THE THREE SUITCASES AND THE MASK

THE THREE SUITCASES AND THE MASK

Original concept by AC

July 2017

There is a story of a woman who used to love 3 suitcases. These 3 suitcases were special gifts given by some people she loved since she was a little kid. One suitcase was given by a man, so this suitcase was big, heavy, simple and quiet. It has simple dark colors, grays, blues, blacks. Inside of this suitcase there was: respect, strength, rudeness, achievement, and at the end, in the bottom, there was love.

The second suitcase was given by a woman, so this suitcase was smaller than the first one, still heavy, complex and loud. It’s colorful with different patterns, very creative, purples, oranges, golds, silvers, green, whites and pinks. Inside this suitcase there was: love, patient, empathy, softness, and at the end of the suitcase, in the bottom, there was respect.

The third suitcase was created by a child, so this suitcase was smaller and light, it was transparent, so you can see from the outside what was inside. Very beautiful and new design that attracted the eye of anybody that see it. Inside this suitcase there was: fun, adventure, curiosity, sensibility, a hug, a big flashlight, and at the end of this suitcase, in the bottom there was an empty white box. This beautiful white box with no decoration or style, just a box, like waiting to be decorated and filled.

This woman was carrying all these 3 suitcases for years. Every time she saw the man she loved, she took out her big suitcase and search inside what she can show to the man, so the man was happy.

Another day, she met the woman she loved and she took out the colorful suitcase, open it and took things to show to the woman, so the woman was happy.

Most of the time she was taking out the big suitcase and colorful suitcase, and almost never, using the transparent small suitcase.

Years passed, and this woman grew up. She started to feel tired and weak most of the time, She start to feel it was so heavy to carry these 3 suitcases, and she started to notice the suitcases started to get bigger and bigger without explanation.

She got used to pick up only the big suitcase and the colorful suitcase. The small suitcase started to look dirty, old, and useless.

One day she decided to take vacations, she was tired of her job and she thought that a vacation will make her feel better and relaxed, so she went into a cruise. When she was packing she decided to bring only 2 suitcases.

In the cruise, she met lovely men and lovely women, and every time she was meeting then she took out one of her suitcases and showed them. Everything was fine.

The 2^nd day of the trip, In the middle of the night suddenly there was an alarm! she woke up by the loud sound and was very scared. She also heard people screaming and yelling, was like hell. In one moment, she thought she will die.

There was somebody talking on the speakers and giving instructions: “We have limited emergency boats, so please come to the emergency boarding place and please you can carry only a small suitcase with the most important things for you.”

She immediately took the smallest suitcase she had, open it, and start to put the most important things she considers was for her. Then she ran outside to find the boarding place to scape. But there was a long way to go. The emergency boats where in the other side of the cruise, and she need to run through a 1,000 meter corridor to reach that exit.

She left her room, and the first thing she realize was there was no light. She thought: Hmm a big flashlight would be very useful in this case.

In total darkness, there were some voices at the end of the hall, so she started to move towards those voices. After 100 meters of walking she found a group of kids, there were totally terrified and didn’t want to move. They just had some matches to give them light, and then one of them, saw her and say: These are my 2 brothers, we are very scare, can you make something funny for us to laugh? Can you tell us any of your adventure stories so we can calm down and move? Please!

The woman didn’t know what to do, she just took some steps back, go back to the corridor and move forward, leaving the kids behind. She thought: I will find somebody to come back for them.

After 200 meters of walking, then she found a man tied up with chains, with weird futuristic lock holding the chains together and trapping the man.

He said: “I don’t know what to do, I can’t reach this weird lock, and even if I can, I don’t know how to open. I was never curious about things like this and I am afraid I can’t even try to open, can you?”

She said: “No, I can’t, I never tried before, I never care about these things, sorry. I will find somebody to help you!

He said: “please don’t leave me”

But she left, and the man stayed alone.

The woman started to slightly remember, she used to have these things in her small transparent suitcase, but she left this at home. She just kept moving, but she was feeling very weak and tired.

After 500 meters of walking she found an old woman, besides her there was a small flashlight and looks like running out of batteries soon. The old woman had a very bad wound on both of her legs, she knew she won’t make it, so she told the woman: I just need a true hug!

The woman used her brain and she answered: “You will be fine, but I can’t help you now. I will find somebody else to help you”- Then she left.

She was thinking she was so tired, also scared and she never gave or received a true hug to anybody in her life, so she didn’t know how to give it. And after so many years practicing being serious and feeling-less, she didn’t know how to express herself.

The woman kept moving forward, passed the 800 meters, she was carrying her suitcase and thinking in all the people she left behind.

Arriving to the final 5 meters, she saw a light, like those emergency lights going black-red black-red…and then she saw a big guardian in the gate. This guardian was wearing a heavy mask, heavy armor, and waiting with a sword.

The woman just kept moving and wanted to cross the gate, in the back of the guardian, she saw the door was open, and the people outside there were boarding the emergency boats. Then suddenly the guardian put the arm out blocking her to go in, and with a deep low voice, said:

“Show me what you had created!”

She was totally puzzled, and said: “what?!”

The guardian repeated with a stronger tone: “Show me what you had created for the people!”

She said: “I don’t understand! Let me in!”

The guardian said: “The white box! Open the white box! Show me what you have created and put in!”

She hesitated for long seconds, until she remembered, at the bottom of the transparent suitcase there was a white box.

She opened the suitcase and showed what she was carrying. The guardian said: “This is not want I want!”

She said: “what I can I do, I already came here, I am very tired, I just want to continue my journey! Please.

The guardian said: There is something you can do so you can go outside and board the boats.

She said: “what is that? – Tell me!”

The guardian said: “Help me to take out this mask, is too heavy and I can’t breathe well. There is a key to open and release my mask, one of the persons you left behind has it. Find it!

She was mad, and from the anger she got energies, then she shouted:

“NO WAY! I can’t help you, I can’t help them, I can’t!” – then she started to cry, and tried to run outside through the gate. The guardian held her and pushed her back.

The guardian said: I know you can’t help them now, but if you don’t try, you can’t go out through this door. Use that anger and the last drops of energies and go back, help somebody, find the key and come here. Hurry!

With tears on her eyes and anger on her guts, she turned and ran back. She started to move back, but suddenly the guardian yelled:

“WAIT! Take my sword, this will help you to break the lock!”

She took the sword, and started to use her logical thinking: who can I help first, what if I fail, I can’t give a real hug, what if I cut the man instead the lock, I feel pressure, time is running, I may not have space to save my life. She crashed. She put her knees down and collapse in the wet floor of the dark corridor.

There was a new message on the speakers, the voice said: “We still have places for women and children to get saved, there is no much time, Hurry!”

She heard this, and with her last energy, she grabbed the sword, used it to stand up, and went back.

Without thinking she went to the place where the man was trapped with the chains and the weird lock.

She went in, saw the man, and using a singular rudeness and strength, she cut the lock in half and freed the man!

He came out the chains, and He started to cry! He said: “Thank you so much!” – and without notice he hugged her. She received the most warm and true hug in her live! She never felt that before. Then she hugged back.

She asked him: “Do you have the key?”

He said: “what key?”

She said: “There is a guardian at the end of this corridor, He told me to come back and search for a key, do you have it?”

He said: “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

She just moved her head down in a sign of disappointment, and she was ready to prepare to run and find the other person to help, suddenly the man said:

“I don’t know about a key but I have this maybe it can help!”

He gave her a small piece of iron with the shape of the letter C, she took it, kept it and moved to the next person!

Then she was running like her live depend on it, and she arrived at the place of the old woman.

The old woman looked terrible, but calm and patient. Her eyes where full of kindness.

The woman threw the sword, and run to the old woman, and hug her. There was a huge energy around them, there was unconditional love, empathy and softness.

The old lady asked the woman: “Do you want to hear a story?”

She said: “Yes” – with tears on the eyes.

The old lady said:

When I was a kid, I used to carry a transparent suitcase to everywhere I go. I used to have 3 suitcases, but I hate them. There was nothing I wanted on them and the people who like them. They were also big and heavy.

So, I grew up, started to travel around, I met a lot of men, most of them broken-hearted, I was doing great money, but something was missing. I was missing my family, I was missing myself.

One day I met a wonderful man, He was carrying a different suitcase I never saw before in my life. It was black, red and yellow. He told me, is something he created by himself, and I was very surprised. This man was helping people and sharing a lot of amazing ideas, creating and celebrating every success in his life. I asked him, how did you do it? How come you are not carrying 3 suitcases, and enjoying the life-like this?

He just said: “everything started with a white box.”

The old lady threw her last breath, slowly and peacefully closed her eyes.

She put her down on the bed, and then the old women’s hand dropped a piece of iron. It looked like a small stick. She just took it and move on.

Inspired by the story but without understanding clearly what was that, the woman kept running towards the place where the 3 kids where. She arrived. Totally exhausted, and with the last drops of energy on her face, she smiled to them and said: “I have a story!”

She told the story of a brave old woman and the man. The kids where very curious and interested, and finally this helped them to smile. Their state totally changed and they got encouragement to stand up and move to the gate!

She said: “Hey wait! before you go, do you have the key?

The kids said: “what key?”

She said: “There is a guardian at the end of this corridor, and I need to find a key to open the mask”

The kids where watching her in a weird way, and said: “No, We don’t know about that…but We have something that looks like a ring, maybe can help you?

The woman took it, and realized there were 3 parts, these 3 parts can connect to each other. And then form… A KEY!!!!

The kids saw this, and were so happy, they ran first, they had a lot of energies, and they arrived first to the gate and go outside without problems.

The woman, was behind them, and then finally she arrived and meet the guardian again.

The guardian said: “Do you have the key?”

She said: “Yes”

The guardian turned back and said: “Please open the mask”

She was very careful, introduced the key in the back hold of the mask and open it.

The mask was heavier than she thought. When the guardian was opening it, she could see the mask was very thick, with different iron layers. She also realized the first layers inside, where rusty and older than the outside layers.

Suddenly, a piece of long hair was revealed, the hair fell and drop to the height of the shoulders of the guardian.

Surprised and scared, she dropped the key, and move some steps backs while the guardian was standing up.

The guardian turned back and face her.

The guardian was like a broken mirror of the woman. She was totally wounded by the rusty iron. She was completely frozen observing how similar they were.

Another announcement broke that moment, on the speakers this message: “THIS IS THE FINAL CALL, WE ARE LEAVING NOW! HURRY UP!”

The guardian said: “What are you waiting! Go!”

The woman started to move very slowly, and then get some speed, she crossed the gate, then the guard said: “WAIT! Bring your white box” – the guardian tossed her the white box.

The woman caught it, and run to the emergency boats.

The last boat was almost departing, only with a big jump she could make it. Almost at the edge of the platform, there was the man she set free before. He extended his hand and gave her a big push, then she used this and jumped right into the last boat. She made it!

Without energy anymore, she started to blink, the sight started to be blur, and when she was closing her eyes she saw the 3 kids on the same boat, then she smiled and faint.

You will always have a chance to use all your gifts!

You will always have a chance to create!

Find the key, hurry!

Adv C by AC By AC