I am walking through the vast space of a large office. Many desks are together, although with a respectable distance between them. I see people dressed in only one type of uniform: white collared shirt, black shoes, and black tie; women in a black skirt and with a small scarf, also black, around the neck. Sobriety is the norm.
The entire office is white, the desks are metal frames with a wooden table on top. It looks like a government office, without color, sober, all bathed in light flowing through huge windows, the largest I have ever seen!
I keep walking, and I sit in front of one of the desks. How did I get there? I do not know! People pass behind, and in front of me, they go fast. So, the distance has something practical too, although it is incredible what I see! We are amid a pandemic, and nobody wears a mask or gloves. And, now that I realize it, I don’t have them either!
Suddenly an official sits, dressed neatly, in uniform, sober and bored. He looks at me seriously, crosses his fingers in front of me, and lands them on the desk. His tie is black and slim. He seems so dull! Suddenly I hear a character’s voice, like something out of a Ray Bradbury novel, dry and direct. The official looks at me and says sternly:
— It is crucial that you keep dreaming of blue dragons!
My puzzled face must have seemed worthy of an opera at the MET: I see myself with my mouth open, hearing something so inconsistent with this place.
The official’s face remains the same, despite my expression. Surely it was hilarious to see it. A moment later, I recover and tell him that what he is telling me doesn’t make sense, that blue dragons don’t exist. He replies that this is precisely why I have to keep dreaming of them because that is an integral part of what makes me human. I still cannot understand it: with everything that is happening right now, protests, murders, COVID-19, corruption, isn’t it more relevant to dream the solutions of all this? I ask. He looks at me with the face of repeatedly repeating the same speech, breathes calmly, and shoots a look of ¨here we go again with the same!¨
-Human beings like you have something precious and do not use it too much, or well, they do use it, but in the wrong way. Do you know what I mean, Mister M?
— No, I couldn’t tell you.
— Well, the question is straightforward: it is called incredible imagination. The vast majority of humans dream of possible visions. This means that they dream of what is related to their current circumstances, of what they believe is achievable to the best of their ability. This type of imagination belongs to another department. We call it vision without risk: it does not raise any passion, perhaps a brief smile of the “dreamer.” I will give you some examples: dreaming about a painting on the wall, dreaming about a trip, of parachuting, of going out with your neighbor to a bar, anyway! Achievable dreams. Please try to understand me well, this type of imagination is necessary because it generates movement and tangibility. But the impossible imagination is the one that really moves the world, the one that lets us see the power of the human being trying to achieve the impossible. Achieve the unthinkable! Then, be amazed by what has been achieved: the discovery of a new element, making a flying machine, design the cell phone … All these inventions, which are standard today, seemed like meaningless ideas the day they were thought. Talk to a ghost about the weather, go to the center of the Earth, talk about interplanetary civilizations. Do you understand me, Mister M?
I didn’t know what to answer, suddenly I said without thinking.
— I, for now, just wanted to get curated by Medium, whatever …
— That kind of thinking is not right! Mister M, the official, interrupted me.
Dream big, a dream of a world-class novel, a vision of a new kind of narrative, like that of García Márquez, the aptly named “Magical Realism.” You have an excellent opportunity in this life, and it is to believe in you, to firmly believe in you, Mister M.
You came to this world to learn and do extraordinary things. That is why, when human beings are born, they do not know how to do anything. And as they grow, they learn. And in our department, we have realized that as humans age, they stop learning, think they already know all of it, and this has only a few exceptions.
That generally happens in the middle of their lives, as in your current age, at 40. Please, Mister M, you will not believe that at 80 you are going to die, I am only talking about an average. Imagine yourself thinking about knowing everything at age 40! Humans have not stepped on a planet in the solar system outside of Earth, they do not understand the magnitude and number of mysteries surrounding them. I come back and tell you, it is not a matter of knowing them. It is a matter of knowing that these mysteries exist. That allows you to think with humility, Mister M., which is very rare in your kind.
My kind! I think to myself.
— Yes, Mister M., in your kind. Do not think that you are alone in the universe. Just look at what is on Earth, and you will notice that there are always several species of the same type. To give an example: bears. There are various types, blacks, pandas, polar, etc. Even in your own species, you can see the differences that exist. Culture is different from the Japanese, the Russians … and within these, there are different types of populations, with physical differences and customs that can be very marked. Make no mistake, Mister M, your species is not alone in the universe. And remember that some tremendous impossible imaginers have already seen it: Asimov, Sagan, to name a few. Remember: The impossible is when no one thinks about it. Already discovered, the impossible becomes tangible. Do you follow me, Mister M?
— I would think not, I reply, with utter amazement.
The official looks at me in disbelief and says:
— Well, the message has already been given, it’s time for you to go back!
— How do I get back? Where I am I ask him.
— You are dreaming. It is time to send you back to the tangible world.
Oh my God!, I think to myself.
— Yes, Mister M, and remember that He sends you greetings.
— That’s not right, reading the minds of others, I say annoyed and trying to gain some control over the situation.
— Don’t worry, he answers me. Everything stays in the archive. If you want to file a complaint, when you reach your destination. In your afterlife.
Fill out form D145, and we will process it promptly.
At that moment, his face changed: a smile escaped him as if he immensely enjoyed the bureaucracy of the system.
— I don’t remember my dreams, I said.
— Do not worry, you will remember this one! Goodbye Mr. M. And don’t forget: Dream of blue dragons! For me, it was his best dream so far. We really enjoyed the final!
And that’s how I ended getting up at 3:00 in the morning, to write this story.
MAED
MAED 