𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆

PART-4

The girl asked the stranger, "So, wanna go home or stay a little more?"

The stranger smiled and replied, "Umm... no, I'll go home in the morning. I want to spend more time with nature, by myself." She then sat on the rock near the river.

The girl made her way towards her and sat by her side. "Then, I can accompany you, if you don't mind. We could talk more about things, yeah?"

The stranger nodded, a hint of happiness playing on her face. "I'd like that. It's been a long time since I have had someone to talk to."

The girl grinned. "Well, I'm a good listener then. And I've plenty of stories to share too."

They sat together in comfortable silence when the stranger decided to brake the stillness. "You know, I never thought I'd say this to someone... I feel like I can trust you."

The girl's expression turned gentle. "I'm glad. I think we all need someone to trust sometime."

The hours passed, and the stranger's smiles grew more frequent, her laughter was more effortless. The girl watched with a warm smile on her face.

The stranger looked at the girl, clapping her both palms together excitedly. "Ok, Girl! You taught me so much today. Now, tell me one more thing. What do you think about life?"

The girl's smiling face turned serious. She gazed out at the river, her eyes reflecting on the question deeply. "I think... life is a beautiful mess. It's full of contradictions - joy and sorrow, light and darkness, certainty and uncertainty. But, in the midst of all the chaos, there is beauty to be found."

She turned back to the stranger, her eyes sparkling with intensity. "Life is a journey, not a destination. It's the little moments, the connection we make, the lessons we learn along the way—that's what makes it worth living."

The stranger listened, entranced as the girl continued, "I think life is also a mirror. It reflects our deepest fears, our highest hopes, and our greatest potential. It's up to us to gaze into that mirror, to confront what we see, to choose how we want to live."

The stranger nodded, a sense of awe on her face. "You're incredible, you know that? I feel like I've been given a new lens to see the world through."

The girl laughed, her eyes shining with warmth. "We are just two wanderers, sharing our perspectives. But I'm glad my words have resonated with you." She paused, then smiled and asked, "Now, you tell me, what do you think about life?"

The stranger's eyes drifted back to the sky, her eyes clouding over in thoughts. "For me... I guess life is a puzzle," she finally said, her voice tinged with meloncholy. "We are all trying to find our places, our purposes, our missing pieces. Sometimes, we think we have found them, only to realise they don't quite fit."

She looked at the girl, a small, enigmatic smile on her face. Taking a deep breath, she retreated into herself, pulling her legs closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her chin nestled in the fold of her arms, and she drifted her gaze into the river, mesmerized by the sky's reflection rippling on the water.

"Life is a canvas," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "We are the artists, painting our own stories, making our own mistakes, and learning from them. Every experience, every person we meet, is a brush stroke that adds depth, color, and meaning to our lives."

The stranger's eyes locked onto the girl's, a sense of connection forming between them. "And, I think life is a journey of rediscovery. We are constantly finding and losing ourselves, only to find new versions of who we are meant to be."