I moved back to country side

He is a normal man. Well, now he is. After resigning from his job at the top IT company as a director, Evan found himself confused. He asked himself, ”How? ”. How did he, a man who never faced defeat ended up like this? He had all his life settled. A good job, money, home, and friends. But, After resigning from his job, he had none left. His friends have gone away like his money. Evan left with no option but to come back. He had to return to the small town he escaped. For him, returning to the country hillside was painful. After all, Evan had worked his whole life to come out of the place.

But, life doesn let you have your way always. So, He picks his baggage up and leaves for the countryside. He leaves his ambitions and glory behind and walks ahead towards a path no one knows. He is walking on the road no one has ever heard of, and Evan himself doesn know where he is heading ahead. As he sat down on his seat, he asks himself, ”What are you going to do? ” but no answer came. He is now missing inside his thoughts.

”Perhaps you are moving? ” The grandpa beside him asked him. ”Huh? ” Evan was dumbfounded. ”Oh… Yea. I am going back to my original hometown. ” He said when he gains his consciousness. ”I see. You seem like an ambitious man, why do you want to move there? ” At first, Evan wanted to tell this old Granpa to stop being noisy. But he wanted to be polite so, he just answered. ”Well, Life doesn care about ambitions much. ” The train stops. The grand-pa stands up and keeps an old journal to the boy in front of him.

”Here. ” The grand-pa said with love and care.

”I can take it, ” Evan was hesitant.

”This belongs to my granddaughter, who told me to pass it to a person I felt like to. and I feel like you need it. ”

Before Evan could protest, the old Granpa kept the journal on Evans lap and left. Evan was again dumbfounded. But, he couldn throw a journal for some unknown reason. He sighs and keeps the old brown journal inside his bag. ”What a weird day it is. ” He said.

Slowly, the snow started falling. Evan stared out of the window, his eyes soften. He takes a deep breath, ”Well. something nice finally happened. ” He felt sleepy and heavy at the same time. the voices inside him kept asking him, ”Whats next? ” ”Why did you leave? ” and he had no answers. He knew he couldn sleep, as he will miss his stop then. So, he had left with a phone and journal. Evan had choices now. Either he could sleep and miss his station or reply to those tons of texts on his phone or Read the journal written and given by a stranger. Evan chose the latter. He opens the thread of the brown journal slowly.

He expected to find a pretty drawing or picture, good handwriting, and some stupid daily things a girl did. But, he found something else. It was bad writing, but still readable. There were some life theories not, daily logs, and some pictures of landscapes, not people. He starts reading.

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Date 19th September,

Elijah, my little brother, asked me, ”sister, why do we live if we are going to die? ”. I was hesitant to answer him, wondered, why is an 8-year-old worried about life?. But, then again, there is no age for you to be worried. So, I bent down and said, ”Because we feel like time is limited. Just because you know time is limited, you won stop ding anything, will you? For example, Take the homework your teacher said you to submit by noon. You won quit that homework thinking it has a limited time, but rather do it. Right? ” little Elijah nods. ”The same way, when you know your time of living is limited, Live it. Other than quitting and giving up, Choose to do what you want. Choose to live who knows what happens tomorrow? ”. Elijah rushes his little brain for few minutes and asks, ”So, Should I not be afraid of death? ”. I smiled and said, ”Yes, rather I ask you to say thank you to it. ” ”Why? ” ”as it is motivating you to rise and do the work you want to do. ” Elijahs face light up. He took my hand and shouted, ”Click my photo! ” I noded to no. He begged me, ”Pleaseeeee. ”. So, I smiled and took a photo of the kid who was worried about death.

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Evan silently smiled at the text. ”Should I start living to then? ” He chuckled. He turns a page and finds a picture of a kid, smiling with his hands expressing, ”hurray! ”. With that, he saw a shadow of women and a landscape covered with mountains. He sighs and smiles at the smile of the kid. ”She didn write her name, ” he said as he closed the journal. His stoped had come. So, he put the journal inside and once again hold his baggage. He moves out of the train. It was cold. Well, Gangtok of Sikkim has always been known for its winter and peace.

Evan takes a deep breath and spreads his arms. ”Hometown sure feels like home. ” He said calmly and moved away.

-By _Anna_07_