Experience Imagination

"I can find the best inspirations for drawing here." I grabbed my sketchbook and pencil and immediately left the family hotel during my first morning in the beautiful country of Slovenia.

It was 6 AM in the morning where I found myself sitting on the wooden blocks by the lake. "Brrrrr...", that's all I can say. The chilly wind is something new for a man, who, for the first time, stepped out from the sunny Philippines.

Things began to change the moment I noticed a wedge of swans as they gracefully touched the surface of the lake water before me. Their silky white feathers were beautiful enough to lure me into the realm of imagination that I have never experienced in my whole life before! They gracefully moved in the cold waters as if there was a magical ballerina in a glistening dress for a queen, guiding them in dancing a live performance of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

The green scenery everywhere is like a big home for millions of fairies getting ready for spring. I started to imagine them getting out from the bushes and tall trees nearby, flying and tossing sparkling pixie dusts everywhere, making the dance of the swans more magical. The other fairies started to pave their way as they jump from a shy flower bud to another, and making them bloom at their finest.

But then, overlooking the blissful and serene lake, from the depths of the thousand year old Bled Castle, we heard a loud roar. Everyone startled, fearing that something might happen. The ballerina wistfully approached me as if there were a thousand fears in her eyes. She gave me a mighty sword and granted me strength as I began to wonder, "Why?".

Atop the lofty hills, I saw a big dragon ready to blow its first fire after the long winter sleep. "I know that I came here for a magical reason.", I whispered to myself. The fairies started to gather around and getting ready to help me slay the dragon when I heard, "Hey Jude! Let's go back to the hotel! Breakfast is almost ready!".

That popped up the scene and everything came back to normal. It was my roommate. He cheerfully went towards my place and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Drawing."

"What did you draw?"

I swiftly reviewed the pages of my sketchbook and realized that I was never able to draw something new ,and facing my roommate, I said, "Oh, nothing."

We headed back to the hotel as we walked along the steep, long Bled roads and thought, "I know that this is going to be a long, long magical journey... forever."