by Ashley_Fox
I’m sitting on my favourite bench in the park near where I live. As usual, I’m surrounded by beautiful silence. I take a few deep breaths and open the book I’m reading. The title “Listen to the Silence” is written in a playful font. It only takes me two sentences to get back into the story and forget my surroundings. I jump when I feel a touch on my hand. I blink, confused, when I see a child sitting next to me on the bench. ,,Where did you come from?” The boy ignores the question and leans forward to see the cover of my book. He doesn’t look much older than twelve, with short brown curls and soft brown eyes. ,,I like the title. What is it about?” His voice is calmer than I’m used to from children his age. I can’t help but smile at his curious expression. ,,It tells the story of a young man who has suffered many blows in his life and has found peace in silence,” I explain, and my company listens intently. Somehow the boy looks familiar, but I don’t know why. I have the feeling that I should recognise him. ,,Do we know each other?” The boy meets my eyes. There is a wisdom in his eyes beyond his years. He smiles at me. ,,We do, but I won’t tell you unless you remember me.” The boy stops smiling when I stare at him, his expression is still friendly. ,,Can I ask you something?” The boy tilts his head expectantly as he finishes his question. Now I’m curious too. ,,Sure, go ahead.” He straightens up as if he needs to prepare. ,,What is your purpose in life?” This question took me by surprise. I wouldn’t have expected it from a child. I lean back as I think about it. It was as if he had known for months that I would ask this question. ,,Well, I think my purpose in life is to be kind. The world can be pretty hard sometimes, but you know you’re strong if you can stay kind through your pain.” The boy’s mind seems to be far away, I’m not sure if he noticed my answer before he smiles again. ,,Kind people are my favourite.” His voice sounds conflicted for a moment. ,,You know, sometimes I have a really hard time figuring out which people are the kind ones and whose hearts are dark. Because I want to believe that everyone has a good heart, but I’m often disappointed.” He crosses his legs, but his expression is sad now. I just know that this child feels things as deeply as I do my heart is heavy for a moment, I remember how much pain it caused me when I was a child. ,,Not everyone may be kind, but you are, and maybe a spark of your light will light up someone else’s heart. But be careful, you can’t try to save everyone.” I can’t explain the connection I feel with this child. ,,That’s what you did, isn’t it? You gave your light until it burned out.” My heart aches, I’m speechless. ,,Would you mind telling me your name?” I ask as I find my voice. Again the boy ignores my question and looks up at the sky, his eyes cloudy. ,,When’s the best time to give up?” I follow his gaze to the sky. For a moment I can’t find the right words. ,,It depends. If it’s your dream that you want to give up, you shouldn’t even think about it. What are you going to chase after in life if there aren’t any dreams? But if it’s something like a bad feeling or thought, you should definitely give it up.” The boy smiles. ,,Interesting. You didn’t mention anything about never giving up on yourself.” The boy jumps off the bench and turns to me. ,,If I’m half as nice as you are when I finally reach your age, I think I’ll have it all.” He looks back at the clouds again. ,,I hope you find your light again.” Then he turns and walks along the path. I wanted to ask his name one last time, so I closed my book and stood up. But when I looked up, the boy was gone.
© Ashley_Fox 2024-05-02