I got my first follower from Barcelona yesterday! I was stoked, I jumped around for ages. He sent me a message with some very nice things about my TEDx talk and then said this:
Oh, and I’d like to challenge you, too, if you’ll accept it. 4 years ago I used to visit Sants Station, a very big Station here in Barcelona (Spain) and invent stories about the passersby that caught my attention. Once I saw this old woman with an open umbrella INSIDE the station!!, but I couldn’t come up with a story for her. Any idea why she did not fold her umbrella when she entered the station? Oh, I almost forget! The umbrella’s color matched the color of her hair: liliac
I immediately remembered the opening night of the Brisbane Writers Festival which I attended the other night. Among the speeches was a Maori song, which acknowledged everyone’s ancestors (the idea being everyone carries them with them wherever they go). It was a lovely image so this is my answer to your challenge Adrián.
She saw family trees everywhere. They sprouted out of your head, gaining branches through the generations and weighing on your neck. Branches would creak under the weight of past ancestors. No one else ever seemed to hear it but her. It was a shame, because other people’s family were often encouraging and their living relative would walk around without ever hearing it. Unfortunately her ancestors were loud, opinionated and rarely supported her choices. They especially hated her lilac hair. At first she wore just wore earplugs to block out their chatter but they’d just throw ghostly leaves at her all day. So now she never takes down her umbrella if she can help it. It blocks their distractions, screens her from obligation, and best of all, it allows her to be herself.
freyawrightbrough 