The Portal in the Park
Page 9
Chapter 8. Flashback
Relato led Scott to a room that was a huge theater-in-the-round with plush, red, comfortable-looking seats.
“Wow!” said Scott, awe-stricken.
Relato, noticing that Scott’s mood had changed, and that he was feeling remorseful and open to suggestions, said, “I have something I want to show you that may help answer some of your questions.”
“Really!” Scott said eagerly.
“Cause and effect, Scott,” Relato expounded as he walked to the center of the stage. “Often, people don’t think. They react automatically and end up regretting their actions later. Would you like to see a little replay of your past?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Scott scurried into a front row seat wondering what was going to happen next in this place of surprises.
Relato raised his scepter, and suddenly a gigantic television screen appeared in front of them like a huge hologram. Scott saw himself sitting at the family computer in the living room with Joey sitting next to him watching enviously. Joey wanted to use the computer, but Scott roughly pushed him away. A fight ensued and they fell to the floor hitting and yelling. Their mother rushed in and sent them to their room to cool off. In the end, no one got to use the computer.
Relato looked quizzically at Scott and asked, “Can you explain what just happened?”
“Joey started it! He drives me crazy!” Scott yelled defensively.
Relato held up his hand. “Stop right there. Do you see that you had a choice? You could stay crazy or you could have handled it differently. You can stop your anger at any time. That’s what self-control is all about.”
Scott was not convinced. “It’s not that easy. Sometimes anger just takes over – the feeling is too strong!”
Relato comforted Scott by placing his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “Emotions may seem overpowering at times, but you must learn to convert your anger into friendliness, which is the exact opposite. Let’s say you are walking barefoot and you come upon broken glass. Would you continue walking?”
“Hmmm, of course not!” Scott was beginning to understand. “I would stop, think about it, then take a step back and walk around it.”
“Exactly!” Relato exclaimed. “You can take all this dynamic energy and put it to work for you instead of against you. Okay, we have seen a bit of your past; shall we look into your future?”
Scott’s eyes widened with curiosity as he eagerly leaned forward to see what the big screen would show him next.