Page 200 - SpontaneousSuccessMatos

a narrow golden silk sash that seemed to blend into the
misty mountainside. On his feet he wore woven straw
sandals, secured with simple leather straps."
“'You have come home,' he said, his voice gentle as
the breeze. He invited me to stay and I accepted.”
Thomas paused, the memory of that moment
hanging in the air. What happened next? What did he
learn from Raghu? The questions burned in their eyes,
eager for the next chapter of the story.
Thomas dragged a folding chair across the floor. He
positioned it directly in front of us, his eyes locking onto
each of ours in turn. His eyes softened, and his breath
caught. Memories, long buried, began to resurface. His
gaze drifted inward, and for an instant, he was lost in the
depths of his own soul.
"For one year," he whispered, his voice barely audible,
"I immersed myself in the monastery's rhythms. I woke
with the sun, and slept with the stars. I learned to speak
Portuguese. I worked in the monastery's gardens,
nurturing life from the earth, and watching the seasons
unfold." His hands appeared to move spontaneously, as
though he was grasping an unseen matrix. "And I
restored ancient documents, piecing together fragments
of forgotten knowledge."
200