Place: The Flat
Resident: The Human Mind
And: The Guest who came a knockin'
Names: Pulled randomly out of a hat!
At 6:45 in the morning, Rachel sat on her bed wondering why she had nothing left to barter for the various paints she might need in order to paint the wall colors of her mind. Happiness and creativity seemed to have long fled through the windows of her eyes, and past the gateways of her ears. Those colors would be red and green, perhaps with a splash of orange. She couldn't remember the exact colors anyhow. Now the walls were a muted gray...
Songs no longer filled her hallways... where once vases filled with lavender or white roses stood, overturned tables and dusty clay shards of these vases crackled and crunched under her feet. The kitchen where pots and pans would whistle and shake with brainstormin' ideas lay idle and dead - thick oil, useless, lined the pots - no signs of those eager days when healthy vegetation and hearty meats with minced garlic and onions could be savored and guzzled up.
The more and more she stared at those gray walls, the deeper she began to sink into that grayness.
knock knock knock
Birds always nestled somewhere near the air conditioner. Friendly and intrusive neighbors, not much she could do about them.
knock knock
How many of them were there? Two? Three? A family of Five perhaps?
knock KNOCK KNOCK knock KNOCK - knock KNOCK! "Time for a thorough dust sweep, Madam!"
Somebody at the door? No one had been there for quite some time. She really wasn't expecting, well anyway...
"Come in, come in - do come in." - Her parents had paid for a life of cleaning services for the flat.
Short round lady enters, broom, mop, and bucket at hand: "Terrana Nisa is my name. I'll just need your stamp here, please, before I can start the cleaning."
Rachel sighed. "Well, okay, but, it's not so necessary to make the place so VERY clean, I'm out of paint, there's really no point, you know, if I can't -"
"Oh nonsense, just stamp and let's get on, I've got a hundred more places I've got to clean - you're the first so chip chop!"
Rachel took out her rather large r stamp, the one which had an endless, magical supply of ink and stamped Terrana Nisa's "Permissional Papers."
Once the stamp made its pounding sound against the wall, Terrana began sweeping. The ink was so eager to please that it stamped the r onto the paper and through to the wall. "Oh drat," she said. "Wasn't expecting that."
The dust was laid so thick that the broom revealed streaks of dust, still indignant, clinging to the wood floors. Terrana instructed Rachel to please open the lattice to the balcony as to let in some fresh air and the morning light - "Such a dirty mess we have here!" she muttered. "Why -" But Rachel wasn't listening, it had been centuries it seemed, since she'd swung open the lattice - she stepped out into the balcony and took in a sweeping color of delight - she heard sounds, sounds better than any music she'd remembered in a long time, old friends calling to her as though new:
Said the sky: "How do you like this new blue? Nice isn't it? I had it made just for you! I knew you'd come out and look at me today!"
Birds were busy going about their business, even before the sounds of school children could be heard. They were busy, talking about what to eat that day, who would carry what, the new babies that needed to be fed, flying, flying, and talking! Talking so very much!
Surrounding buildings awash in tan with splashes of red and orange on their rooftops called out to her "Where have you been! Didn't know how much we've missed you, eh?"
And suddenly she could barter - so she DID have a thing or two to start painting the walls of her mind - but she'd have to wait until Terrana was finished sweeping through the cobwebs and dust mines of her mind before laying on those paints...
"Sky! How about I have my first morning thoughts with you!" she yelled. "Done!" three gallons of sky blue appeared in front of her. Well! That was easy enough!
"Roof tops! How about we see about taking some nice mental pictures of you?" "Done!" yelled back the roof tops. Beautiful tan colored paints, brushes, rollers, and trays appeared before her.
That's enough, that's enough, she said to herself. How much color could she possibly handle, it had been so long, maybe she should take it one stride at a time.
Inside, Terrana had filled 5 tons worth of brain damaging filth and excess (that clingy, good for nothing dust) into disposable bags - where those things went she forgot. Lemon & citrus filled the air, the mop- that -always- stays- white was quietly doings its job, as Terrana splashed non-damaging magical water onto the floors, and then on the marble floors as well. Terrana took care to tackle anything laden with dust - even the brass bells that hung over the front door began to ring with glee, and soon vendors took notice, shouting into the open door with "Pots and Pans! Pots and Pans! Trade in your old for new!" And so she did.
Then came Les Fleurs Grandeur vendors: "Flowers for all seasons! Complimentary vases, free with your purchase!" Rachel asked, "How much?" "5 thoughts for a vase!" they replied. "I have 20 thoughts, I'll buy 4." Terrana had just finished wiping her tables - "Terrana, if you could please place my new flowers on these beautifully cleaned tables" - "Of course," she replied.
It took well over 20 hours just to get her flat cleaned, and when it was all done, she sank into her seat, thankful her parents had cared enough to provide life long services - it felt so good to spend her thoughts on new things, beautiful things - colors of green and blue, red and orange, yellow and pink filled the central part of her flat - she still had yet to cover the walls of her bedroom and other important areas, but it was a fresh start. Rachel started to remember that her thoughts were what yielded both good and bad returns. To think, that she'd let her house go gray for so long!
Stay tuned.... for the next part of Rachel's story!
