The Reflection

The Reflection

It had a glimmer about it, a shine that could penetrate a soul. It was almost as if the little black book had a language of its own. As the young man knelt to say goodbye to his best friend for the last time, a single tear shed from his cheek. As the teardrop collided with the puddle beneath him, it became one with the rain, finding itself in the harmony of eternity. As the man rose from his friend's grave he noticed from the corner of his eye the little black book. The book laid atop a coral cedar bench and like a magnet spoke in a language he did not yet understand. Broken in the loss of his companion the man had no idea of the journey he would soon endure...soul depleted, body weak, the overdose came just months after he lost his teaching job in heroic fashion. “Hey Nicky it’s time to go” we're going to be late! (echoed from the limousine) “give me a minute” he yelled back as he slowly walked towards the vibrant, perfectly strung leather book. As he approached the bench he noticed a green glow shimmering from the pages and a resonance that he had only felt before while in deep meditation with his students. He rubbed the tears from his eyes but the glow reamined, it wasn't an illusion.

As he unwove the beautiful leather wrap he felt as though he was unwrapping himself..and as emotions filled him to the core the envelope fell from the book. In cursive writing the letter read “Nicky Dreams”. The beautiful pages of the journal began to glow vibrantly, symbols came and went in a majestic experience before disappearing in front of his eyes. All that remained written in the book was “Costa Rica”. Still enchanted from the experience Nicky eagerly opened the envelope and found 20 thousand dollars in crisp hundred dollar bills. As a painful glow filled his heart appearing on the page in front of him cursive letters appeared; “follow me, and you will find the key to the universe” -Love Dan.

As quickly as the moment lifted, the pain of losing his best friend, his job, and the woman he loved quickly reclaimed the hold on his heart, Nicky clung to the book as the writing softly disappeared from the page...only blank pages remained and an envelope with twenty thousand dollars cash. In a state of shock he put the journal in his leather bag and ran to the car to join his family mourning the death of his dear friend. Surly no one would believe his experience, being a former drug addict doesn't exactly scream credibility. Nicky decided he would tell no one of the magical experience with the “little black book”...but he knew, for whatever reason his next stop was Costa Rica.

Nicky tossed and turned all night long pondering how to tell his best friend and business partner he could not fulfill the obligations of his role with their company anymore. Since losing his job in the inner city, Nicky was working full time on a video production venture that would merge two companies leaving only “The Holy Black”. After months of negotiating, Nicky would soon be walking into the office to tell his best friends and partners he could not participate in the deal. He was leaving for a spiritual journey in search of the “key to the universe”, surely they would understand.

Knock Knock.

As the door opened to the warehouse... Covered in sweat, tired, and emotional Nicky sat his partners down and shared the news. He insisted that the venture could still be possible, he pleaded to no avail. By the end of the meeting Nicky had lost his second job in 3 months. Tears again ran down his face as he opened the little black book. On the first page in cursive letters one by one, as if the hands of an angel curated the letters to be, the page spelled; Alexa.

Nicky’s heart dropped, prior to losing Dan to a heroin overdose Alexa had left him. She was not interested in a relationship... Alexa was perfectly content with the promiscuous lifestyle she lived, the way they had left off he was not even sure she would see him, let alone drop her life and leave for Costa Rica.

(As the phone rang his heart pumped)

“she must be with him”, “she’s out enjoying herself dont bother”

...before the last ring he heard her voice.

Alexa: Hello?

Nicky: Hey Lex… I missed you. This is going to seem a little bit strange but I have a request for you.

Nicky: I have $20,000 dollars and a magic little black book. I need you to come with me to Costa Rica.

Alexa: Are you okay? What are you talking about? I'm working right now Nicky, I can’t do this again.

Nicky: Alexa please just TRUST ME... can I see you?

Alexa: (pauses momentarily) I hope your okay. Please don’t do anything stupid. I will come by after work.

What was the little black book? Where did it come from? What was the key to the universe? And Why? WHY!? was it left for him. As the hours drifted by as he eagerly awaited Alexa, he thought of all of the possibility, all of the disappointment and everything in between. Broken in so many ways… it just wasn't fair.

Nicky: “Lex… we’re here”

Alexa opened her eyes to lush beautiful trees for miles, the sun glistened through the bus window on a dirt road in seemingly the middle of nowhere. As they moved closer to Santa Teresa, the southernmost point of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, her eyes widened with pure joy, she hadn't felt this in years. As the bus grew near.. a sharp left turn widened the view of the vast pacific ocean in front of her. The beautiful rainforest kissed the white sands of the oasis in front of them, as the waves crashed on the pristine black lava rock they glanced at each other and knew in their hearts...they were home.

As they stepped off the bus onto the dirt road, beautiful people of all colors raced by on 4x4’s and motorcycles. It was almost as if they had dissolved into a scene of Mad Max meets paradise. As they walked to the beach they felt the subtle vibrations as Nicky looked down, the “little black book” began to glow green again.

Nicky: Alexa...

(in shock) Alexa glanced at the fine leather symbol on the cover...adjoining circles formed a pattern she had recognized from what seemed like another life.

Alexa: (Screaming) What are you waiting for? Open it!

As he opened the book cursive letters again appeared...spelling only… “Find me”.

3 months later…

Alexa: I knew I should not have come here with you! You are CRAZY! I want to go home, I need to get out of here, LEAVE ME ALONE!

Nicky: We haven’t found the key yet! You cant leave the book said..

Alexa: I Don’t care about you or your “magic book” I don’t know how you made it do this you're so manipulative. None of this is real. GOODBYE!

Nicky dragged Alexa all over Costa Rica in search for the key, they looked everywhere night and day, he insisted they would find it and life would be beautiful forever when they did. The initial search was exciting, sometimes turbulent, yet over time she grew tired of searching. The demanding nature of the hunt wore on her, and finally she decided enough was enough. Nicky was just crazy, he surly fooled her with a magic trick or slipped her one of the drugs he used to take. There was no such thing as magic, and there was no key to be found, no grand fairytale ending to the destructive path she came to know as life. Having seen abuse throughout her life she was a survivor, and that's what she would do… survive. Alexa got on the bus with her new Costa Rican K-9 who she rescued from the sunlit streets of Santa Teresa and was on her way. Nicky watched as he saw her beautiful bright green eyes turn away for the last time.

In the months that followed Nicky surfed and drank away his pain. The magic “little black book” stopped its direction and laid cold and dull on his shelf. He lost everything, his beard and dreadlocks grew long and shaggy, he spent nights on the beach under the stars in a tent as his money dwindled away into the abyss of pain. He couldn’t go back to New York… he lost both of his jobs, his friends, and the woman he loved. His anger and resentment of the ‘little black book” grew and he blamed it for all of his pain. He just wanted to help, what had he done to deserve this. One night after a brutal rainy season that led to floods everywhere on the peninsula Nicky had enough. He walked to the roaring ocean and threw the book in the sea, he was finished. Nicky downed his bottle of rum, hunched over under the stars he drifted to sleep.

The next morning upon waking the shining “little black book” was sitting in the sun next to him... the wind whirled, and as the pages fluttered he saw just one word “Aloha”. Nicky ran to the book with mixed emotions...and as the word dissolved into just another blank page a ticket fell to the floor, as he bent down to the sun kissed sand he read:

San Jose, Costa Rica - Kailua/Kona Hawaii 11/11/2020.

As he looked at the book one last time he saw a faint reflection of his face, still hungover from the night before, he closed the book and rushed to his tent. He had only 48 hours to get to the airport and $333 dollars left. On the way Nicky called Alexa repeatedly hoping she would pick up the phone, he left a message pleading with her to come to Hawaii. Two busses, a ferry, 3 plane rides, and 56 hours later Nicky arrived in Hawaii. With no plans, place to stay, and down to his last hundred dollar bill he opened the book. He asked the book what to do next, all he saw was a faint reflection the same as the day on the beach. He decided the next day he would call his parents and borrow money to get himself home. This time the journey was surely over.

Just as Nicky was about to call his parents and end his voyage in search for the key, he scavenged his backpack for paper to write down the flights he needed booked. He was out of supplies; he grabbed the only thing he had left in his bag his book. He wrote down the flights quickly, and a reminder to ask for rental car money as well.

As he rushed out of the hostel he pulled out his bag, inside he found a ticket to New York, and a pair of keys. He double checked the bag to make sure it was his and approached the hostel clerk..

Nicky: Did someone lose keys here?

Clerk: No, but a car was dropped off in your name a few minutes ago it’s over in the parking lot...

As he walked to the brand new jeep in shock. It all made sense.

He pulled out his little black book and wrote down... “Alexa”

Seconds later he received a text message:

Alexa: “I found myself”.

As he looked up from the phone he saw Alexa’s beautiful Green Eyes approach from behind the jeep, smiling ear to ear, holding a “little black book” of her own.

The end.