Another dimension
One morning
while Bui Linh Ha was walking
down a dirt path near a coconut grove,
a flying carpet came and landed in front of her
She took off her shoes,
boarded the carpet
and sat down,
and it then took off and transported her
very slowly
to another dimension
♫ ♫ ♫
The home of the elves
was divided into two regions:
a cool zone
and a warm zone
In the cool zone
each thing was a shade of purple, green or blue,
and in the warm zone
every thing was a shade of yellow, orange or red
The elves passed their time
wherever they pleased,
and they moved freely
between the two
Welcome,
Elf Linh Ha
It is wonderful that you have come to visit
How was your journey?
It was excellent
The carpet took me
through a space
I had never encountered before,
and as we flew
I was slowly transformed
into this transparent figure that is ever changing its hue,
blending in
with objects nearby
Yes,
you are an elf now, Linh Ha,
and as an elf
you have several powers
that you did not have before
Take a moment
and have a look
at all the arrows in your quiver
Linh Ha then had a look
inside herself
and realized that her song,
enchanting and bewitching,
had the power to paralyze combatants
until they were ready to make peace
and to keep orcs at bay
She also discovered
that her dance could entrance
and make all who watched
forget their troubles
and remember their true nature
as they swayed and flowed along
And when she smiled
no one could resist
smiling as well
and falling in love
with life
I imagine you’d like to have a look around
Shall we go for a walk?
Yes, I’d like that
And so Linh Ha and her new friend
began to explore
the elf dimension
♫ ♫ ♫
We live simply here
and well
There are not very many of us
so there is plenty for all
Your homes are beautiful
They’re made only from what we find in nature:
wood, stone, straw, mud
and things like that
Most are only one or two stories
and none are higher than three
Cool
That makes it easier to see rainbows
Clouds and stars too
The clothing here is very nice as well,
elegant and simple
Hemp mostly
It’s quite durable
We use natural dyes,
and most of us make our own clothes
A strong vibration
then traveled through the air
and enveloped the elves
That was the lunch gong
Are you hungry?
I am
Come
Let’s eat
Linh Ha followed her friend
to the dining hall,
where they enjoyed a delicious meal
♫ ♫ ♫
Mmmm!
This food is good,
and the water is the best I’ve ever had
We don’t poison our food and water with chemicals
Food grows by itself
and water we get from wells and streams
Many things we eat raw
because the process of cooking
reduces the nutritional value of food,
but of course we still cook
How else could we make pizza
and some of the other dishes we love?
I love pizza
And we cook with wood
Since there are so few of us,
wood is abundant
The forest grows faster than we can use it
and we rarely cut down trees
We just collect what falls to the ground
You live in a sustainable manner
Yes
And we collect seeds from the plants and trees
that we especially like,
the ones that make beautiful flowers
or delicious fruit
or hard wood that is suitable for making a drum,
and plant them here and there
There is a food forest around each village
and there is more than enough
for all the beings in this dimension
Cool
I like planting flowers and trees too
Would you like some tea?
Yes, please
Green tea was poured
into little purple cups,
and the two friends then drank in silence
for a while
♫ ♫ ♫
We don’t use money here
Instead we use seeds as currency
Everyone has a seed pouch
in which they carry seeds they would like to trade
for goods or other seeds,
and they also keep a selection of their favorites on hand
to offer as gifts
Shall we go for a walk
and collect some seeds?
Okay
And so as the sun moved slowly
towards the horizon,
the two elves walked around the village,
through some fields
and in the woods,
gathering seeds
from the plants, trees and flowers
that were ready to offer them
♫ ♫ ♫
Twilight was edging its way across the village
when the elves returned with their treasure
and stowed it away in a variety of jars
A few candles had been lit,
but for the most part the villagers were enjoying
the dark
Thank you
for everything
You’re welcome, Linh Ha
Come again soon
I shall
And before you go,
please accept this seed pouch
In it is a collection of my favorite seeds
Thank you
The others are outside,
and they have something for you as well
The elves left the house
and stepped into the night
and the glow of the crescent moon,
where all of the other elves were waiting
Thank you, friends
You have all been very kind
Linh Ha then took her Melodica out of her knapsack
and played a farewell song
while the elves placed some of their favorite seeds
in her pouch
♫ ♫ ♫
And when she had finished,
she boarded her carpet,
and then,
armed with her song,
her dance
and her beautiful smile,
she gave a wai and took off
and returned to the dimension from which she had come,
flying through the night
to her home in the jungle
♫ ♫ ♫
winterblume 