Faulty realisation

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Note: This story is linked to chapter 31 part 4

I had a dream.

I was making my way towards the entrance of a Colosseum. ‘Am I going to fight a gladiator?’ I wondered, but to my relief, there was no audience to boo me or a Goliath to slaughter me to pieces but just a small group of three young-looking men chatting on the terraces. Two of them sitting next to each other appeared to be giving words of counsel to their friend, sitting on the lower terrace, who looked downhearted but was attentively listening to their words. I could not see his face as he was facing the opposite way, but a sense of familiarity towards him led me to walk up to their small gathering with the intention of talking to the individual privately. Once closer, I placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention and he pushed it away. I tried a second time, but he moved slightly away. Ignored on purpose. Confused, I looked up at his friends and saw them smirking at me. I was wrong. I had sensed it but ignored the warnings. The audience and the Goliath had been there all along, but not in the way I imagined them to look or behave.

Reflection:

• This story was titled ‘Faulty realisation’. Have you ever been in a situation where your perspective got challenged by new details regarding someone in your life?

• If yes, how did it feel and how were you impacted?