The Sower and the Other Paintings
Once I went to a mall, far away from my house, in a different district. It was first or maybe second time I was there. I was doing some late shopping. 30 minutes before the closing, I heard a voice saying: We are closing in 30 minutes. Please head to the checkouts. We are open from Monday to Saturday 8am to 10pm, and the lights got slightly darker. At first, I thought it was happening only in my brain because it was a very subtle impression. But then, 10 minutes later, the voice said again: We are closing in 20 minutes. Please head to the checkouts. We are open from Monday to Saturday 8am to 10pm, and they dimmed the lights once more. When there were 15 minutes left before the closing, it got really dark. The darkness wasn’t total but shopping and navigating between the aisles had become very challenging. I felt a little uncomfortable, as if the mall itself was asking me to leave, but after few minutes the darkness started to feel surprisingly welcoming and safe. My eyes quickly got used to it. As I saw the light coming from the cash desks, along with the silhouettes of the last few customers paying for their groceries, I decided to go in the opposite direction. Deeper into the darkness of the mall, towards new adventures, dreams, and dawns.