As he approached the meadows, Lon noticed the breathtaking scenery of the place.
The green meadows covered the area like an emerald blanket, flawless and without a single weed. The grass was perfectly even, giving the whole field a uniform look, and white doves wandered around, adding to the serene picture.
Benches were scattered randomly across the meadow, each accompanied by a small tree that shielded it from the sun, casting a soft shadow.
«What a magnificent view...»
Lon looked around at all the beauty and sighed, holding his top hat against the wind.
He chose a bench with no one nearby and headed toward it to rest.
As he walked through the meadow, Lon increasingly felt the calmness of the place. It was so quiet and atmospheric, with a gentle breeze brushing against his body.
Once he reached the bench, Lon sat down and took off his top hat, placing it beside him. He leaned his cane against the bench so it wouldn't bother him while he enjoyed the moment.
He slowly ran his hands through his swept-back hair and sighed, savoring the satisfaction of finally sitting down.
«Now that's what I call a feeling of contentment.»
Lon leaned his head back and slowly closed his eyes, listening to the natural sounds of the world that calmed his mind and consciousness.
With a feeling of serenity, Lon stayed like that for about five minutes, constantly listening to the wind's whisper and the rustling leaves swirling above his head. Occasionally, white doves flew up to him and pecked at the ground while he simply listened to their cooing.
His consciousness had been completely cleared of unnecessary thoughts. It was now as clean as Lon had never felt before. He didn't know why it happened — maybe it was due to the influence of this place, or maybe there was something here that purified his mind.
With a clear mind, Lon felt a lightness in his head. He could sense each thought and form it without obstacles. If he compared his state of mind now to what it was two weeks ago, it would be like comparing glass and diamond. Glass — those were his thoughts two weeks ago, during the time of transmigration. They were dull and let information pass through without processing it properly. The diamond — his mind after achieving inner peace in this meadow — was multifaceted and processed information, breaking it down into many parts.
«My thoughts have become clearer, and my head lighter. I don't know why this is happening... but as long as I have this opportunity, I should make the most of it.»
With a light mind, Lon decided to keep sitting there and further embrace the sense of calm.
He concentrated deeper but didn't strain his mind — so as not to lose the feeling he was trying to achieve.
It seemed like the atmosphere around Lon slowly started to shift into something more unusual. It didn't act directly, but its presence grew stronger.
Sitting on the bench, Lon began to feel a growing pain in his eyes — the same one as by the lake!
Lon was startled, and as a result, lost his concentration, causing the eye pain to gradually fade.
«It was the same pain I felt by the lake!» — this thought struck his mind like lightning.
He had tried to figure out the situation with the eye pain back at the dove lake, but had never found a worthy explanation for it. And now, simply through concentration, he felt that same pain again!
Something was definitely wrong here.
Lon adjusted himself more comfortably on the bench and began to think:
«The pain came when I tried to focus and further clear my mind... It's clearly connected. For clarity, I'll break the situation into two parts: first, when I felt the pain at the lake; second, the current moment.»
«In the first case, I felt the pain when I looked at the lake, not even fully understanding its origin. I assumed it might have come from some unknown thing inside the lake... but now that seems absurd. The true cause of the pain is concentration. But if its cause is focusing the mind — how did it appear when I merely looked at the lake? I wasn't focusing on anything then...»
«Maybe... maybe it didn't need a reason to appear?» — Lon felt as if he had uncovered a secret.
«If it had no reason to appear, then perhaps it's a kind of omen? Something that enters one's life without a cause and bears the mark of something greater... It sounds strange... but knowing I'm a transmigrant, maybe it's not so strange. But if it does signify something, the question is — what?»
Not getting an answer to his question, Lon sighed.
«I still know nothing about this world... And right now, that is my greatest enemy.»
«Since we've gone over the first part, now there's the second — the current moment. I don't know why, but here I felt a deep mental clarity. At first glance, it might seem like it's due to the atmosphere here. But thinking deeper, I realize that's only one of the reasons.»
Lon brought his hand to his chin and pondered:
«Then what are the other reasons? Maybe after the "beginning" with the eye pain at the dove lake, something triggered a reaction in my body — and after some time, I became better able to understand my consciousness? And this setting helped enhance that? That seems like the most logical explanation I can come up with now.»
«But what does this eye pain give me? The ability to see something? But when I was at the lake and tried to see something, I didn't see anything... Or maybe it has a different meaning — perhaps a cost for clearing my mind? If so, that wouldn't be too bad, because now my mind is fully clear, and my thoughts are sequential. It adds ease to my life, since I no longer have to force my brain to work for it.»
After all those thoughts, Lon sighed and turned his attention back to the world around him, just to relax a little.
He continued to see the beauty of this world and feel joy — until he noticed a white dove flying straight toward him.
Lon smiled and extended his hand for the dove to land. And it did!
A pure-white dove landed on Lon's hand and looked at him curiously, cooing from time to time. It was beautiful and soft to the touch.
«What an interesting little fellow...» — Lon murmured, gently stroking the dove under its chin.
It cooed even more, and soon flew away — leaving Lon alone.
Lon watched the dove with a smile — and finally stood up, eager to leave.
Why? Because he wanted to return home as soon as possible and study his notes to determine the cause of the eye pain. He wasn't going to repeat this again here — it still felt a bit risky.
Putting on his top hat and taking his cane, Lon walked toward the park's exit. He had no intention of visiting the "Museum of Dove History"— he saw no point in it. It would be better to return home.
As he walked through the green meadows, Lon noticed a young couple hugging and whispering to each other. Nearby stood a photographer who was instructing them on how to pose properly.
When the couple was in position, the photographer went to his large camera, which stood on three tall legs, and leaned in to take the photo.
He covered himself with a black cloth and took the picture. A bright flash burst from the camera, lighting up the whole area.
From under the cloth, the photographer gave a thumbs-up and took another photo in a different pose.
Once the photo session was over, Lon walked toward the exit with a smile.
«I'm happy for them.»