I was playing with horses on my farm, splashing through the shallow yet crystal-clear water of a river winding through the forest. My dog was practically burning with jealousy. No matter how many times I called him, he refused to join us. Then, suddenly, I noticed a cute baby deer peeking from behind a banyan tree. I gently called her to come out. Just as she was about to step forward, my car hit the brakes, and I woke up completely. I was on my way to the office, sitting on a busy road in real life.
My daily schedule is extremely urban. Because of circumstances, I am not able to take nature vacations whenever I want. So this has become my way of surviving city life while still feeling alive in nature’s lap.
To be fair, I already have a wonderful garden filled with butterflies, snails, squirrels, birds, pigeons, and parrots. I have cats, a dog, and a rabbit as well. My friends and relatives have officially declared my house a zoo, and I absolutely adore that title.
What do you imagine most often?
Do you dream of walking in style while everyone admires you? Or landing an amazing business deal and becoming super rich and successful? Maybe you imagine foreign trips, dream homes, or silly little conversations with your favorite people.
Even imagination requires layers of creativity. Otherwise, the scenes never feel real.
I watch nature documentaries on National Geographic and Discovery, and sometimes I borrow entire landscapes directly from them for my subconscious play. If I am feeling too sad, I often find myself unable to imagine anything at all. On some days I spend hours living beneath the sea, and on others I become a wanderer crossing endless deserts.
It is a risky habit when entire days are spent in parallel realities.
But I have been doing this since childhood.
Back then, I would take long walks through the farms. The fields transformed into flower-filled valleys. Water canals became mighty rivers. Farm animals turned into deer, wild horses, lions, and tigers. Every ordinary path led to a new adventure.
Now my morning walks are filled with sweat, and the traffic noise never truly fades away. Yet when I return home, sit in the lawn, and begin writing, everything changes. The garden becomes a hidden forest fort, and I find myself surrounded by friends from the wild.
So here is a little task for you.
Imagine this:
You are walking through a forest when you discover a hidden valley that somehow has always existed behind your courtyard. You cannot believe you never noticed it before.
There, you meet curious animals that are not afraid of humans. You spend hours sneaking through meadows, climbing rocks, and playing beside streams. You eat sweet forest berries, discover secret corners hidden among the trees, and return every day to explore a little further.
One afternoon, while resting beneath a pine tree, you discover an old wish jar.
Inside are three wishes.
The first wish allows you to keep everything you have already discovered and visit this magical place every day, exploring it forever.
The second wish allows you to stop growing older and remain exactly as you are now.
The third wish allows you to become the richest person in the world—but in exchange, you can never return to this hidden valley, nor imagine it again.
Which wish would you choose?
And once you choose, how would your story continue???
