I woke up in a sweat, overcome by the agitation of a dream. Was it a dream? I could hardly tell; I seemed to live in a perpetual nightmare. Though I knew interaction with the other villagers would benefit my constant aggravation, it seemed to only bring more despair. I was like a magnet, all judgement and hatred pointed directly at me; and I needed a remedy that would push away such obstacles. Knowing that I would never be that fortunate, I tried to shut my thoughts out and fall back asleep.

When I was finally overcome by drowsiness, I ventured into a dream I thought I would never encounter again. I danced among others, music and gaiety filling my ears. Never wanting to wake up again, I let the joy envelope me. From the corner of my eye I saw a woman beckon to me, and I gladly skipped over to where she sat. She shared the secret to the happiness I found around me and told me where I could find it once I woke up. She gave one last warning, and at that moment I was once again awakened from my dream.


I pulled on my coat and ventured into the brisk winter air, recalling every aspect of the directions the woman had so kindly given me. After what must have been hours, I came upon the spot that I had seen in my dream. Just as the sun rose above the frosty mountains I saw a small leather bag hanging from the branch of a tree. I carefully freed the clasp. In the bag lay a single, golden chain. As my trembling fingers fumbled to lock the chain around my neck, I felt a sudden weight. I ignored it and allowed myself to sink into the new warmth I found.

I skipped into the humble village I called home and encountered many of the villagers who had brought me such agony only the night before. But this morning I felt different.
Seeing their distrustful eyes, I could hear their uncertain murmuring, but I didn't care anymore. My happiness was rooted in myself and I didn't need anyone's approval. Instead of working like the others, I danced all day long, laughing, until the last ray of light was hidden behind the rolling hills. The next day I again saw the looks the others gave me. I overheard pieces of their conversations; "shirker," "good-for-nothing," "idle boy." I smiled mockingly at them and continued toward the dancing circle. But as soon as I turned away from their accusations, I felt as if a knife had been driven into my heart. I fell onto a boulder, desperately trying to calm my throbbing chest. I unbuttoned my tunic. To my horror I saw deep black pigment slowly burying itself into my heart. Quickly refastening the buttons, I glanced around to make sure no one had noticed and carried on. I danced, yet a sliver of the joy I felt before was missing. As I walked homeward, I felt the chain around my neck pulling on my shoulders.

This happened everyday. As I encountered more people I felt a sharp pain. The joy I had felt was slowly being lost to the heavy burden I wore around my neck and the growing pain in my chest. One morning, two weeks after I had begun my new life, I woke up to find blackness creeping from the sleeves of my shirt. To my horror, my chest was covered in black veins, little of my original skin color remaining. Just then I remembered the warning the woman in my dream had given me: "Be careful how you use this newfound joy. If used only for yourself it can overcome you". I wailed in agony and clawed at my skin, trying to recover my former body.

Hours of scrubbing my blackened skin only exasperated me further. The devestation I felt for ignoring the woman's warning allowed me no peace. Just as I was about to abandon the impossible task, I heard a knock on my door. I threw on a coat and answered the door, wiping tears from my eyes. A man, tall and stout, draped with countless animal skins, looked deep into my eyes. I began to start back, but he shook his head and said, "Do not be afraid of me. I know your struggles and I have come to bring you peace." At first I was hesitant, yet my desperation forced me to welcome the strange man into my home.

The man explained to me the error of my ways and offered me another chance. He said me that if I failed to heed his warning, the blackness would overcome me and I would find no escape. Handing me a jar of white powder, he made me promise that I would share it with the people I had wronged, saying that it would be replenished daily. Though I would struggle with this task, he told me, I would be fulfilled in a way nothing else could offer. Just as quickly as he had come, the man left.

I frantically poured a handful of the powder into the basin and sank my arm into it. To my amazement, the black pigment seeped out of my skin. Sighing with relief, I poured the water over my head. The golden chain I had carried fell from my neck and dissolved in the basin of water, the burden of selfishness and agony disappearing with it. I ran my fingers over my restored skin and stepped into my clothing, ready to show the villagers how I had changed.

When I stepped out of my house, I could feel selfishness creep upon me. If I kept the powder to myself, I would have an endless remedy for my pigmented skin. No. The only remedy for my blackened heart was to share the remedy and change others' lives as well as my own.