The Magic Ride

The Magic Ride

Adria sat on the floor with her picture books spread in front of her. Adria loved to learn new things and loved books. Her all time favorite was a book about the city of Paris. Ever since she was a pipsqueak it was one of her favorite places. She dreamt of being able to go and see Paris’s greatest attraction the Eiffel Tower. She believed deep down in that big heart of her’s that she would somehow get there one day.

Every once in a while Adria’s family would come to visit. Her uncle Joseph always saw the wonder in Adria’s eyes. He knew that little girl was capable of great things. He wholeheartedly believed in her. Adria loved her uncle so very much. They had an unbreakable bond. Uncle Joseph knew of Adria’s love for Paris. He encouraged her love for the country, and encouraged her to dream big.

Adria continued to grow and learn. She began to blossom into an intelligent young lady. She was full of excitement and still had that childlike wonder. She overachieved in school and set her goals as high as she could dream. On a visit from Uncle Joseph he brought gifts. He gave Adria a beautiful bottle of perfume—not only did it smell great, but it was shaped like the Eiffel Tower. Adria was in love with the bottle. As she thanked her Uncle they began to discuss Paris. Adria decided they should go together. She knew Uncle Joseph had a love of adventure. She couldn’t think of anyone else she’d want to go to Paris with. As they laughed and joked about going to Paris, they decided they would go on a magic carpet. Adria, having the imagination of 20 children in one, could picture them flying to Paris on a beautiful, ornate, magic carpet. It became a goal between the two. Adria believed with all her heart that she’d go to Paris with Uncle Joseph on a magic carpet.

Time continued to go on and Adria grew up like any young child does. Even though she lost much of her childlike wonder she still held onto her dream. She was still determined she’d make it to Paris. Every time Uncle Joseph came to visit, she’d ask about it. He’d tell her how he hadn’t found the magic carpet yet. Adria knew magic carpets weren't real but, somehow, she still believed that’s how they would get to Paris. Adria still loved Paris, she even began learning to speak French. She would do school projects on Paris, and planned out everything she would do if she made it there. She wanted to share it all with her Uncle.

Adria’s 18th birthday rolled around. Uncle Joseph’s present was the most wonderful gift Adria could have hoped for. Uncle Joseph was always good with computers, so it didn’t come as a shock that he knew how to edit a photo. For Adria’s birthday he took a picture of the Eiffel Tower and photoshopped both him and Adria into the picture, and to Adria’s amazement, he made it look like they were riding a magic carpet. Adria could not express to Uncle Joseph how much this photo meant to her. It may have been a photo to others but to Adria, it was her dreams. Deep down Adria still secretly believed she would make it to Paris with Uncle Joseph. She knew it wouldn’t be on a magic carpet but she still dreamed.

Adria was secretly struggling with a lot of things. She was battling against depression and terrible anxiety. She tried her best to hide it from most people. It definitely showed as things seemed to dwindle in her life. Adria had always believed she would go to college. It was one of those big ole dreams she had. It may not have seemed like much to others but to Adria it meant everything. It was almost like it defined her. She had to go and do her best to make everyone proud of her. Adria tried and tried every way she could think of to make things work but, she just never got there. College along with all of Adria’s dreams seemed so far away. She was floating on an island surrounded by tears. Adria wanted so bad to do something amazing. She felt that pressure that most young people feel. The pressure in your heart as you know you’re letting the people you care about down. Most people’s opinions didn’t matter to Adria. There were a few who really mattered to her though. One of those opinions was Uncle Joseph’s. Adria wanted nothing more than to be able to tell him that she did something amazing. It bothered her so much but, she felt so helpless as to what to do.

The years continued to pass by. Adria still struggled with depression and bad anxiety. Due to health issues, she couldn’t work a regular job, but there weren’t many options so she just stayed stuck in the same old rut. Adria avoided family gatherings because she was so worried of disappointing people. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t do the things other’s could do with ease. It hurt too much for her. She struggled with a sadness deep in her heart for fear she would never do something amazing. She set her whole life on the idea of doing something that made a difference or even something that just made people proud of her. At that point in life, Aida just felt like a lost puppy.

Aida stayed in this rut for quite some time. She finally found something she was passionate about. She had always loved to write but never really thought she was good. That big imagination of hers took hold again. Suddenly her had was filled with dreams of publishing her very own book. Adria finally felt like she found a small piece she had lost growing up. She knew that everyone would be proud of her too, especially Uncle Joseph. She knew it would be hard but, she finally started to believe in herself again. So, she set the plan in motion. She started looking for publishers, and doing research on how to get a book out there. Then she set herself with the task of writing her first book.

When people would ask Adria what she did for a living, she would tell them she was working on getting a book published. Whenever Adria began to talk about it you could see that look in her eye. She finally had the satisfaction of knowing she was putting her all into something. Her book was like her baby, she was terrified but excited to get it out into the world. Adria finally got in contact with a publishing company she thought was a perfect match. They hashed out all the details and we’re just waiting on Aida to finish her book. Adia continued working hard, keeping in the back of her mind, that this would make her family proud. She became very passionate about finishing the book. She had all the excitement built up.

Finally one day, Adria finished the book. She was done and ready to give the publisher all the info. Well someone close to Adria found out some things Adria didn’t know about the publishing agency. It turned out they weren’t such a perfect match after all. Adria’s heart broke in two. She didn’t know what to do. She had her dreams in her hands just to watch them slip through her fingers. Adria was back into her depression funk. She didn’t think she’d ever write again.

One day Adria was sat down by her parents. They explained to her that Uncle Joseph became very sick. He had a horrible disease that the doctors couldn’t fix. Adria was angry. She didn’t understand why life kept doing these things. Uncle Joseph was a great man and didn’t deserve it. Then again Adria knew nobody deserved that fate. The disease was eating away at Uncle Joseph and it was a very sad time. Uncle Joseph remained himself though, he stayed fighting. The doctors worked with him to try and help slow the disease’s progression down. Adria was thankful, so very thankful even though she didn’t know how to show it. She knew she and Uncle Joseph weren’t as close anymore. She made sure to pass her love to him though.

Adria knew that she had to continue with her dreams, because even if he didn’t make it there in person with her, she would carry him in her heart all the way to Paris. So Adria went back to writing, and started looking for ways to get herself out there. She found a very credible contest. She decided to start writing a story for that contest to at least get something in the world. She worked hard picking out a subject and in the meantime, she kept trying to find a publisher. She was going to do everything in her power to get herself as an established author. She knew she wouldn’t make it on the bestseller list, but she could try. She kept Uncle Joseph in her thoughts and prayers at all times. She was going to get him to Paris someday.

Adria was knocked back for every step she moved forward. If it wasn’t one thing it was another. She wasn’t down for the count yet. She continued trying her best everyday. She searched high and low. She still hadn’t found what she was looking for. One day walking through a market full of variety shops, she found a beautiful fabric. She thought to herself wow that would be a beautiful carpet. It called out to her and gave her a brilliant idea. She brought a small section of the fabric and took it home. She broke out her crafting supplies and began to work. She folded the fabric and hot glued it in the right spot to make it look like it was floating. Adria took a piece of cardboard and cut it to be shaped like the Eiffel Tower. She colored it and hung Christmas lights on it to light it up. Adria took a break and then went right back to work. She printed out a photo of herself and a photo of Uncle Joseph. She glued each photo to a piece of cardboard. She then colored the back of the cardboard in. She glued the two pieces of cardboard down to one piece of fabric. The final piece looked like Uncle Joseph and her were flying the carpet to the Eiffel Tower. She wrote a little card for her uncle and sent him her gift. It made her happy to do something nice for her uncle.

Adria continued working on getting herself published. She did side jobs in the meantime to make some extra cash. There was still a big sadness in Adria’s life. She found herself doubting her writing skills and wondering if she’d ever make it. Every corner she turned was one roadblock or another. Adria knew she shouldn’t go down that depressing road. Deep down she knew she could do it. Getting the motivation to keep working on it was hard. She didn’t give up though. She powered through and got herself ready to keep going. Finally Adria’s big break came. Her book got picked up by an excellent publisher and was placed in the world. Adria’s whole life changed. She was no longer stuck in the darkness. Her book hit the shelves and landed it’s way into the homes of many. Her book became a big success. Adria dedicated her book to her Uncle Joseph. He made sure to get an autographed copy. It warmed Adria’s heart.

Years and years had gone by, Adria found herself standing in the city of Lights. It was the most amazing view she had ever seen. Of course, she didn’t get there by magic carpet but she knew just being there made it great. Uncle Joseph couldn’t come with her so she called him on a video chat and let him enjoy the view with her. “We finally made it Uncle Joseph, we made it to our Paris.” They both shared a big smile and a laugh. Adria had finally gone on her magic ride to Paris. Her dreams had finally come true.