Ask and it will be given to you...

It was one of those beautiful full moon nights that I wanted to experience on the land. My spouse Tomás has been in Lisbon and he warned me to spend the night alone on the land, but still I decided to go (because I am dickhead ;) ). My longing for a direct connection to nature made me throw all doubts of insecurity and fear away.

And it was magical: the full, large moon slipped out from behind the clouds and cast the pine trees in a milky white. There was a gentle breeze and perfect peace. The animals felt activated by the full moon, here and there the owl gave signals and - attracted by the moonlight - made its rounds in the night. Otherwise, absolute silence.

These are the moments that touch my heart, that fill me up and move me deeply. That's when I know all is well and we are not alone...

I went into the caravan that my dear friend Maria had kindly made available to me and watched the moon from there a little longer. Eventually I was tired and I fell asleep. Amaro lay on his cushion and was already in deep sleep.

Just before I closed my eyes, a strange feeling came over me. What if Tomás was right and the hunters could appear in the middle of the night? Sometimes pretty harsh looking guys appearing in this remote place to shoot wild pigs and the land does not have fences, so they sometimes walk through it. I once saw them during the night and they really looked like to better not joke with them. I chased away those dark thoughts and finally fell asleep.

At around 1 a.m., I suddenly woke up to a voice.

It was male and croaky and I was immediately alarmed. Amaro was growling but not barking. He was also holding his breath. I couldn't estimate how far away the voice was, but I think it was maybe 50 meters away from the caravan. The person was talking to someone, so there were at least two men out there. I immediately regretted not having listened to Tomás and felt completely exposed and vulnerable. At the same time, I was terrified that they might do something to Amaro. I couldn't understand what the man was saying, but I could hear from his tone that he had already drunk a few medronho (Portuguese liquor).

Now, when I write down my memories like this, I get that rigid gut feeling again, which I felt very strongly in that moment. As if I had a heavy stone in my stomach. I could hardly breathe in that moment, my body was so tense. Intuitively, I felt threatened by the man's voice. Out of sheer desperation, I began to pray. I asked for help: "Please get me out of here, help me out of this situation!" I simply asked for help from the bottom of my heart.

Then something incredible happened that still brings tears to my eyes today. Probably only people who have experienced it or whose hearts are truly open can understand what am I talking about. Otherwise, I could imagine that my story seems created or fantasized.

No, certainly not, because I was totally awake. When you feel threatened, you are under adrenaline.
And so was I. My heart was racing.

Suddenly, through the walls of the caravan, I saw beautifully dressed, exotic women who looked golden. They were standing in a row, in a kind of protective wall in front of the caravan, happily harvesting something I couldn't recognize. They bent down and sang. They were so peaceful, so cheerful, that I immediately felt better. I couldn't believe what I was seeing: the golden skin of the women wearing colorful, beautiful dresses. At that moment, the men's voices disappeared. Silence fell and the women disappeared with it. I lay awake until the morning, deeply moved by this experience.

I thanked them and felt so fulfilled. Help is granted to us when we stretch our hands upwards and grasp the "threads of light" above us.