IN THE DISTANCE
Finally, Ted saw what he had been yearning to see. After a long walk on a journey he was always exhausted and unhappy to endure, the land and scenery before him was now sweet and good to see. The spasms of joy tingled down, and he knew for sure that this was the only thing he wanted since his departure to the land and city he was seeing ahead.
image from pexels
He was alone, since most had abandoned him from the start and even in the middle. The echoes of the memories of where he came from echoed relentlessly. He was sure that what he wanted needed to be realized, but how to do so was to walk the road he wasn't sure to walk, leaving behind the loneliness and fatigue that came with the journey.
A few meters ahead lay the life that he wanted. The journey now bore fruit, and he was ready to enjoy once again because at least he tried to keep walking. He raised his head and said:
"I have been walking for a long time searching for something that I wasn't sure about, but the picture of it and me picturing myself made me realize that I can do it, believe in it, and try my best to be someone in that life. This has been my dream, but now I am in something and am sure in a short time I will sit and be still to enjoy what I have been walking toward."
The memories of the journey echoed in his head. It started with a belief to try and walk to the distant far land where only Ted believed that there was something good in that far world. He was ready to start the journey to the far land, far from where he lived. What was in his mind was to change his life and that of his family. It was lonely because it was hard for him to explain it to anyone, and even those who understood him never took him seriously. But the journey maybe was for him to walk alone and feel the pain without depending on anyone.
The sun was up in the sky, its golden rays immensely scorching whoever did not cover their head. Ted told his parents:
"I am 20 now, please let me go and make a life."
His parents never had an intention to keep him home; they let him go no matter how hard they wanted him to stay. Ted took what he needed for the journey and set off to the far world where he believed he could get what he wanted. His friends and those close to him abandoned him when the journey grew harder. At last, he was alone in the middle of the dark and lonely forest.
The birds chirped, the trees swayed, the wind howled, and the shadows of the trees swayed across him, making a giant of a show that either crossed him or followed him from behind. At least he had a companion who never talked. No matter how hard the journey was, he always said to himself:
"What if I don't get to where I want to go? But then at least I tried, and if I fail to get where I want to go, I will need to figure out where it all went wrong. Though in the distance I will see what I wanted, what I dreamed of, and what I always wanted to get. Life may hit me, and I will need to accept the shadows even when the light is on. I won't stop doing something because it is hard; at least I will do it because I believe there is something good that can come from it. The shadows won't end, and rivers won't stop for me to cross. The mountains won't be a plain for me to walk on, but they will remain the way they are, and at least I will need to walk and find a way to cross the rivers."
In the distance, Ted saw the life he wanted, the freedom he had earned the entire time. It was a dream fulfilled. He walked slowly to grasp what was his and walk with it for the rest of his life, because at least he had worked and earned it.
The story is not AI-generated; these are my thoughts.