“People in our society believe that all of us are one. You have to understand: the word ‘Oneness’ has a very broad meaning here, which is quite different from the understanding in your society. For instance, you feel you are one with the people living in the same country, but you feel separated from those of other countries. So, your sense of oneness is still based on the principle of separation,” Koharu explained.

“Our meaning of oneness is that all people on this planet are our relatives, our parents, and our children. This feeling is always in our hearts.”

“Therefore, we are ready to give, and to share everything we have with our relatives. Maybe if you think about the love you have for your children, it is easier for you to understand. No parent ever asks ‘what will I get in return from feeding my children?’, or ‘what if I don’t feed them on some days?’ Should you chose not do it on certain days, then it’s because there is a good reason,” she answered.

“Love,” Koharu said, turning to face me.

“I am trying to find the closest description to explain the meaning of this word. I don’t know how the people from your world define it, but as far as I can tell, the word ‘love’ that you have been using, doesn’t even cover half of the meaning of what I’m trying to tell you.”

“To us, the word ‘love’ and the word ‘oneness’ are the same. Actually, there’s no such word as ‘love’ for us. But in your society, which is based on the concept of discrimination and separation, the expression ‘love’ is not really accurate. You had to adopt a new word which you call ‘love’. So, love in your definition and in ours have entirely different meanings.”

“You people here do talk in riddles, don’t you?” I teased her.

“When you become love, you will understand it in a way that you won’t need an explanation,” she concluded with a sentence that I have yet to understand.

“I have the feeling that what you have just said has a far deeper meaning than what I am capable of understanding. And even if I can’t fully comprehend it yet, I’ll remember it,” I said.

The sun was directly above our head now, and I started to feel tired and thirsty.

“Koharu, allow me to get some water,” I suggested.

“There’s a stream up ahead, at the end of this path. Shall we rest there?” she asked.

“Yes, that sounds good.” I smiled at her.

Fortunately, it was downhill for the rest of the path, so I didn’t have to use much strength but I had to be careful not to roll down the hill. Once we reached the bottom, we saw a small stream. I rushed over and drank thirstily from there.

“Take a rest here, I’ll be right back,” Koharu said and walked away following the stream.

I sat down under a large tree, leaning on the roll of paper I had carried. The cool breeze and fatigue took over, and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

While I was napping, I felt a breath on my face and heard a wheezy sniffing sound very close by. I opened my eyes, and was absolutely shocked and terrified to see a huge tiger standing menacingly over my body.

“What the …!? A t – tiger!” I shrieked, my eyes bulging with terror, and goose bumps running all over my body. Survival instincts kicked in and I pushed myself backwards with my hands and feet, dragging the roll of paper with me. The more I retreated, the more the tiger came after me with a deep growl in its throat.