My Perfect Vanilla (the beginning)

Arrival

Look at this room I said whispering to myself in thought more than words as I asorbed the room I found myself in. I first took in the colors. They were vibrant and varied, but I couldn't remember if I had seen those colors before. My memory felt oddly faded having been replaced by these new hues which appeared richer, deeper, brighter, and more real than anything I had experienced before. 

The colors blended together flawlessy. They were perfect - unusual though they were. Beautiful colors. Ones I had no name for. As an artist, I thought I knew color, but this room was painted with an unfamiliar pallette that drew upon a different kind of light. 

The room emitted the comforting sensation of being immersed in a vanilla cloud, or how I imagined one would feel - warm and cozy, airy and fluffy. With that realization, a powdery soft breeze touched my skin and drew my attention to the window which I hadn't noticed before. As I gazed through the window, I became transfixed by the glorious sunshiny day outside. 

The sun was beaming down a deep and penetrating warmth contained in thick honeyed rays that could cast out shadows. It's warmth melted into obscurity all hardship, all struggle, and all fear. I felt at peace.

Doorway

I had instinctively closed my eyes to allow the soothing calm to more completely drift inward and through me like a soft breeze. Just then, my senses were diverted to a rich scent of bakery dough mixed with sugery vanilla with a trace of nutmeg and perhaps cinnamon. The scent was beginning to overtake the room. I found the aroma so intoxicating that I had become lightheaded and momentarily lost my footing. I moved to rebalance myself while opening my eyes and suddenly perceived an outline of a woman entering the room through an enchanted doorway. 

She moved fluidly and almost formlessly through the doorway. I blinked my eyes a few times to enhance my vision and watched as she manifested more fully and clearly into an image of a woman who was timeless in her appearance. In one instant, she looked like a playful child, and the next, elderly and wise. She shone with the same strange innate light that eminated from the inside out throughout this place.

She glanced at me, but immediately turned her gaze to the oven which seemed to have arrived at the same time she did. In fact, the entire room had transformed into a cozy kitchen that blended colorful modern convenience with rustic charm. She reached for the pot holders that were resting on the counter and handed them to me. She asked me what I thought was baking in the oven. "They smell like vanilla sugar cookies." I replied. I opened the oven door to check and spied a tray of the most mouth-watering confections that I could ever remember smelling. The tempting, disks were in fact vanilla sugar cookies but a level beyond anything I had known. 

"They're best if you eat them warm." she said. Could you put them on that plate and bring them to the table?" I agreed all the while anticipating the taste of these heavenly smelling treats. 

Cookies

I placed the cookies in the center of the table followed by two small plates - one for each of us. She brought the tea pot, cups and sugar and we sat down. As she poured the tea into my cup, she said, "Well, dig in."

I took the closest cookie on the plate and carefully bit into it. It was warm and sweet, but not too sweet. It crumbled delicately in my mouth releasing a rich, delicious, creamy vanilla flavor. Beyond the vanilla was a hint of spice that blended together just the right proportion cinnamon and nutmeg. The spices added the perfect enhancement to the most delicious cookie I've ever experienced. 

"These cookies are amazing," I commented holding up the remnants. That's the best I could do to explain their unearthly goodness because there was no vocabulary to capture the depth of flavor. She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement and reached out her hand, "My name is Liriel." I shook her hand and before I could state my name, she continued,"Welcome, Deana. You've been invited here to explore your purpose, and I'm here to guide you. but before we get started, you must have a million questions. Fire when ready."

I found it a little odd that at that moment, I had no pressing questions and no overwhelming curiosity. This wondrous place existed beyond imagination. It was beyond comprehension, for that matter, with it's other wordly colors, smells, and tastes which alone should lend itself to a plethora of questions. However, I realized I had nothing to ask because everything felt as it should despite being extroidinary. Although I didn't yet know where I was, It seemed I belonged there; and, for the first time in recent memory, was content to simply sit, sip tea and savor cookies.