A True Story About Reclaiming Life

As I ventured out of UIC village, I bumped into a man known as Little Charlie. Everyone knows a Charlie - the kind of fellow you run into everywhere, the "everyman" that transcends space and time. Well on this day, he learned that I suffered from this incurable disease called "Senioritis Extremium of the M Degree." In his quest to seek Compassion, he decided to "feel my journey" and learn a lesson in empathy. So the two of us trekked onward to another place, a place known as North Avenue Beach. The blazing sun beat down upon us from the East, and the lake breeze sent chills from the South. "Oh, to suffer!" I proclaimed, "Let this be the end!" And for two hours, we came to understand Pain and to know the eternal life of a grain of sand whipped by a never-ending cycle of crashing waves. But alas, the gods showed no mercy, and struck our inner souls with another pain - A pain known only as Hunger. The Antidote to Hunger would be found in a magical mysterious forgotten-land known as Argyle Street in a hidden temple marked only by the symbols 777. In the blink of an eye, we found ourselves sitting before the Beings That Beared Our Likeness. As we chanted "Pho! Pho! Pho!" two grand bowls filled full of Antidote were presented to us decorated with blossoms of basil, sprouts, and rich red spices. Amazingly and unexpectedly, two Princesses also appeared from the depths of the temple. "Tina!" I exclaimed, for I had encountered this fair Being before. "Yes, it is me, Princess Tina," she replied, "and this is Princess Cori, a teacher and enlightener of souls. We have come to share in Life. All Pain and Hunger will be vanquished today." And thus, as they promised, Pain and Hunger were indeed conquered. Life would be victorious. Life would be reclaimed. And yet another chapter in the story of the gentile known as Ho Chie and his companion Little Charlie is written.