THE HIGHEST DOOR

 THE HIGHEST DOOR 

Jenny was dreaming. She could see herself while she was walking down a country road. Just when she was about to start running, since it was beginning to rain, she fell, but rather she slid to the ground, lying flat down on the road. Then soon after she started to move very fast , crawling stretched out, with her body in contact with the earth. It was quite pleasant to move in that position at that speed, rubbing on the ground with the whole body. It seemed to be on a merry- go – round. The run of Jenny lying on her belly continued no stop, but suddenly she was no longer on the road , she was along a river bank. She barely had time to feel  the breeze of the river water on her face that Jenny , remaining in the same position, with her body long stretched out, rose (was lifted) above the river , as if flying. She flew over the river and landed ( her body in the same position) on a wide green lawn , with tall, soft grass. She had just landed on that wide expanse of green grass that in front of her , in that carpet of green here that a very high wooden door appeared, soaring like a bell tower. This lofty door was open only a little , and it was moved by the wind. But it never was closed or open completely. “ But why a door like this here in the open countryside?” Jenny asked aloud. “ Really I don’t understand what it is doing here”(for which reason it is here). In fact, that very high door couldn’t be the door of a house or of some other building, as there were no houses or other buildings. Not only that, there were not even walls on either sides of the very high door, which seemed to be supported by the air, which was towering imposingly on the carpet of green grass.  A voice which stood on the lawn and on her, who was lying on the soft grass ( on her stomach), a voice as if it were carried by the wind, said in a light, rustling, fluttering tone : “ Ah, you don’t know then that this is the highest door which exists, that you will never able to see a door as high as this one”  “ Oh, but this is just a dream….I know well I’m dreaming” These words escaped Jenny, who, as amazed as she was ,she did not let herself be intimidated at all by what that….invisible presence had said. “ Oh, sure, it’s a dream, sure, you’re dreaming …and with this? Listen to me: what you are seeing now in front of you is the highest door which, anyone, not only you, can stand in front of while he is dreaming. “ That voice breathed. And this time it seemed snorting. But it maybe it was just the wind that made it ( the voice) a little puffing .  The wind blew stronger, obliterating ( dispersing ) the words that voice after said. “ Eh, how? What are you saying? I cannot understand. This wind blows your words away “ Jenny said. “ Ah, sure, this wind….” That winged, light, transparent voice whispered . “ Oh, I just invited you ( was inviting you) to enter the highest door you will ever come across. Come on, what are you waiting to enter? “ The voice resounded, gurgling in the wind, more and more persevering, more and more irresistible. Jenny jumped up and ,with a leap , she was in front of the very high door, which overlooked her like the magnificent façade of a solemn cathedral, which made her feel very small, as if she were an insect, as if her dimensions ( her body) were no bigger of that of an ant. The very high door, which until then had been opened only a little, and which had continued to moved in the wind, opened wide in front of her. Jenny stepped towards to enter but a mighty force immobilized her. “ Halt, my dear” a voice said, that maybe it was the same one which had spoken to her before, that had invited her to enter, but maybe not, maybe it was another voice, since it had something like a vibration going through it , which Jenny hadn’t heard in the voice that had spoken to her when she was still lying on the lawn. “ Oh, well, I see that you’re willing to enter “ Here the voice was silent, it paused  for a moment, while Jenny’s heart had started running to the crazy, and even doing somersaults, that she felt her heart pounding in her throat , like an indomitable colt.  “ Now I’ll explain” that voice said, when it started to speak again, somewhat soft, and yet with a subtle note of hardness which passed through it. “ You have to know, my dear, that this door gives access to a world that it is not at all the one you live in every day….whoever crosses this door, my dear girl, comes in a world which had nothing to do with the world of humans. Do you follow me?”   “ Oh, very well, a world other than that of humans is fine with me” Jenny said hopefully. “ Oh, sure. But almost certainly the world this door gives access to is not the world you imagine “ The voice said, this time in a somewhat amused, almost joking tone. “ Ah, a different world from what I can imagine….” Jenny said, barely  refraining from asking the question that had arisen to her spontaneously : “ And what do you know about what I imagine a world completely different from the world where I live every day?”

She managed not to ask this question since she realized ( thought), even though very excited as she was, that her question could sound (seem) a little presumptuous, if not provocative and arrogant. She feared, if she had asked that  question, that maybe she would not be allowed to enter that very high door, while she really  couldn’t wait to be able to access to that other world entirely ( completely)different from that of humans. Oh, it had to be a wonderful , fabulous world!  “ Then, aren’t you saying anything? Aren’t you curious to know something about the world you will come in as soon as you cross this door?” The voice asked, lingering over the words.

“ Of course I’m curious, but I’m above all curious, even impatient, to see this other world with my own eyes, yes, I’m impatient to enter this world” Jenny said. “ Yes, here, you said that before being able to access this world entirely other than that of humans, I had to choose which appearance to assume…Here, what is it? What does it mean?” Jenny asked, speaking in an uncertain, shaky voice , as she, immobilized on the threshold of the very high door ,unable to make the slightest movement, she yet felt as if she were carried by the wind, the impetuous wind which kept on blowing even on the very high door, that wind seemed it carried even the voice that spoke again to her. “ Ah, then, you see, since this is a world completely different from the humans one, you can understand that, consequently, to access it, you must not at all have a human aspect”  “ Oh, but it’s wonderful!” Jenny exclaimed enthusiastically. “ And what will I look like?” she asked more and more trembling with impatience, with curiosity. “ You can choose to look like an animal, or a plant, a vegetable, but also a mineral” The voice said. “ A butterfly! I want to be a butterfly! “ Jenny exclaimed , to the height of the enthusiasm. “ Oh, I will be a butterfly, and I will able to fly free in this other world, sure a boundless and happy world! Wow!”

“ Ah, a butterfly then, well. But I must warn you, my dear, that, since butterflies have a very short life, if you take on the appearance of a butterfly, you will not be able to stay long in this other world” The voice said. The wind began to blow stronger, more impetuous, even raging.  Jenny felt trembling, as if shaken, crossed by that wind.  “ But then, if I take on the appearance of a butterfly, since as a butterfly I will have a short life….but then, after being a butterfly in this other world, will I be able to return to the world of humans?” She asked , with a trembling voice. She got no answer.  A strong gust of wind pushed her into the very high door, which closed behind her.