Jessica (6:25)

It's a late afternoon and you are standing on the slope of a hill. There is nothing here but pure nature. The deep green grass feels soft and spongy underfoot and there is a clean taste in the air similar to cool mineral water. As you breathe in, you can feel the fresh air travel through your nostrils and into your lungs, bringing a sense of well being with it. In the distance, you can hear the chirrup of birdsong. Looking ahead, you see the most curious thing about this hill. The grass slopes up until it reaches a low bank of fluffy clouds. Then it disappears into seems that the peak of this hill is hidden right inside the cloud. Instinctively, you feel that the right thing to do is to follow the grass upwards and into the cloud. So you begin to slowly walk towards it. As you walk, you notice your body begins to automatically take deeper and fuller breaths to support the climb. You go up and up, remaining conscious of your breathing and the feeling of fresh oxygen in your body. Then your eyes catch the cloud. It is spreading out into the air like a huge sphere. Its fluffy texture contains hints of creamy pink and delicate blue. It reminds you of the inside of a pearlescent seashell. The whole cloud seems to hang, moving like smoke in slow motion. Just watching it fills you with a sense of calm. You keep walking until you are almost at the cloud. Then, slowly but purposefully, you extend your hand to touch. Feels cool, wet and soothing. A little bit like putting your hand into a very fine sprinkler, except even softer. You decide to keep going and step confidently into the cloud. The same feeling of soothing fine mist wraps around your legs as you step fully into the cloud. The sensation envelops your whole body. You can feel the damp mist against your arms. But before you know it, you are out on the other side and you are standing just before the peak of the hill. Looking back, the cloud fans out below in all directions as far as the eye can see. It's like a great fluffy carpet. The sun is clear and golden up here and its light seems to dance over the clouds. You guess that the day is over, only an hour or so away from melting into the sunset. It is truly spectacular. Up here you feel like you could spend hours just watching the clouds, the sky and the changing light. But instead you tear your gaze away to look up ahead to the peak of the hill. It curves like a little bump and perched right on its crest is a beautiful building. It is is large and perfectly circular with walls of pale pine wood and the roof is a dome that spirals like a seashell. All across one side is a curved glass window and inside you catch a glimpse of comfortable armchairs, sofas. On an elegant arched sign above the door are letters that read the Tea Emporium. Intrigued, you begin to walk up the hill to reach the Emporium. As you get closer, you notice wildflowers dotted around in all different shades of pink, purple and yellow. The small clusters of flowers sway slightly in the breeze. Then you see the entranceway to the emporium. Its a set of tall glass double doors with three low steps. After climbing the steps, you place your palm on the glass door. It feels cold and smooth to the touch. You push slightly and the door opens easily. Stepping inside, you let the door close behind you. You are now standing in a large circular room with a high domed ceiling. The same light pine wood of the walls outside has been used inside too, and you can smell its distinctive astringent scent. On one side the glass window stretches, showing a perfect view of the cloud. Dotted all around the window are the armchairs and sofas that you saw from outside. And on the other side of the room, directly in front of you, is a raised platform with a curved counter. Behind the counter is a shelf made of rows and rows of squares. Each square is filled with a glass jar and each jar is full of different types of tea leaves and blends. On top of the counter are glass teapots, each on their own separate burner. While inside each teapot is a different tea. There is a caramel brown one, then a golden amber coloured tea, another that's a deep tawny brown, a pale greenish tea and even a blue tea. But the one that draws your attention is a clear dusky green. It sits in the biggest teapot. You move over to it, breathing in the scent of freshly brewed green tea. Then, looking down at the counter, you notice the paintings. All across the surface. Beautiful designs and descriptions of the history of tea have been carefully painted directly onto the countertop. As you look at them, the smells of the tea and the magic of this place seem to transport you entirely. You close your eyes and suddenly you are imagining the foothills of South Western China and the rows and Rows of tea plantations. It is here in China that the story of tea began more than 4,000 years ago. Legend has it that the Yan emperor Shennong was boiling water on an open fire next to a wild tea plant. He was tired and did not notice some of the tea leaves falling into the water pot. When Shennong drank the water, he felt refreshed and happy. A glowing warmth spread inside him and he realized that he had found a new remedy. So he decided to study tea and learn more about its properties and benefits. At first, tea was used as a medicine. The tea leaves were pressed into a cake and dried. When someone wanted to make tea, they would break off a part of the cake and boil it in water before adding all kinds of different ingredients for health benefits. Tea slowly spread across China and Asia. With the help of Buddhist monks, they brewed and drank tea before long meditations, as it helped them to remain focused and awake. But during China's Tang dynasty, from the 7th to the 10th century, people began to process teachers tea in a way that made it tastier and more enjoyable to drink. The first tea houses appeared and tea began to be enjoyed socially, much like it is today. Opening your eyes, you come back to the emporium and breathe in, taking in the crisp, earthy smell of the green tea in front of you. Then you notice another green tea beside this one. Moving closer, you detect the scent of mint. The pictures beside this one show the streets of Morocco. And the picture is so magical, so enticing, that you feel you could really be there. You close your eyes and your imagination takes you there. It's as if you can sense the buzz of a souk in Morocco. You imagine yourself walking down the many twists and turns of the market. Blue and white plates and bowls are stacked everywhere, while stalls burst with old silverware, beautiful rugs and enchanting handcrafts. You keep wandering, savoring the deep, rich colours and the atmosphere of the narrow roads. Then you stop at a tiny courtyard. A cluster of stalls and low wooden tables are waiting for you. You take a seat at a table and almost immediately a woman arrives. She carries a burnished silver teapot and a small delicate glass which she puts down on the table. You notice that the glass has been painted with a red design, just like the embellished arches you can find in old Moorish buildings. The kind with an onion shaped top, a bit like the Taj Mahal. The woman holds the teapot high above the glass and lets the hot liquid pour into it. Not a drop is spilled and you Watch it churn and bubble inside the glass. When she is finished, she walks away. You bring the glass to your lips and smell the unmistakable aroma of fresh mint blowing on the liquid to cool it. You take a sip and it's intensely sweet but refreshing flavor washes over your whole mouth. Opening your eyes, you come back to the emporium with gratitude for its magic. You turn your attention to your left, where another pot of tea is sitting. This one is a light golden brown. As you move closer, you detect a nuttier, creamier scent. This is oolong tea. Once again, you gaze down at the countertop to find beautiful illustrations and descriptions of this tea. All tea comes from the same plant, and what makes each tea different is how the plant is processed. Green tea was the original, but when people learned to oxidise or slightly ferment the tea leaves before drying, oolong and black tea were discovered. You carefully lift the oolong teapot and feel the weight of it in your hands, watching the liquid inside swirl. The illustrations on the counter show people in China drinking cups of oolong with their meals. Placing the teapot back down again, you look to your left to find another one. This teacher teapot is filled with a liquid that is dark, deep and almost red brown. The tang in the air tells you that this is black tea. Black tea is made by fully fermenting tea leaves before drying them. And it is the tea that is most popular in Europe, North Africa, Russia and India. It was spread via the Silk Road, through pilgrimaging monks and by trading ships from Asia to Europe. You step closer to the black tea. The many illustrations on the countertop fill you with a sense of curiosity and wonder. The pictures of people in India, Turkey and England feel so real and inviting. Feeling the stillness and peace of the tea emporium, you close your eyes and you are immediately transported to each of these countries in your mind's eye, one after the other. First you find yourself on the corner of a dusty side street in India. The air is hot and flavoured with the scent of cardamom, ginger and cloves. The shops are higgledy piggledy stacked full of brightly coloured packets and jars of every bean, spice or grain you could imagine. And to your right is the Chaiwala, the tea maker. He stands behind his cart, which is painted light blue and white. In front of him is a row of glass jars filled with with small golden cookies. He is boiling a large pan of very strong, very milky tea that bubbles and churns. You can see the black tea Leaves and whole spices being thrown about inside. The mixture is a red bricky colour. As you step closer, he lifts the pan from the heat and pours the tea into a strange sieve that looks a bit like a brown sock. He does it with such skill that it seems like a mini waterfall. As he lifts the sieve, you realize that underneath it is the biggest metal teapot you've ever seen. The man lifts the old dented pot and from its he pours a measure of the tea into the line of small glasses in front of him. You smile as it reminds you of a fancy bartender pouring shot glasses. Gratefully, you take a glass. The sweet smell of the boiled milk and spices is soothing and comforting. Taking a sip, you can taste the sweetness of the sugar mixing perfectly with the creamy milk and the tang of the black tea. It is truly delicious. But as you put the glass down and turn, you realize that you have moved to a new location. Now you are in the clean, open streets of Istanbul. The bright blue sky is crisp and clear, and on either side of you are small shops and cafes. You stop at one which has outside seats shaded by deep blue parasols. As soon as you sit down, a waiter in a black shirt walks towards you with a tray. He lifts a small round saucer with a tiny glass shaped like the body of a violin and places it in front of you. A tiny silver spoon rests on the saucer, along with two perfect cubes of sugar. Next, he places another saucer on the table and you smile at the sight. There's a sticky square of baklava, a Turkish dessert made of layers of flaky filo pastry, pistachio nuts and honey. The tea that accompanies it is dark brown with a sheen of red. You bring the glass to your lips and take a sip and the scene changes again. The cup you hold in your hand is now an English teacup. The fine bone china is patterned with pink and yellow roses and the tea inside is a creamy dark beige, the familiar colour of black tea mixed with just a dash of milk. The white wrought iron table in front of you holds several plates of cakes, iced buns and delicate sandwiches. You smell smile, realizing that you are sitting in the most beautiful English garden. It's lush and green, filled with roses, lilac, magnolia and lavender. Everything is in bloom. You turn your attention back to the cup of tea and marvel at the journey it has made all the way from ancient China. Then you open your eyes and come back to the emporium. The whole room is flooded with with the golden glow of sunset. Your eyes sweep over the many teas and teapots that you still have not explored. You notice the herbal teas, the floral teas and the ones mixed with dried fruit and medicinal plants. And you gaze at the teapot of blue liquid which has been made from brewing the flowers of the butterfly pea plant. But you're feeling tired and the sunset is calling you. Slowly you turn from the T's and move towards the armchairs and sofas next to the magnificent window. You select the comfiest sofa you can find and curl up on it gratefully gazing out of the window. The carpet of cloud is still there, but now it is colored with soft peach, pink and orange. The peaks and troughs of the cloud cast little shadows. It's as if you are looking at an ocean of cotton candy. Beside you on a small table is a cup of chamomile tea. You breathe in its sweet, soothing fragrance. Immediately, a feeling of sleepiness and well being cascades over you. The muscles in your back are softening and letting go. You can feel your eyelids becoming heavier and heavier and your breathing becomes softer. There on the sofa, in this beautiful, peaceful place, you reflect on the comfort of a simple cup of tea. You cast your mind lazily over the many different rituals all over the world. But you are so sleepy and so relaxed that your thoughts need not stay. They trickle out of you like water poured from a spout. Until your mind is clear and still. Your eyes close, your breath takes over and you feel yourself surrendering. A last feeling of gratitude tingles over you. And then you let go and drift into a deep and peaceful sleep, no doubt helped by the calming cup of tea that sits beside you.