Shem's Bench
Once upon a time, in a place uncharted, there was a woman named Sem.
She created powerful talismans forged from ancient stones, hands marked by time, and silences that knew how to listen.
They were not ornaments, nor simple amulets.
They were bridges, invisible bonds that chose their bearers, not the other way around.
Sem worked like one who knows that every gesture is a burden and a gift.
At her side lived her dragon: silent, invisible to distracted eyes, but immense to those who had the courage to hear.
It made no noise, but it broke chains.
On a timeless day, at the Soul Fair, small miracles happened.
A young couple stopped at the stall.
They were not just in love, but two wounded souls yet reconciled with themselves.
In their eyes, one could see the ancient memory of recognition, beyond time and pain.
No words were needed. They gazed at each other for a long time, between the bracelets and at each other.
And for a moment, the world stopped reeling.
Sem fell silent. The dragon folded its wings, as if in a silent bow.
And a profound peace descended upon them, the peace that comes when the heart stops fleeing.
On the other side, the shop boy watched.
His eyes, filled with an unpretentious sweetness, dared not ask for anything.
He loved Sem with the raw patience of someone who knows how to wait, of someone who tends a fire without wanting to extinguish it.
When she smiled, for him, it was everything.
Then, the Protector of Dragons appeared.
He bore the weight of legends and ancient oaths.
He stopped before Sem, gazed at her wordlessly, and bowed his head in blessing.
The dragon shone for a moment between Sem's lashes.
Amid the buzz of the fair, three women dressed as pirates came forward.
Their eyes were calm storms,
capable of shattering and rebuilding in a heartbeat.
They walked with light but determined steps,
carrying the sweetness of those who have loved without fear,
and the hardship of those who have lost without resignation.
Sem greeted them without words,
like one who immediately recognizes what the heart has always sought.
The dragon held his breath, still and attentive.
The first touched a stone on the bench,
as if grasping a fleeting memory.
"It was here, in this light, that I felt invincible," she said, almost to herself.
The second smiled sadly,
her eyes still clouded with unshed tears.
"I loved as only the sea can teach—
deeply and stormily."
The third approached Sem,
and in her eyes rested an unspoken promise:
"Even in the darkest days, there is a part of us that remains free."
Sem responded with a smile that was an embrace,
a silent blessing for those wounded yet shining souls.
The dragon then raised a wing,
as if to encircle those women with a veil of invisible protection.
When they left, no one could stop them,
but the wind continued to carry with it
the scent of their courage and their fragile, indomitable beauty.
A little girl, Olga, with eyes born of a star, made her way through the crowd.
She stopped, smiling with the lightness of one who knows the secret of the soul.
"I've been here before."
Sem looked at her as one might look at a guardian disguised as innocence.
The dragon listened.
Then she arrived, a fairy with long red hair like extinguished fire.
Her eyes were deep pools in which to sink or be reborn.
She walked silently, suspended between the real world and the world of dreams.
Sem met her with a look that needed no words.
An invisible bond united them: a sisterhood of memories and solitude.
Finally, an Elf.
Exchanged glances, a restrained smile.
Sem offered her a nameless gift, a moment suspended in time.
The Elf returned later, leaving a shiny coin:
the symbol of a debt that did not exist.
Only gratitude and exchange.
The fair ended.
Sem's stall was a threshold, not a place.
A passage where the heart recognized its roots and its wings.
The dragon kept watch.
The shop boy was silent, guarding the wait without hope or certainty.
And if you ever pass by there...
do not rush.
Breathe.
The dragon allows itself to be seen only by those who have stopped running away from themselves.
Dedication
To those I met at the Unicorn Festival in Vinci in July 2025,
kind, profound, true souls.
Thank you for the silent smiles,
the looks that spoke louder than words,
the beauty you brought with you
without even realizing it.
This story was born from you,
from small gestures, from shared moments,
from that magic that is created only when we recognize each other,
without needing to explain anything.
I carry you with me,
between the folds of words
and between the wings of the dragon.
She created powerful talismans forged from ancient stones, hands marked by time, and silences that knew how to listen.
They were not ornaments, nor simple amulets.
They were bridges, invisible bonds that chose their bearers, not the other way around.
Sem worked like one who knows that every gesture is a burden and a gift.
At her side lived her dragon: silent, invisible to distracted eyes, but immense to those who had the courage to hear.
It made no noise, but it broke chains.
On a timeless day, at the Soul Fair, small miracles happened.
A young couple stopped at the stall.
They were not just in love, but two wounded souls yet reconciled with themselves.
In their eyes, one could see the ancient memory of recognition, beyond time and pain.
No words were needed. They gazed at each other for a long time, between the bracelets and at each other.
And for a moment, the world stopped reeling.
Sem fell silent. The dragon folded its wings, as if in a silent bow.
And a profound peace descended upon them, the peace that comes when the heart stops fleeing.
On the other side, the shop boy watched.
His eyes, filled with an unpretentious sweetness, dared not ask for anything.
He loved Sem with the raw patience of someone who knows how to wait, of someone who tends a fire without wanting to extinguish it.
When she smiled, for him, it was everything.
Then, the Protector of Dragons appeared.
He bore the weight of legends and ancient oaths.
He stopped before Sem, gazed at her wordlessly, and bowed his head in blessing.
The dragon shone for a moment between Sem's lashes.
Amid the buzz of the fair, three women dressed as pirates came forward.
Their eyes were calm storms,
capable of shattering and rebuilding in a heartbeat.
They walked with light but determined steps,
carrying the sweetness of those who have loved without fear,
and the hardship of those who have lost without resignation.
Sem greeted them without words,
like one who immediately recognizes what the heart has always sought.
The dragon held his breath, still and attentive.
The first touched a stone on the bench,
as if grasping a fleeting memory.
"It was here, in this light, that I felt invincible," she said, almost to herself.
The second smiled sadly,
her eyes still clouded with unshed tears.
"I loved as only the sea can teach—
deeply and stormily."
The third approached Sem,
and in her eyes rested an unspoken promise:
"Even in the darkest days, there is a part of us that remains free."
Sem responded with a smile that was an embrace,
a silent blessing for those wounded yet shining souls.
The dragon then raised a wing,
as if to encircle those women with a veil of invisible protection.
When they left, no one could stop them,
but the wind continued to carry with it
the scent of their courage and their fragile, indomitable beauty.
A little girl, Olga, with eyes born of a star, made her way through the crowd.
She stopped, smiling with the lightness of one who knows the secret of the soul.
"I've been here before."
Sem looked at her as one might look at a guardian disguised as innocence.
The dragon listened.
Then she arrived, a fairy with long red hair like extinguished fire.
Her eyes were deep pools in which to sink or be reborn.
She walked silently, suspended between the real world and the world of dreams.
Sem met her with a look that needed no words.
An invisible bond united them: a sisterhood of memories and solitude.
Finally, an Elf.
Exchanged glances, a restrained smile.
Sem offered her a nameless gift, a moment suspended in time.
The Elf returned later, leaving a shiny coin:
the symbol of a debt that did not exist.
Only gratitude and exchange.
The fair ended.
Sem's stall was a threshold, not a place.
A passage where the heart recognized its roots and its wings.
The dragon kept watch.
The shop boy was silent, guarding the wait without hope or certainty.
And if you ever pass by there...
do not rush.
Breathe.
The dragon allows itself to be seen only by those who have stopped running away from themselves.
Dedication
To those I met at the Unicorn Festival in Vinci in July 2025,
kind, profound, true souls.
Thank you for the silent smiles,
the looks that spoke louder than words,
the beauty you brought with you
without even realizing it.
This story was born from you,
from small gestures, from shared moments,
from that magic that is created only when we recognize each other,
without needing to explain anything.
I carry you with me,
between the folds of words
and between the wings of the dragon.
