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I WOKE UP on the sand after the sun was up. I remembered falling asleep on the beach—I had my clothes on, though, a sign that I hadn’t been carried by the waves onto the beach during my night swim. I got up and stretched, filling my lungs with the pure sea air. I felt like a new man.
The fishermen’s pirogues were already on the way back, lit up by the horizontal morning light. I took a few steps by the water’s edge, my feet carving into the sand traces destined to be wiped out by the next wave in a gentle murmur of foam. Out at sea, a liner was carrying hundreds of passengers to discover the Celebes, Java, or Borneo.
I saw a little girl alone on the beach, no doubt the daughter of one of the few tourists to discover this place. She was perhaps five or six. Armed with a stick, she was carefully drawing something on the sand. She saw me come up, and, when I was next to her, she gave me a rapid smile, looking away from her drawing only for a second.
“What is it?” I asked her.
“A liner, of course,” she replied in a hurt tone, carrying on drawing.
“Do you like boats?”
“Yes. I used to want to be a ship’s captain.”
“You’ve changed your mind?”
“Yes, because it’s too difficult for me.”
She said this with regret in her voice.
“How do you know?”
“My grandfather told me. He says it’s a job for boys, not girls.”
She was putting the finishing touches on her drawing, displaying a little sad look that broke my heart.
“What’s your name?”
“Andy.”
“Listen, Andy, look at me.”
She dropped her stick and turned toward me. I knelt in the sand, putting myself at her height.
“I am sure your grandfather loves you a lot and wants what’s best for you. But I’m going to tell you something. Like a secret that you’ll always keep with you. Would you like that?”
“Yes.”
“Andy, don’t ever let anyone tell you what you’re not capable of doing. It’s for you to choose and live your life.”
She looked me in the eyes and remained thoughtful for a moment. Then her serious air gradually disappeared, giving way to a smile that lit up her whole face. She walked off confidently, looking out to sea, where the liner was making its way on the horizon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laurent Gounelle is a personal development specialist who trained in humanities at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Besides lecturing at the Université of Clermont-Ferrand, he is now a consultant and takes part in international seminars. His two books have sold more than a million copies worldwide. They are based on the principles of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
COMING SOON
I WON’T LEAVE
WITHOUT TELLING YOU
WHERE I’M GOING
LAURENT GOUNELLE
“Beneath me, 360 feet farther down, lay Paris, offering herself to me. Her twinkling lights were so many winking, calling eyes. Patiently, aware she was irresistible, she was waiting for my blood to come and fertilize her.”
Looking down from the top of the Eiffel Tower, Alan Greenmor stands contemplating his life—determined to end it—when a mysterious stranger named Dubreuil convinces him to change his mind. In return, Dubreuil forges a path for Alan that will shape his destiny.
I Won’t Leave Without Telling You Where I’m Going, the sensational new book by best-selling author Laurent Gounelle, explores the fragility of life and the possibilities that are presented to us in the unlikeliest circumstances.
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The Man Who Wanted to Be Happy Page 12