THE SMALL AND THE BIG COUNTRY

Short story

There was once a small country and a big country.

Situation in the small country had always been bad. People from the small country always envy the faint noises and laughters from their neighbouring country, their neighbouring country always look lovely from the outside. Even the traders that came to their country will tell them how lively it was in the neighbouring country.

Some people point out that they can asked the neighbouring country to help them, but the other part of the country said there's no way a big country like that are willing to help them. There was even a fight amongst people of the country!

After a year of debating among themselves, people from the small country sent a letter to the big country in hope that they could somehow gain some relation to the other.

The big country received the letter, and thought why not help them? They could also get some food supplies from the small country? It's a win-win situation. And so they agreed.

Unfortunately, situation in the small country became a bigger mess as they didn't have enough power nor the ability to handle pressure from the outside of their country, so they often get into trouble. People from the small country had almost given up their country for a few times as it became worse and worse.

Despite that, the bigger country help them by always supporting them. They gave them care, places to stay, and more. Their care lit a light of hope in the heart of the people from the small country.

As time goes by, both country became a bigger country each. They lived at thier own pace for 5 years by supporting each other.

But people from the small country became more dependent on their neighbouring country. They lived as though they're hoping that their neighbouring country will always support them. They forgot that time has changed. They forgot that situations may change. They didn't realize that they're already on a far different level from their neighbouring country.

In those 5 years the neighbouring country became a more bigger and a far more better country as they have their own support. The bigger country expanded their territory by gaining support from countries of the same level as them.

This situation leave the smaller country to support themselves. Due to always  depends on their neighbouring country, the small country keep having problems to rule their own territory. They lost some of their territory, but when they realise it, it was already a little too late. There's nothing they could do about it, they thought.

People from the small country miss the time they had when the relation with their neighbouring country is still strong, so they went and sent another letter to the neighbouring country in hope that they could still strengthen the bond between the two countries.  But to no avail, they didn't receive anything in return.

They got news from a far away country that the big country is actually having a problem. To repay what the big country had done to help them in the past, the ruler of the small country himself went to the neighbouring country.

The bigger country welcome him, to only return with a heavy heart. The neighbouring country didn't want to have any relation to the country anymore. People from the small country feels that maybe it was too late? The smaller country feels that they didn't have the qualifications to attend to the bigger country's need.

Thus, people from the small country lived with regrets for always being too dependant on their neighbouring country. Each year, their territory became smaller. Each century, their country has been split up into a regions.
A few decades passed and all that's left is the fort where the past ruler died.