O-ren-i-shi-i asked:


A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, “My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?”

The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, and even fix his car.

As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. A sound not like anything he’s ever heard before. The Sirens that nearly seduced Odysseus into crashing his ship comes to his mind. He doesn’t sleep that night. He tosses and turns trying to figure out what could possibly be making such a Seductive sound.

The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”

Distraught, the man is forced to leave.

Years later, after never being able to forget that sound, the man goes back to the monastery and pleads for the answer again.

The monks reply, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”

The man says, “If the only way I can find out what is making that beautiful sound is to become a monk, then please, make me a monk.”

The monks reply, “You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of grains of sand. When you find the answers, you! will have become a monk.”

The man sets about his task. After years of searching he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery.

“I have travelled the earth and have found what you have asked for: by design, the world is in a state of perpetual change. Only God knows what you Ask. All a man can know is himself, and only then if he is honest and reflective and willing to strip away self deception.”

The monks reply, “Congratulations. You are now a monk. We shall now show you the way to the mystery of the sound.”

The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, “The sound is beyond that door”

The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door Is another door made of stone.

The man is given the key to the stone door and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby.

And so it went that he needed keys to doors of emerald, gold and diamond.

Finally, the monks say, “This is the last key to the last door.”

The man is apprehensive to no end. His life’s wish is behind the door!

He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that door he is utterly amazed to find the source of that haunting and seductive sound………..

But I can’t tell you what it is because you’re not a monk.

asked:


The bells tied to the glass door jingled as Rob entered, a gust of wind and powdery snow following behind him. It was well below freezing outside. Christmas lights and countless decorations lit up the New York City streets, overpowering the harsh winter with the warm, fuzzy glow of Christmas spirit. Families shopped for gifts, crowding the sidewalks. Salesmen, eager to sell their products, bombarded the city with store windows elegantly decorated with toys and clothes.
“Good evening, Sir.” The man greeting customers stood next to the door in a crisp suit, standing to the side as the cold air blew through. Rob nodded as he walked by. Rows and rows of glass counters displayed sparkling diamonds and jewels. The sound of chatter amongst the men and women behind the counters and customers filled the store, and as he breathed in deeply he could smell fresh paint. He looked around aimlessly as he was overcome by all that surrounded him. Right away, a second salesman came up to greet him, wearing a perfectly ironed white collared shirt and red tie, arms crossed behind his back.
“Are you looking for anything in particular, Sir?”
He had a softness in his eyes, and it made Rob comfortabe.
Rob quickly unraveled his gray, tattered scarf from around his neck as he looked up to answer the man. “An engagement ring.” following his words, he felt his mouth grow into a big silly grin.
The man kindly smiled, closing his eyes for a few seconds. Rob took off his winter coat and allowed the man to lead him to a few rows of the sparkling diamonds. He walked behind the counter and took out a ring of keys, routinely finding the correct one in a flash. He unlocked the case and then stopped to shake Robs hand. “Thomas,” he said, with a welcoming smile.
“Rob.” Rob answered back modestly. He was pleased that his young age didn’t make the salesman take him less seriously.
“Okay, sir. This is our newest collection, by Richard Soleil. Many come with a red firestone, a gem only found in West India as of this day. They are typically lined with diamonds on the outside, with a center-cut…” As the man spoke, Robs eyes were captured by a glittering purple, oval shaped diamond, lined with small white diamonds on the outside, the band a beautiful shiny silver. It seemed to stand out against the rest, and Robs eyes were locked onto it. “How much for the purple one?” He asked eagerly, not even realizing how badly he interrupted the man. Thomas paused for a second before answering.
“Uh.. Oh, the Amethyst.” He reached inside and pulled it out, his shirt covered in the rainbow lights and sparkles caused from the glow of the diamond.
Rob knew that he had found the ring he came for. The purple glitter of the Amethyst had caught his eye the same way the sparkle in Aries’s eye had on the day he first saw her.
He thought about the first day he met her. They were at a Christmas party almost exactly a year earlier, it was being held for Ted’s Aluminum and Scrap Yard, where Rob worked. He later found out that Arie was there for a date with his co-worker Dan Brown. All through dinner, Rob couldn’t help but stare. Sitting two tables in front of her, she caught him turning his head around to see her every couple minutes. Upon noticing, she discretely waved back.
Awestruck, Rob gave her a wave in return.
Arie, she mouthed to him from across the room. Her date was caught up in a story with the friends next to him, and didn’t seem to notice what was going on.
Rob, he said back smiling.
She held up her glass of wine and they made a toast to eachother from a distance.
After dinner music came on and soon people were leaving their tables to go dance. Rob and Arie stayed in their seats, still smiling at eachother. When everybody had left, Rob walked up to her smiling. “Would you like to dance?” he asked.
“I would love to.” She responded, holding out her hand for him.
From that day on, they fell in love more and more.
Not long after that, they were inseperable. They laughed and cried together. She knew everything about him, as he did her.
***
Robs mind continued to wander as Thomas went to the register to check the price on the ring.
He remembered laying in his bed with her, in his run down apartment. It was past noon, and the two were still cuddled up beneath a pile of blankets. The room was a mess. There were plenty of things that needed to get done, but neither of them cared. They had eachother and that was all that mattered. He was laying on top of her, and they had their foreheads pressed together gently. They were holding hands on both sides, laughing uncontrollably. It was pouring rain outside. Ariess’ smile lessened. “What made you love me, the day we met?”
Rob shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“Was it my beautiful body?” She said laughing, smoothing her hand from her chest to her hips.
Rob laughed, shrugging his shoulders again. “I just love you.”
“Was it my.. Stunning personality?” She flashed him a smile, posing sweetly.