Is God a kind of Magic?

And so it went, waking up at 4 in the morning to explore the city. The Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, walking down the Champs-Élysées, passing by the Louvre, and returning to the hostel to pick up my luggage. My train to Barcelona was leaving at 4 in the afternoon, so I still had a little time to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. Rushing, tired, but with a smile from ear to ear, I arrived at the station.

Just when I had found a perfect spot to wait for the train’s arrival, not even five minutes passed before I noticed something strange about the crowd’s movement. There’s always people in a hurry in those places, but at that moment, it seemed like everyone was either rushed or worried. I tried to listen closely to understand, but it was impossible to make out what they were saying over the loudspeakers. I got up and started looking for a guard or a booth where I could ask. As I paid attention to the people passing by, I overheard a woman on the phone repeating that there had been an accident and that she couldn’t travel. After some pushing and shoving, I managed to reach the window to inquire about my trip.

“All trains today are canceled, and tomorrow everything is fully booked. The earliest I can get you on a train to Barcelona is the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay, no problem, I’ll figure something out. But what happened?”

There had been an accident between two trains. One person had died, and a few others were injured. A cold shock hit me. Although, I must admit, in those moments, I tend to be more pragmatic and was already heading to the subway to return to the city and find a hostel for the extra days.

The real issue came when I sat down in the subway and thought: “Imagine if it had been you, if you had been on one of those trains. My family wouldn’t find out until who knows when…” And then it really hit me. What if it’s the other way around? What if someone I love has an accident or is suffering while you’re here, on the other side of the world, and you can’t do anything? Even if you were nearby, maybe you couldn’t help, but here, for sure, you can’t do a thing. A wave of overwhelming helplessness washed over me. I stared out the window and got lost in a mud stain on the glass. I saw a familiar face forming in that stain, and I noticed it wasn’t just one face, but two. One had a furrowed brow and was looking down, while the other stood just behind, as if whispering something into their ear: “Calm down, you’re not alone.”

I’ve always considered myself a skeptic; I’ve always questioned everything. And I can even give a completely rational explanation for that moment. That it was just my mind searching for answers, that it was the universe giving me a sign, whatever.

But both, at that moment and now, there’s something I can’t deny. All my worries vanished. My energy refocused on what was in front of me. Suddenly, I wasn’t tired at all. After all the back-and-forth, it was already 9 at night, but I felt like I could face anything.

And all because, from a mud stain, God had spoken to me.