Read Online With These Eyes by Horst Steiner - Free Book Online Page B

Isabelle. Her garden stood testament to Fuji's strong
influence on Isabelle's life. The two properties, at first glance,
seemed to share little in common. Fuji had finely-raked gravel
paths along pruned trees and hedges. Isabelle's jungle had a dirt
trail that lead to workout stations made from trees and vines. The
lack of pruning in her garden was symptomatic of Isabelle's need to
do things her way. Besides the fact that Isabelle would not have
blindly copied Fuji's style, she had neither time nor patience for
the effort required to keep up a Japanese garden. She felt plant
growth was best kept in Mother Nature's hands. After all, plants
were doing fine on their own before man introduced farming and
landscaping into the world.
    Muffled, the soothing rumble of the waterfall
carried across the pond. A patch of reeds grew a stone’s throw off
the shore. Like an acoustic wall, the thick stripe of the ancient
plants had been strategically planted. It was a spot Fuji cherished
for its serenity. Just like Isabelle's garden was a reflection of
her true nature, this spot was a good example of how Fuji's mind
worked. The two boulders on which Isabelle and him were seated
seemed to be cloaked in silence. The bank of reeds had been placed
at a calculated point in the pond. Ripples in the water would
bounce off rock formations and other shorelines. Overlaying with
other waves, some ripples would intensify their force; others would
be diminished.
    The water near Isabelle and Fuji was calm and
looked like a mirror. All the waves in the water had either been
blocked by the reed or cancelled out by waves bouncing in opposite
directions. The same seemed to be true for sound waves. Disappeared
have the roaring of waterfall and traffic. It would take someone
who's quite a genius in physics and landscaping to create a place
of such perfect serenity. It had been a while since Isabelle's ears
had encountered a moment without the strain of the city's endless
supply of background noise. Fuji picked a mulberry leaf that had
turned golden-brown off the ground. The leaf was easily the size of
his hand, things grew well under Fuji's attention. He carefully
placed it onto the glassy water like a little red and gold boat.
The leaf floated steadily in place, just at the end of Fuji's
reach. Isabelle could tell his thoughts had gone back to a time
many years ago. He looked over to her and their eyes met back in
the moment.
    "You remind me of your mother," he said in a
very complimentary tone. "I tried to show her that the answers she
sought in her research laid beyond the confines of man's laws of
physics." Fuji gathered a few of the smaller marble pebbles by his
feet. He dropped them one at a time onto the leaf.
    Isabelle watched it continue to float as she
responded. "The whole universe is subject to the laws of
physics."
    A melancholic look came across Fuji's face.
He had heard these words before. The similarities between his old
friend Gemma and her daughter were uncanny. It was that same
scientific logic and diligence he knew from her mother that
Isabelle applied to her investigations as a journalist. By this
time, several pebbles populated the leaf and it dented in the
center a bit. Fuji pointed out an important flaw in Isabelle's
statement.
    "Laws were invented by man."
    "I like to rely on facts and science."
    "That's what kept your mother from seeing the
answer she sought," said Fuji as he placed a final pebble on the
leaf which yielded to the weight of its cargo. The leaf dipped
below the surface of the pond and as it sank, the pebbles were
sliding off it plummeting to the bottom. He continued. "Chant with
me. You will gain the clarity and see the opportunity in your
problem."
    "What opportunity could lie in that?"
    Fuji didn't say a word. Together, they
watched as the leaf dumped off the rest of its cargo and returned
to the surface of the water. Fuji and Isabelle stood up in rhythm
and walked to the spot where he chanted. His altar was carved