Garden of Dreams

A charming con man makes everyone's dreams come true—for a while.

Gardener

Listener

"I give them a happiness and exhilaration they've never experienced before. What difference does it make if it's real or not? What is real anyway? What is real is what we feel. I show them flowers. I don't force them to pick them."

Sounds like the Garden of Eden.

No. It is a garden of dreams. Everything is short-lived. I take people to the Everest of happiness.

Yeah, but then it's all downhill from there.

Yes. But at least they made the summit.

So you promise people the world? You make their dreams come true.

Yes.

And then?

Does that really matter? It is the highs in life—the peaks—that count.

And then?

What happens after depends on them. They make all the decisions. I only provide opportunities— whatever they want to hear.

It's up to them to pick the flowers.

Exactly

A story by Pemba Umoja