring. Your mind is.”

Charlie was suddenly taken a back with what Alvah said.

“The most influential and most powerful people that walked this earth have the greatest minds of all time. Newton realized gravity because of a falling apple. That was a great mind. You on the other hand, with how you think right now, may just as well pick the apple and eat it. Newton didn’t do that. Instead, he came up to the realization that forces must be acting on falling objects and soon discovered gravity. Reading is essential to great minds. When you are a Jinni, you must be great! And for you to be great, you’ll have to read even the most stupid articles you’ll find in a paper, or the most non-sensible scribbled words. Never underestimate the power of a fully equipped mind. Because if you do, you might as well just give up now.”

“I never said anything about giving up.”

“Get out!”

“I’m sorry what?” Charlie suddenly looked scared after seeing Alvah’s face.

“I said leave!”

“But—”

“You expect things to just fall according to what you think is ideal, but you never think about whether you truly deserve it or not! Well, let me tell you now, you don’t deserve any of this!”

She gaped at the words Alvah let out.

“Things will never work out the way we’ll always want them to be. You should note that. Now, I’d like you to leave. And you can only come back when you learn to realize why this boring task is important.”

“But—”

“Go!”

She scoured her things and walked past Alvah. She could feel her disappointment with herself and how she could not understand why she just could not get it.

“When you learn to stop procrastinating, decide whether this is really what you’d want to do.”

She wanted to complain, but all she had within her is rage. Not for Alvah but for herself. For not getting any of these things right.

She marched out of the mansion and never even turned her head back. She proceeded to her apartment’s rooftop and started pacing back and forth.

“Why can’t I just get it? Why can’t I just be a follower or a good disciple? Disciple?”

“What’s going on?”

“Ahhh!” she suddenly jumped, startled with the voice she just heard.

“Hey, relax. It’s just me.”

She caught a glimpse of Lance’s sly grin.

“You should not scare people like that! You’re so messed up.”

“Well, you look like you’d like to jump over the rooftop. So, I had to do it.”

“I hate my life right now. I am not getting things right. It’s irritating. It’s not making anyone happy, it’s not making me happy! What do I do?”

“Stop thinking about what would make other people happy.”

“Well, easy for you to say. You look so happy all the time!”

“Well, I have a lot of reasons to be happy. How about you? What makes you happy?”

“Right now? Nothing makes me happy! Not a single thing right at this moment is making any sense.”

“Then perhaps you’ll need to change your perspective.”

“How do you mean?”

“When you feel like thing in your life right now is making you desperate, take the time to look at someone else’s life and see if there’s any difference with yours. Explore. Walk the streets like you’ve never walked them before. Take a look at every person you meet or every person you come across with. Notice how they move, how they go along with their lives. You don’t even have to ask them. Just look at them the way you have never looked at anyone ever before in your entire life. It might actually help.”

Then it dawned on her. Perhaps she really is seeing things very differently.

There are so many rules when it comes to writing. Always read, for you can’t write anything when you don’t read. Observe people and their daily lives, create a story out of their daily lives.

The thoughts came rushing to her. And then, she walked out of the rooftop and into her favorite ice cream shop. She’s missing the whole point. Perhaps the reason she’s not getting the point of any of these is because she lacks imagination now. She can’t call herself a writer when she has nothing to offer.

She sat down on the bench once again after ordering her favorite ice cream flavor. She looked out into the open field that were now filled with children.

Each one of them playing on the next ride they could hop into.

She took note of every detail. If there’s one person she can always observe, it’s children.

Their laughter, their innocence, their humor.

They have the simplest life right at the moment, while she has the most complicated mind. One that fails to appreciate the beauty of a single moment.

Each time a child grabs on specs of sand or a gravel from the ground, she smiled, admiring how they seem to enjoy even the simplest toy they could grab, such as soil or stones. She adored how their tiny hands could enjoy the texture of the sand. How each of them has started becoming friends.

She spent the remaining afternoon taking note of every single detail, every single movement she has seen not only with the children but with everyone she could see pass by the ice cream truck.

The sun has already set when she decided to leave.

Then, she sneaks inside the Jinni’s mansion and straight into the library.

She started flipping the pages of the books she was supposed to read.

She grabbed a pen and a paper that were also readily available for her and started scribbling down the things she thinks she could use in the future.

Unknow to her, the Jinni knew she was inside the mansion. Around this time, she was in an attic just right across the library and looked down on Charlie who seems to be understanding her assignment now.

“Well, that’s certainly progress. How long has she been at it?” it was Mr. Bailey.

“Six hours.”

“Wow. She must be learning fast.”

“She is. “

 Alvah focused on that one book she’s waiting to be alive. If Charlie do things right, she’d be activating another task that is required before someone could be a Jinni.

“Just a little more and then, you’ll be the greatest.”