If there were a word to describe Jonah's feeling after hanging from the Robinia tree, it would be well-being. His body felt completely light. For the first time, there was no place for bad thoughts, anxiety, or the memory of Alma.
When he opened his eyes, he was lying down in his old room. He got up and cleaned himself up without any fright, humming happily a beautiful lullaby. When he finished his hair, he took a mirror that was on his chest of drawers and admired, as he did every morning, his beautiful, perfectly formed golden curls.
As he walked down the stairs to have breakfast with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Caraballo, he thought about the beautiful and peaceful life he led in the town of Audi. Good friends, wonderful parents, it was the life any 12-year-old boy could wish for. However, there was something that stained his existence, and that at night did not let him sleep. Desperate cries, which sometimes seemed to pronounce his name, woke him up in the early morning and gave him an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness. When he finished his hair, he took a mirror that was on his chest of drawers and admired, as he did every morning, his beautiful, perfectly formed golden curls.
As he walked down the stairs to have breakfast with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Caraballo, he thought about the beautiful and peaceful life he led in the town of Audi. Good friends, wonderful parents, it was the life any 12-year-old boy could wish for. However, there was something that stained his existence, and that at night did not let him sleep. Desperate cries, which sometimes seemed to pronounce his name, woke him up in the early morning and gave him an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness.
'If my life is perfect, why do I feel this way?' 'Where do these cries come from?' 'Why do I feel that my soul is being torn apart by hearing them?' Jonah asked himself every night. Despite this, during the day, he forgot all his nightmares and enjoyed his comforts.
It was so hot, so Jonah decided to go to the river with his friends, it was always a good option. Most of the summer, the water was the perfect temperature, Jonah and his friends played for hours, there was no worry in their lives.
That afternoon while they were splashing in the water, Jonah heard someone calling him desperately. Disconcerted, he asked his friends if they had heard anything, but their answer was negative. Jonah tried to continue playing, but he kept hearing a voice. Soon a terrible feeling of uneasiness took hold of him and forced him out of the water.
After a while, Jonah managed to calm down and decided to return to the water. By this time, his friends were competing to see who could go the longest without breathing underwater. Jonah never liked that game but decided to join in. While underwater, he felt the closeness of someone next to him. Slowly he opened his eyes, and there was indeed someone next to him, but it was not any of his friends, he knew it.
In fright, he turned his face away and was surprised! Fright! There was a horrible head stuck to his neck, which looked at him in deep pain. That look stuck in Jonah's soul, which without thinking about it, was thrown up out of the water. Again he heard a voice calling him, but this time, the voice broke into tears. Jonah was sure that he had begun to lose his mind.
An intense sorrow took hold of Jonah every time he thought of that look, which cried out for help. As the days passed, Jonah began to experience a permanent sense of loss and pain. He felt that he was not in the place he should be. All the people began to seem too false and perfect as if they were living in an eternal dream.
Starting from that hypothesis, Jonah tried to wake up: he bathed with cold water, pinched his whole body, tried to put his life in danger... But none of those tricks worked. Everything seemed to indicate that this was his true reality. However, he was no longer happy there, for he wondered, 'Where did that voice come from, that so desperately asked for help?
"You must get out of here. If you stay, you will die," said the same voice to Jonah one morning. He woke up exalted, but he was no longer afraid. Again he felt a presence beside him, turning around he had the same head he saw in the river stuck to his neck. He smiled at him.
"Don't be afraid," he said, then added, "I'll help you."
"If you're afraid, you don't have to help me. I just want you to live, to get out of here.
"But how do I do that?" Jonah asked.
"Wake up," the head said, trying to smile.
After that night, Jonah decided not to sleep again. He was sure that if he went many days without sleeping when he finally did, he would go into such a deep sleep that when he woke up, he would be in his true reality.
He didn't know anything about his true life, but he knew that this was the place where he belonged. That was reason enough to leave his perfect life behind and embark on a journey to an unknown place.
Jonah had already had five sleepless nights. Every second, he was getting closer to losing his battle with sleep, but in his case, losing was not an option. As he was looking out his bedroom window, he heard footsteps approaching him. As he looked out, it was a beautiful woman with chocolate skin, who smiled at him with kindness.
"Are you sure you want to leave," the woman finally said, after an uncomfortable silence.
"Who are you," asked Jonah in confusion.
"Lucifer and I have come to help you make the best decision.
"I've always heard that you should never trust the devil, why should I?" said Jonah with a small mocking laugh.
"Do not call me devil, for I have just told you that I am Lucifer. I will forgive your mistake, but I hope it doesn't happen again," said Lucifer and then added, "You must trust me because I have come to show you your true life." Jonah was going to say something, but Lucifer didn't let him speak because she made the boy go into a trance.
Although Jonah did not remember anything about his previous life, he was horrified by the mistreatment he was exposed to. He could not believe what he was seeing. However, when he saw his moments with Alma and felt her pain and despair, he understood everything. When he returned from the trance, Lucifer was in front of him with a huge smile.
"Do you still want to come back?" She asked with confidence.
"I don't know," replied the doubtful Jonah.
"You should know, you would be a fool to return. The decision is in your hands."After saying that, Lucifer disappeared before the astonished gaze of Jonah.
The poor boy was left pensive. He wondered 'how he could feel compassion for someone he did not know.' He could not give up his perfect life, to run to help someone he did not even remember. Lucifer was right, he would be a fool to return. Thinking about all this, Jonah finally fell asleep. When he woke up, he would see the result of his decision.