STORY

A Prophet Passed by Our House

A prophet passed by our house today.

Then it rained.

My mother said, "Look! How amazing this rain is!”

My father said, "Remarkable! It's spring now."

But we didn't know that rain and spring are just other names the prophet uses.

A prophet passed by our house.

Our clothes were dusty but he simply wiped off the dust with just a gesture. Then our clothes were suddenly made of light and silk, and we could see our hearts through them.

A prophet passed by our house.

The air in our backyard was full of smog, full of old ugly habits. The prophet lifted the smog and showed us the sun. Then he put a piece of the sun in our hands.

A prophet passed by our house.

Suddenly, a thousand love birds grew out from the small tree in the garden and sang us a thousand songs they had hidden in their small throats. Then we remembered that we are actually related to the tree and the birds.

A prophet passed by our house.

We had a thousand locked doors and a thousand keyless locks. He brought us a key. But just as we called his name, all the locks opened without the key.

I told God, "Today, a prophet passed by our house. And today it's heaven on earth."

"I wish you knew every day a prophet passes by your house…and I wish you knew that heaven is in your heart,” God replied

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The Little Seed

The seed was tiny and no one would notice him. Years and years passed but he still remained a small seed.

He wanted everyone to see him, to notice him but had no idea how, didn't know what to do or what to say.

Some days, he would ride the wind and pass before the eyes of people waving at them.

Other days, he would sit on the leaves to be noticed.

Sometimes, he would scream in desperation, "Look at me! I am here, I exist!".

But no one except the birds looking for food, or ants looking to hide him for their winter dinner, would care to see him.

The small seed was tired of his life, of all this confusion and being lost. So he went to God and said, "This isn't fair. No one really notices me and I am worthless. I wish you had created me bigger and taller."

God replied, "Oh my dear, you are so big, bigger than what you believe and see yourself to be. Too bad you never gave yourself a chance to grow. Remember as long as you struggle to be seen by others, no one will see you. Hide yourself from all eyes and you will be noticed."

The seed listened to God but didn't quite comprehend what God meant. He decided to go under the ground and hide himself for a while to really think some more about God's words.

***

Years later, the tiny seed grew into a tall and magnificent tree that no one would dare to overlook…he became known to all eyes.

From Where Have You Left Your Wings by Erfan Nazarahari. Translated by Leyla Khamoushian.