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Alex is upset. His application for the District Piano Festival for this year was not accepted. He'd worked so hard for it in the last three months, practicing everyday to achieve perfection. He even picked a difficult piece to impress the board of judges, to show them he deserves the spot. Still, he wasn't good enough.
You see, Alex is an achiever. He always excelled in everything, -- academics, arts, sports -- and his parents couldn't be more proud. Failure was never a part of his vocabulary. Now he's wondering how he would face his family with this sad news.
He is so lost in thought, striding across the street when he noticed the changes in his surroundings. The familiar sidewalk is gone, as well as the occasional honking of cars. Everything was so still, as if he was transported in a postcard.
The concrete path was replaced by freshly mowed grasses, covering the place that used to be his neighborhood. Above him is a wide, blue sky, that cushions the rays of the sun, partly concealing the magnificent row of mountains around him. Unbelievable, he whispered under his breath. He looked around frantically, looking for a way out.
He found himself walking towards a green lake, tears racing against his cheeks. He's definitely scared, but knew that this is not the time to fall apart. Walking along the edge of the lake, he caught a glimpse of smoke rising from what he thinks is a chimney. He sprinted towards the other side of the lake and found a small cabin sitting in the middle of pine trees.
In other circumstances, he will never trespass other people's property, but he is desperate. He needs to find a way to get home. He slipped his tiny body between the trees into the cabin and knocked ferociously on the door.
He fell back when the wooden door suddenly opened, revealing a middle-aged woman who looked just as baffled.
"Oh, Alex! Come in, come in," the woman said, ushering him in.
Though confused, the boy stepped in and settled in a stump of a tree that the woman offered for him to sit on.
"Now, why are you here?" the woman smiled at him. Alex could only stare at her. "I don't know. H-how did you know my name?", he muttered.
The woman laughed softly. "I know everyone, sweet child. And surely, you won't be here for no reason. Tell me what happened."
Upon hearing this, the tears he withheld since the rejection rushed freely on his face. He began to tell the woman, a kind stranger, all of the things that made him upset, leading to him getting lost on his way home, and finding the cabin from the other side of the lake.
When he's finished, the weight of it all seemed to have lifted off, and he suddenly felt better. The woman noticed it too, and squeezed his hand gently.
"See? It's not so bad after all. There's no reason to be upset. You can always try again." she said with an assuring smile.
Alex hesitated, "I don't think I could get on that stage ever again. Maybe it's not for me. Maybe I'm not really that good."
"Hey, don't say that. A single mistake doesn't define you. You should learn from every failure, so that next time you'll do better. I know you're destined for great things."
This made him smile, finally, and he eagerly nodded to the woman.
"I think you're ready to go back. I hope you've learned something. It gets quite lonely here sometimes. Feel free to come by whenever you feel the need to talk." the woman said, fishing something out from her pocket. "Here, take this." She handed a blue feather to the boy.
Alex couldn't hide his appreciation. "Thank you, thank you! It's so beautiful!" he blurted out as he got up to embrace the kind woman.
"You're welcome, anytime."
That's the last thing he heard. The next thing he knew, he's slumped on his own bed, still in his school uniform. "Dinner's ready! Get changed and come down," his mom, poking out her head from the doorway.
"What a dream," he sighed. As he got up to change, he noticed a tiny thing falling from the edge of his bed. He picked it up and smiled. It is truly the most beautiful blue feather he had ever seen.
