Ma

The Japanese concept of Ma has been described as a pause in time, an interval or emptiness in space. Ma is the time and space life needs to breath, to feel and connect. If we have no time, if our space is restricted, we cannot grow. This universal principle applies to every aspect of life.

It was the first town since the bus had crossed the border. The small and provincial town that lies in the middle of a valley, surrounded by farms and the mountains in the distance. It arrived at 7:30 pm when the sun was still up and it would be until 10 pm as usual for these far lands. Mundo stepped out of the bus and looked around. He had no money left since he had bought a ticket to get across the border. A new country with a new language against Mundos' backpack and his spirit. Meanwhile, the evening streets were almost empty, only few people were going up and down minding their own business but it looked all right, no crowds were needed at this place. After a long ride Mundo was starving and all he could think about was food, so he decided to have his dinner at the park. Some nutritious cereals with strawberry jam should satisfy the emptiness of his stomach. While he was crossing the road, a motorcycle crossed his way. Out of blue a driver had slipped in front of him and then turned back to Mundo. They were looking at each other for a few seconds, then the driver lost his interest. "It was so quiet, I couldn't even hear the sound of his moto, it probably was an electric one" thought Mundo. While he was eating in the park he made a sign using his marker. "Ride for free". Usually, it helped him in his previous adventures. He had finished the dinner and started off going down the streets to the end of the city. There was a place where he wanted to hitchhike. It was supposed to be his first hitchhike in this country and he had no idea how it should work here. In an hour of walking, he ended up on the outskirts, close to a gasoline station.

It had been a while since he started trying to stop a car and the sun was wrapping up the whole valley and its town however no cars had stopped. Mundos' plan was to stand here for twenty or more minutes and then go to camp but like always life had its own plan for him tonight and someone honked him behind. Mundo turned around.

"Hello," a voice said.

"Hi!" Mundo answered politely trying to see the face of a stranger.

The guy was sitting on his electrical motorcycle smiling. He had driven a little bit closer to Mundo and turned off the engine, so the barely audible sound of the moto had ceased at all. He put out a phone and opened some kind of translator that Mundo had never seen before in other countries. The stranger started to write something and then a translator voiced words that explouded the silence of an inevitably upcoming night.

"I saw you a few hours ago at the bus station. Who are you?"

He passed to Mundo his phone.

"Yes, I saw you too," Mundo said and blew his nose.

The voice started to utter words that neither of them knew.

"No, no," answered the boy rapidly and started to switch something in his phone, then passed it to Mundo one more time.

"Yes... I also saw you there," repeated Mundo.

The lovely voice started to voice an unknown language and the boy took his phone back and leaned against his ear, after he nodded and then smiled. He started to write a new message but it always took some time of him, meanwhile, Mundo was trying to stop cars but it didn't do any good. The vehicles of any kind as though they were soulless mechanisms with no living, home-hurrying, and warmhearted creatures at the steering wheels were passing by and didn't pay any attention to him.

"What are you doing? May I ask?" the mechanical voice said and gained Mundos' attention off of the road again.

"I am a traveler," Mundo said into the telephone and showed his sign to the boy "Now I am trying to stop a car"

The boy looked at the sign and nodded a few times. Then he said by himself: "I anderstend" and smiled.

Mundo smiled back timidly and reached out his pocket to take some clean tissues for his nose but they had ran out.

The guy got off the moto, stepped ahead to Mundo, and continued to write a new message. Now his appearance was more clear to Mundo. He had a short haircut that looked quite neat compared to Mundos' long and tree-days-unwashed hairs, old, rather dirty than white sneakers and sports pants with some dull hoodie. His clean and shaved face looked young and he probably was the same age as Mundo.

"No cars would stop here. It is getting dark. Can I help you? I want to take you to a hostel where you can sleep."

Mundo finished reading the message and looked at him closely. The boy switched the languages and leaned forward the phone for Mundo to speak. A few seconds there was silence and the translator turned himself off unexpecting to record anyone's voice, so the boy looked at Mundo questioningly. Mundo looked at the road hesitantly, then at the boy. His thoughts and the situation were slink and uncertain. Again he looked at the boy and again at the road, then he sighed and said: "Thanks a lot, but I do not go to a hostel right now. I want to go to the next city. Thank you." The robotic voice started to utter it all over again. Then a car stopped by. It was driving out of a gas station. Mundo smiled at the driver, full of hope, and pointed out at himself then at the car, suggesting to the boy translate the story of Mundo. The boy nodded and they started to speak their language. In a minute the driver looked at Mundo and negatively shook her head. She was sorry. The opposite direction. No luck.

"Okay, thank you," said Mundo sadly in English.

The car went forward and dissolved into the evening lights of the city.

It had become dark and even Mundo had already realized it was pointless to continue. He asked for the phone and the boy opened up the translator one more time.

"Well, thank you for help! I think I will go now," said Mundo and sniffed his nose.

"Will you go to a hostel?" asked the boy

"Probably I will." answered Mundo, trying to finish it as soon as possible.

In a minute Mundo had disappeared into bushes where he started his way to some peaceful and quiet place for a tent even though he didn't know any particular ones. He was quickly walking along some fields with plants and seeds, hoping to get over them as soon as possible and find a good spot for his tent. Twice he looked back and after hurrying up more and more. One more night and again he would be camping in the sticks where only the Moon is a witness. The moon is always a witness. For all of the night ramblers and Mundo as well. Some Mundo. He had made only a few hundred meters when he heard the sound from the side where the bushes were. Mundo looked back and saw that boy who was running wildly towards him. He was caught off-guards. Nor any knives or running with his heavy backpack would save him. Standing there in the middle of the fields, far from the main road and still away from another side of the fields. Too late to make his move. On his way to Mundo, not stopping, the boy started putting out something out of his pocket. Mundo, eyes wide-opened trying to predict any motions of his follower, was ready to protect himself. Just in a second before the boy would come closer to Mundo, Mundo noticed that it was just a phone in his hand and nothing else. The boy had slowed down his speed just in front of Mundo, gaspingly, showing him a new message that had turned their meeting into something incredibly different from now on.

"Wait please, let's go with me, I have a place to stay."

The silence of the moment was being bothered only by the inconsistent breathing of the boy. Mundo looked at the bright screen of the phone which lightened the darkness. He breathed out and slightly smiled with the corner of his mouth.

"Is it far?" asked Mundo

The boy looked at the phone to read the words of Mundo and said: "No, no no, no far."

Mundo gladly nodded.

*

They were driving out of the city, from the highway along some rural road, and in 15 minutes they had reached a farm. He invited Mundo to the farm, at the control post.

"I work here! I am on my night shift. I am a security guard."

Then another guy stepped out of the room.

The boy showed Mundo the room with cameras and one with beds where they sleep and after he started to talk with his colleague. Soon it had become a real quarrel between them. Mundo understood it. The situation was speaking for itself.

"I am so sorry we cannot be here. He is afraid of you. You are a stranger," wrote the boy.

"No worries. I understand you and him, no worries," said Mundo

They were looking at each other for a moment and then the boy went to the control room and came back in a second with a toilet paper. He pointed out to his nose.

"This is for you!"

"Oh!" smiled Mundo and said, "Thank you a lot!"

He blew his nose again. Clean and proper, having now heaps of paper now.

"Let me buy you a room in a hostel," he wrote and started off turning on the moto.

"No no no, it's not necessary! Thank you a lot," said Mundo and waved his hands negatively.

"OK, what are going to do right now?"

"If you know a place where I can set up my tent. I cannot camp here, the solid is riddled with stones and rubbles," said Mundo.

The boy nodded, wrote a new message, and taped the button on the screen.

"Follow me, I know the spot you want."

They were riding for five minutes then left the moto on the road and went along the fence of the farm. The number of rubbles was increasing, at some moment it was hard to step but then all the stones started to disappear, in twenty meters only few left. Finally, they came to a meadow with a gurgling cold river. It was so unexpected to see such a good place after farms, dusty roads, and stony surfaces. Only the Moon was shining on them and lightening the place.

"Do you like this spot?" asked the boy

"Well thanks a lot, it's perfect. I am going to set up my tent here."

"Do you need anything else?" asked the boy, using his phone.

"Thank you a lot, from now on I will handle it by myself," said Mundo directly on the phone.

"Okay, so I should go back to work. Have a good night! Bye!" said the boy and started walking back into the pitch darkness, back to his work.

Mundo was looking at the disappearing silloute of the boy for a while and then started setting up his tent but the power of the wind that reigns among these open spaces was against it and threw a severe fight into Mundo, which he couldn't resist well. A canopy of his tent had been carried away up in the air and he couldn't catch on account of handing the other side of the tent. Every time he wanted to handle the second edge, the first one was being carried away. It had taken almost 10 minutes until the moment when out of nowhere the boy had appeared. He had caught the second side of the tent, killing the darkness with his flashlight like some kind of star warrior. They had sat up the tent in a few minutes together. The fight in which Mundo was about to be defeated unexpectedly had turned out into their victory.

"Do you need something else?" asked the boy again and smiled. It seemed like he understood everything.

"No, thank you so much! I am gonna brush my teeth and go to sleep."

Mundo started his way to a creek, but it was too dark to not step into it, so the boy flashlights his way, and there it was. Mundo was brushing his teeth while the boy looked at him and lit the surface of a creek. Only the gurgling of the creek was breaking the silence or just making it even more natural.

"What is your name?" asked Mundo, having interrupted the moment.

"A?" the boy said and started putting out his phone.

"Wat iz yor naem?" said slowly Mundo.

"May..may naim is" he was slurring and trying to write something down at the same time but then stopped, hid away the phone, and said: "Ma. My name is Ma"

"Ma?" Mundo smiled with his mouth full of toothpaste. "Mundo."

"Mundo," repeated Ma

"Mundo, right," said Mundo and rinsed the mouth then added "Okay, gonna sleep now."

"I understand, Mundo. Good night!" wrote Ma

"Thank you, Ma! Thank you for your help!"

Ma nodded shyly and ran away to his control post.

That night was dark and cold, even the defeated wind had fled off of these lands and only cold remained there until the morning. Mundo was freezing to the bones, half asleep he looked forward to the first sun glimpses but when he looked at the time on his phone it was 7:03 am and there was no Sun at all. He unzipped his tent and went outside. He noticed the warm air coming from his mouth. Mundo started jumping to warm up his body. That was quite the morning. He was cooking his breakfast and waiting for the Sun that was slowly coming to his spot. At night they had sat up the tent on the opposite side of the valley, so the Sun reached his place at the last moment before the whole valley would be swimming in sunlight.

"Helooo!" someone screamed from the side of the farm.

"Oh, hi! Good morning!" said Mundo sitting near the creek with his gas stove. Yolks of delicious fried eggs were seen in his saucer.

The boy ran towards him and started to write a message, his breath inconstant, cheeks red with a natural smile. Mundo smiled at him even though Ma was occupied with an upcoming message and didn't notice it. The boy was standing in front of him, looking so simple and friendly. Mundo liked the way how the boy looked.

"It has been such a cold night are you okay?"

"Yes, yes," Mundo agreed and started shaking to show how he was feeling during the night.

They burst out laughing. The sun had finally arrived at their place, warming the boys and the tea was giving away the steam all right.

Mundo pointed out to the food.

"Do you want some?"

"No no no, thank u," said Ma himself without his phone.

"Okay, as you wish."

"I will take you to the highway, okay?" asked Ma with his phone.

"Oh, thank you, no need, I will go there by myself, you have already done a lot for me, thank you, Ma."

"You are welcome, Mundo, please, be careful."

"And I will, Ma. Please, be careful too," said Mundo and started eating his meal.

The boy was looking at him and his tent in complete silence for a while but now it didn't look strange and Mundo was peacefully enjoying his fried eggs with hot tea. In a few minutes, the boy ran in the direction of his farm. He hadn't broken the silence of the moment, so Mundo continued eating his breakfast, calmly, warming up his body with the tea, thinking about the upcoming day as though nothing had happened.

They have never seen each other again.