It was a sunny warm day. The trees in the forest were green and the rocks as big as cars surrounding the river. The cascade made the most wonderful noise in the world; it whispered knowledge to the rocks beneath it. The waterfall was the teacher and the rocks were its apprentices.
This place was particularly hard to get to. It was located at the heart of the Amazon. A dangerous place, yet full of wonders, many called it the sacred jungle. This place was untouched by man and undamaged by society. So far into the land of the unknown and uncivilized, how could anyone venture into this place and find the waterfall? One young lady did, and took with her an unforgettable gift from nature back with her. Gabriela was a young lady, 24 years old. She was wondering through the Andes Mountains and heard about the Amazon. She heard it contained placed unseen by people, and uninhabited by man. A place perfect for her, the place she always dreamed would exist. Gabriela began her quest into the jungle. With her, she only carried a backpack; it contained necessary essentials to survive the journey. Although, she only planned to stay for three days, her only wish was to reach a place where no one existed but her. Her magical place, and that is exactly what she found. Gabriela took a bus to Zucua, a small town, located at the north of Ecuador. From there she took another bus that led further inland. She arrived at a village inhabited by indigenous tribes; she walked for about a day further in. The tribe kept to itself, and only one person volunteered to help her. The next day, her guide loaded her backpack into a small canoe and took Gabriela across the Amazon River. At the other side of the river, Gabriela’s guide took led her into the jungle. He explained which trees were dangerous and which trees were food. He also gave her a small silk bag, and instructed her to only bring back one thing. He also instructed her, not to harm the jungle, and not to try and change the jungle to fit her needs. She had to be part of the jungle, she had to become one with it. He said he would be back in three days, and to meet him at the same spot she was dropped off. He then set a fire that would last two days burning, and one day smoking. The smoke will let her know when it was time to come back. When she started her journey alone, she began to see things she had never seen before. The texture of the trees was different; they were heavier, wider, and stronger. The soil was so rich her boots sank into it, and her boots carried along big pieces of dirt. Even the sun seemed to shine brighter and hotter. Her heart was at peace, she was happy to be in a place, alone. The thought of being alone did not bother her. She wanted to experience life away from society, politics, school, etc. even if it was for only three days. After walking for a few hours and eating wild red bananas, she heard something beautiful far in the distance. She started to walk towards it. As she got closer, she noticed it was a source of water. Once she passed two hills she looked up and saw the most beautiful thing in the world. It was a waterfall, with water shinier than diamonds. With rocks surrounding the lagoon creating a crater for it. The lagoon was green and blue; at the bottom it contained rocks of a thousand colors. Next to the pool of water she noticed an open space filled with grass, it became her home for the next three days. At night she heard whispers, and she wasn’t sure who’s they were. It was a strange night, as she looked out her tent’s window, she noticed the stars twinkle brightly and fall on the top of the falls. She thought they were shooting stars and made a wish. Her wish was bring back with her something priceless, and something that would accompany her on her journeys to come. Eventually, she noticed the smoke at the bottom of the hill; she went for a last swim before never coming back. She climbed on the tallest rock and dived deep down. With her eyes wide open, she saw a rock that glittered magically at the bottom of the pool. She picked it up and brought it up with her to the surface. She thought the rock was perfect. She got out of the water and started to pack for her day’s journey back to the Amazon River. As she looked back one last time, it seemed as if the falls winked at her and said its last good-bye. After a week, Gabriela got back to the city; she wrapped her rock in some wire, and hung it around her neck. As time went by, she notices the rock would whisper to her. The same whispers she heard that night at the falls. The rock was slowly reveling itself to Gabriela. It was a magical rock from the deepest part of the Amazon falls. It contained teachings of a lifetime and relationships of millenniums. The rock traveled with Gabriela, caring and instructing her, for two years. One day, in Greece, Gabriela went cliff diving. As she jumped high and deep, the rock fell of her neck and into the bottom of the sea. When she came back up for air, she felt silence; there was nothing there to speak to her. She worried and quickly touched her neck, to find out her necklace was gone. She was devastated and searched for many days. When she gave up, she heard a voice inside of her say, “Things come, things go, some stay, some things don’t. I will forever be your friend, but my time has come to move on”. When she heard this, she became calm and felt peace. Her sadness turned into happiness and joy, for the next person who would find the small yellow rock, would have a great companion. Gabriela continued her journey, she searched for rocks to hang on necklaces and give to people who come and go. Out of the 1,342 necklaces she made and gave away, only seven were magical rocks. They accompany people in each continent of the world. The little small rock was found by a traveler and is now on its way back Amazon jungle, by another traveler.
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