Like a summary of an entire life, in every step, another shadow, another thought appears. And the road always seems longer, as though it will last forever…
Once, there was a road. A road that didn’t remember anyone who left it behind, a road that accepted no return, only stretched out endlessly. One day, everyone stepped onto it. Some grew tired and turned back, while others never returned. But the road, patiently, accepted another traveler, always waiting for the next soul.
One day, a stranger whose name we don’t know was sitting in the shade of an old tree, leaning against the weathered stones by the side of the road. His eyes were fixed on the distant horizon, as though lost in thought. He knew only one thing: he was traveling. But where to? Which direction should he follow?
A pebble rolled off the edge of the path. The stranger watched it silently, following its journey with his eyes. He wondered how far a single pebble could change the course of the road, or perhaps, how little it could affect anything. Like pebbles, life rolls forward without warning. And that rolling, sometimes, ends in the most unexpected places.
The road, in a sense, was like time itself. It simply existed, continuing on. But at some point, he felt he had to take another step. “Could I go a little farther?” he asked himself. The road didn’t answer. It simply stretched out with endless patience.
And so, the stranger continued, his steps growing heavier. With each step, he lost something, yet found something else. Every tree, every stone, every small creek he passed seemed to remind him of old stories. The scent of the past, the colors of the past, the pains of the past… But the road transformed them into mere memories.
One morning, he came to a crossroads where several roads converged. To the right was a sky; to the left, an ocean. Ahead, a horizon that seemed to disappear. The stranger paused for a moment. Which path should he take? The ocean promised freedom. The sky whispered of an unknown peace… Yet, both roads represented a new beginning. Both roads promised another identity, another reality.
At that moment, the road seemed to ask him a question: “Do you truly wish to continue?”
The stranger smiled faintly. Looking at the road, he murmured, “Perhaps it is the road itself asking the question.” Then, with a single step, he chose… And another road, another story began.
