Horst Lux
Cheerivies way
»Hello,« she said as she sat down on the branch, »May I have a rest here for a little while?«The old owl parted the green leaves tangle that protected him from the sun. In the harsh backlight he saw almost nothing, but nodded in agreement with his head and muttered to himself:
»If it absolutly must be!«
»You are not very friendly. Did you hav a nice sleep?«
She looked at him over from his head down to his toes.»I never sleep at night, you should know it,« he said,
»just now I wanted to sleep, but you wouldn’t let me.«
She rolled her little eyes and then she said reassuringly.
»Forgive me, I did not mean to offend you.«
She moved a few sprigs closer: »Are you the old owl and the old wise one?«
The owl turned his head to the side. »The others say so. Sure, I’m old - but wise? Who could make such a claim for himself? To learn from practical experiences must not mean to be a common experience creature. And wisdom?«
The owl shook his head so that his fluffy feathers flew around. »To use any moments, each step of your undertakings or whilst a trip in the morning already to think about the evening how to reach a maximum of happy hours and having no regretts of your doing afterwards - I believe that is wisdom!«
For o long time Cheerivie kept silent. Then she asked: »And did you never regret anything you've done in your life?«
»You see, that is the reason why I’m not wise! I do regret quite a bit and if it would be possible I would decide differently today, I believe. Well, when I was still young my thinking and life was different to nowadays. But also this is a privilege of the youth.“
The old owl looked at her thoughtfully:
»But what about you? You're still young and having long life ahead of you. What is your dream?«Thoughtfully Cheerivie looked through the branches to the high upstanding sun at the sky where the sunbeams where playing with the white cirrus clouds and a boisterous wind was chasing them. Then she looked at the owl:
»I'm Cheerivie, the dreamer! Until yesterday I was living over there on the other side of the lake. But you're wrong, dear owl, I'm not so young anymore as you think. I already have seen several summers and three times I brought up my youngsters already.«Then she moved still closer to the old owl.
»But now it is finished! I don’t want it anymore and so I’ve left my companion. From now on I want to be responsible only for myself !«The old owl looked surprised with his big eyes at her.
»You want to be only yourself? You are really a dreamer. What have you been so far?«Cheerivies voice grew louder.
»What I have been? I was nothing! A heteronomous nothing, just a functional worker, nothing more. Nobody in the world ever has asked me how I am, how I do feel.«
Cheerivie got very much upset and was shivering all over.
»You ask what I'm dreaming? Let me tell you: From the high blue sky up there, from the immeasurable wideness, from the indescribable wonderfull world which I always was longing for. You can believe me, it hasn’t been very difficul to leave!«The old owl looked at her again a bit lost in his thoughts. Such words he knew, those dreams he had dreamed himself. But he also knew the other side of the medal, which is never shining at that moment when not everything is running smoothly.
»I understand you, Cheerivie, I understand you very well. But remember, the great poet Goethe once said:
"To understand that the sky is blue everywhere, you do not need to travel around the world!"
So you want to fly there up in the high blue sky?
Don’t forget, up there you will be very alone. Nobody will accompany or protect you. You'll be very lonely. Who will help you if something will happens to you?«Impatiently Cheerivie moved to and for on her branch.
»Until now I always felt lonely as well. Amongst all the others I felt alone.
But I want to make different experiences and finding pleasure in those, though in case I shall be just on my own. «
Her eyes were looking thirsty for action.
»Namely today and not when I'm as old as you are! You can’t change my mind, owl. Neither you could reach to manage it in spite of your clever argumentations.«
»Mm,« grumbled the owl, as he shooked his wings, »I know that I can’t stop you. And I think I will not to do so. Perhaps it comforts you, if I shall keep a free place here in my tree for you? This would enable you to come back any time when you feel homesick!!«
»Homesick? Me, never! Certainly not!«
Cheerivie said it with a special certainty which left no places for contradecisions.
»What ever homesick means to be. It’s nothing against the feeling of freedom, having the opportunity to fly to everywhere I want to!«Cheerivie strucked shortly her wings. Then she gave the old owl a long look.
»Farewell, wise owl! I know you mean it well. But I have made my decision!«
In a tender gesture she picked carefully the feathers of the old owl and then she started right up with a strong flapping of her wings into the vasteness of the eternal blue sky.
The old owl sat still long on his shady place within the branches of the tree and looked up through the leaves into the infinite blue of the firmament.
He knew, one day Cheerivie might return to her confident natural home forest. Some time or other the enormous freedom will spite her out again. Than she wouldn’t be the same little Cheerivie with her great colorful dreams anymore at her return.
As the wise old owl fell asleep in the high noon heat, he felt a sadness which was attending him far into his dreams ...
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Published on e-Stories.org on 03/20/2017.
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Book by Horst Lux:
Jahre wie Nebel: Ein grünes Jahrzehnt in dunkler Zeit
von Horst Lux
Es wurde sehr viel geschrieben über jene Jahre der unseligen Diktatur eines wahnwitzigen Politikers, der glaubte, den Menschen das Heil zu bringen. Das meiste davon beschreibt diese Zeit aus zweiter Hand! Ich war dabei, ungeschminkt und nicht vorher »gecasted«. Es ist ein Lebensabschnitt eines grünen Jahzehnts aus zeitlicher Entfernung gesehen, ein kritischer Rückblick, naturgemäß nicht immer objektiv. Dabei gab es Begegnungen mit Menschen, die mein Leben beeinflussten, positiv wie auch negativ. All das zusammen ist ein Konglomerat von Gefühlen, die mein frühes Jugendleben ausmachten. Ich will versuchen, diese Erlebnisse in verschiedenen Episoden wiederzugeben.
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