In my novel "Fleeing into Silence" (Vicente Fisac, Amazon), the protagonist, who narrates this story of love, adventure, music, travel, and intrigue, has the chance to meet and befriend Eloy, a young singer who won a television contest and has gained even more fame than David Bisbal. But Eloy is a peculiar character, with a personality that could be described as “against the grain.” In fact, when I wrote this novel, through which various characters pass, I was struck by how, when it came time to put words in Eloy’s mouth, it wasn’t me choosing them—rather, it was Eloy himself, my character, who took the lead and dictated to me what he wanted to say. I must admit this didn’t happen with any of the other characters, not in this novel or any other.
That’s why I love recalling some of the things he said, and I’d like to share them with others too. This was one of those conversations with which Eloy always surprised us—this character from my novel who even surprised me with the things he said, which I simply transcribed.
“Over dessert, I said to Eloy:
‘As you can see, we’re quite different. For me, God—whatever or whoever that might be—is something that might be out there but doesn’t really affect me. For you, though, God seems to be a part of your life.’
Eloy looked at me, smiled, and said:
‘Do you want to see God?’
I was taken aback and replied:
‘What, is He here or something?’
‘I’ve got a photo of Him.’
Once again, he caught me off guard.
‘One of those little pictures of Jesus or the Virgin Mary?’ I asked. ‘Are you one of those people who always carry a holy card in their wallet?’
‘Yes, but it’s not a holy card—it’s a real image, an authentic photograph.’
Eloy reached for his wallet and pulled out a photograph, showing it to me while explaining that he always carried it with him. I was stunned when I saw it because it was a real photograph showing the rings of Saturn.
‘This? It’s Saturn,’ I said.
‘It’s a recent photograph taken by a NASA satellite. The most important part is right here, between these two rings. Do you see that tiny white dot?’ He pointed to a small white speck between two rings, though the black background of the photo was filled with countless similar dots—undoubtedly other stars or planets. ‘That little dot is Earth, where we are right now. You can see how insignificant it is. If you keep this in mind, you’ll realize that we—our “selves”—are nothing more than a tiny speck of dust, and all those things we give so much importance to are utterly worthless. Looking at this photo is a lesson in humility that reminds us of God’s greatness and the insignificance of our petty troubles.’
Eloy’s photograph and words achieved their purpose—they made me reflect on my mistakes, my selfishness. I’d always been focused on myself, not on others or the people I supposedly cared about. My love for others had always been conditional, tied to how it made me feel. I’d never bothered to understand what others felt; I only sought interactions that satisfied me. There was, indeed, another way of seeing the world that I’d never considered before, and there was this kid, with astonishing confidence and certainty, showing me the most basic truths that anyone should know—but which my obsession with self-satisfaction had kept me from recognizing.”
P.S. – The image accompanying this post is, in fact, the photo Eloy carried in his wallet. It was taken by the Cassini probe, and that tiny, insignificant dot visible in the lower right is Earth.
A chance encounter will take him far away, on a thrilling adventure full of action and emotion that will change his life... but also the lives of everyone around him…
“Fleeing into silence”: https://a.co/d/7SUfVb3
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