A Tale Between Two Paths

Chapter 1 - Life in Hollow

"In the depths of the cold and dark nights, to a blissing fall of the summer skies. There was once a land that glows and shimmers, with many treasures that are left to wander.

As the people in the land began to shout, the plants and trees were beginning to sprout. With tales as such that many people knew, through many things that thralls in the shape of wonder.

But alas the light always never shines, as the vein of the night begins to rise. With many people suffering in the night, from sickness lights to rectifying fights.

The people soon hollow in the night, with tears and sorrows buried without a light. One day a man suddenly shouts, and a beam of light emits through the bodies and sprouts.

"The day has just begun, for tomorrow there will be another one". All the people hung out to the skies, enjoying the view filled with precious light.

Through a bird that soars to the heights, with a wingless body but filled with a beaming might. The people soon began to wonder, has the darkness reminds us of a trivial matter?.

Through the days as time pass by, all the problems we have soar with a sleepless sight. With the pain that we have to endure, to a being that is felt allure.

But one thing for sure life always change, as tears fills us sorrow and always keeps us hanging."

The poem ends with a saying that life always change, but not the way they see. Sometimes it goes smooth, but there are times it gets rough. But one thing is for sure, we always overcome it and shapes us for who we are.

"Understood?", the teacher questions the students if they understand the poem. The students said yes and the teacher sighs, "class is dismissed" as the bell rings.

The class hurriedly went outside as it was the end of the morning session, "Hey did you get the poem that the teacher recite?" one classmate in the hallway said. Another one replied, "I didn't quite understand a bit, the meaning was very hard to get. I think it was about life, that's all I could think of".

Most of the students didn't know the full meaning of the poem. As the classroom begins to feel silent with few classmates chattering and eating, one particular student was sitting all alone in the window eating his lunch along with a fan to cool him off. Makiwa Tengikou, an introverted student that always eats lunch through a quiet yet blossom place that keeps his mind at ease.

His mind wandering somewhere else while trying to understand what the poem depicts. But his life isn't always as blossom, from the inside he is cool, gentle, introverted yet calm, but on the outside, people see him as ghost, something that never exists. Everyone always calls Makiwa "The Wandering Ghost of the School" as many people chattered revolving around his demeanor of being alone rather than anyone else.

Makiwa always has a calm and gentle personality, but it always shifts into a gloomy and sad expression as he leaves school. The reason why he is always alone is because he doesn't know how to socialize, always involving himself as an incapable person around the society. Although he maintains good grades surpasing even the average, compared to his social status, he is like an anchor sanked deep into the ocean stuck until it corrodes. Even though many people call him a ghost for not socializing.

To him, he always views his classmates and everyone as superiors above his status. Makiwa always greets people with a smile that calms their hearts, but behind that gentle smile is a sorrow and depressing face that no one, not even Makiwa could notice.

Since he always sees people as a higher noble, he treats them as something equal to their status not to involve in their trivial matters and focusing on his own accord. But even though he always sees himself as inferior and not fitted to society, he still sees the world as a place filled with joyous memories that not many people could ever experience.

The class ends as the sun begins to set, all the students head outside while others head off enjoying their time as teenagers, and some focused on their work in school. Makiwa walks alone home back to his family. He greets his mother and eats dinner. Next, he washes himself in the bathroom and watch some news to kick the time. After that when it's late, he prepares himself and heads to his bedroom ready to sleep for another hollow, empty, and unchanging tomorrow.

Morning comes, the birds chirp in the clear and blue sky, the sun fills the sky as it begins to rise. The beauty of one self cannot be defined, as the world is bigger than what meets the eye. Filled with stormy dreams as the night sky falls, with wondrous lights that began to shimmer. With each day passes nothing will change, unless someone unfolds what remained unchanged.

Makiwa heads off early to school walking as the sun rises. As he walked to the school, all he could see was the same as it will ever be, from the streets down to the people he greets, life always never swerves in a changeable direction.

He heads to school as usual, still hearing gossips about him being a ghost. "Hey, did you saw Makiwa?" one student said, while the other replied "Makiwa? I never really seen him over the last few weeks. I always heard the teacher that he was always present in class".

All the topics circulate around Makiwa and his absence in school except for the teachers whom are giving concern to his social wellbeing.

The class begins and the homeroom teacher tells her lectures, Makiwa just looking at the window admiring the view outside from school wondering if someday when he becomes an adult, he would explore the world to its beautiful sceneries. All he could think is what would become of the outside world he lives in if he became a part of society as he makes it into a poem.

"With a world that seems so big, with many people within. To glamorous sceneries that the world has always seen. Even though I am not part of society, through wondrous tales and endless-"

"Makiwa! Are you listening to me?!" The teacher called Makiwa several times with no response and was scolded by answering her question.

Makiwa didn't know what question she needs answering but the teacher angrily yells at him for not listening in class and later he would go to detention for not listening as all his classmates whisper. "QUIET! The lesson is still not over. Makiwa, come to my office after morning class"

Makiwa hesitantly agreed and quietly focused on class while dozing off later. After morning session ends and was now lunch, Makiwa heads off to her homeroom teacher's office.

As he enters to her room, he feels afraid that he will get scolded just for mindlessly daydreaming, he opens the door and sees her homeroom teacher and the principal waiting for his presence. Makiwa greeted both the principal and her teacher.

"Makiwa, people have been calling you a ghost lately, is it true?" Through his shock, Makiwa thought he was going to get a beating, but both her and the principal were looking faces with concern to my wellbeing. "I ignore those rumors about me and just focus on my studies. I know you might be worried that I am alone with no friends, but it's okay. Besides, what happens to the future can be different from today, so who knows what will happen to me".

The principal gave concerns to Makiwa and had nothing to deal with his situation and instead gave him advices for standing up against society like a true hero. "Listen Makiwa, even though you can't see the thoughts of other people doesn't mean that you are being misjudged or dishonored. Its mostly you who are thinking that and you should instead see the good side of the world. Many people work together to finish everything they could since they could not do it alone, and so should you."

Makiwa was very brightened by the principal's words but replied "If I could hold the power of society in my hands, then yes I will see the bright side in them". Makiwa always thought that someday, he could grasp what society wants but can't do it since he thinks that as being inferior and disturbing. He leaves his homeroom teacher's room with quite an inspiration to his heart.

He quietly heads off back to his seat when he notices a note sitting at his front desk folded with his notebook attached. He opened the note and it said;

"Can you meet me at the back of school after class?

-Anonymous