My spirit jumps from my body, and I'm rendered speechless. A warm sensation engulfs my body.

Was that really the old lady talking to me?

When I become conscious again, I'm standing in an endless stark white room. A familiar presence catches my attention, and I turn around to find my Mother sitting at a small table set for tea. “Please sit, Danny,” my Mother gestures. She serves us both a cup as I sit down.

I take my first drink. Jasmine green tea, mother's favorite. This drink has always been too flowery for my taste, but if it means I get to sit here and drink tea with the old lady, well, I'd drink it all night. “Focus, dummy, I didn't bring you to the other side just to drink tea,” she pulls me from my daze. A scolding is soon to come, as I listen to her voice become more stern word after word, “as the manifestation of light, like I was, and many others before me, we have all lived different journeys and have had different experiences,”

“I'm sorry, Mother, I know I messed up,” I interrupt.

“Yes, Danny, but that was your mistake to make. Own it. Just like I made my mistakes, and others made theirs before me.” She took a moment to conjure her next words and took a slow a drink from her cup. “We're human, Danny, making mistakes is what we do. It is a big part of what makes life beautiful. If we never made mistakes, we would never grow. And what a sad existence that would be.”

Our cups have already become empty, so I reach over to fill them. I notice fortune cookies on the table, which I know weren't there before. I offer one to the old lady and she returns the favor. She breaks the cookie in half, and begins to eat the left side and says, “but, just like the tea, talking about your mistakes is not why I brought you here.”

I begin to eat the cookie given to me. It cleanses my pallet and compliments the tea. “I hope you have something to teach me?” I attempt to guide the conversation. “Yes, something I finally realize, Danny,” she states calmly. Our cups have once again become empty, and as I go to fill them for the third time my mother beats me to it. She sets the teapot down and warmly says, “it appears this is going to be the end of the pot. So listen, Danny, and listen well. I made a great mistake when you were young by sheltering you in the mountain with me. I robbed you of your childhood. Hand in hand with that, there are lessons that can only be learned through experience.” She then takes another pause to finish the other half of the cookie. “I have no doubt that I made the right choice for you to be my successor, but, regrettably, I raised you with only one real goal. In doing this, I created for you a tiresome life. A warrior that does not lay down his blade is sure to wear it dull in a short time. On your journey, you need to focus on and embrace all aspects of life. Put down your blade and become a lover. While loving life, express the magic within you, and learn to do what you never have before. After you have learned to love, then come back to your warrior, who is now rested. Embrace it all and rule over the life you live.”

We finish our tea at the same time, and she reaches across the table to grasp my hand. “Son, please forgive yourself for what wasn't your fault. Don’t let this hold you back from being who you’re supposed to be,” she said, letting go of my hand. Patting herself off, she stands up and places her arms behind her back like she always did. As she starts walking into the white abyss, she enlightens me with one last thought, “I'll leave you with this: Danny, look for the light within yourself, and let others love you. Only then will you be free to be your own king.”

I notice a piece of paper on the table and ask, “Aren't your going to take your fortune?”

“I don't need it,” she replies. “But what does yours say?”

I look down to read it, and find myself back in my physical body. Looking down at the fortune I'm holding at my waist, it reads: “ OPEN YOUR EYES TO FIND THE GREATNESS IN FRONT OF YOU”. I look up to see my reflection in the window of the tea shop.

To my right comes the voice of a girl. “Are you going to stand there all night, or are we going to dance?”