The Last Gift

"The First Encounter"

She loves to draw in her notebook. Her father saw it, telling her it was good at her young age. On her eleventh birthday, her father gave her a peculiar notebook that makes it special as a gift.

On that very day, her father died and that made her feel really bad. That was the last gift she received from her beloved father. With the gift on her hands, she started to run near the seashore. There, she released the pain and started to cry as she cannot accept her father's death. Her emotions triggered her to throw the gift of her father--the notebook on her eleventh birthday. Until this boy came to pick up the notebook that she has thrown. It got a little wet, a good thing that the boy saved it. But the real thing is, the boy has been observing her since before. This time, the boy didn't take a second thought to give it back to her. He went to her as she burst out in tears.

"Here," the boy said as he handed the notebook to her. "I think this is yours."

The girl suddenly stopped crying. She stared at him for a moment as she wiped her tears

"Who are you?" The girl wondered. Without saying a word, the boy sat beside her.

"Why are you crying?" The boy asked, but the girl didn't answer.

Silence reigned for a moment.

"Whatever it is that you are going through... just believe that everything will go well." He went startled as the next thing happened.

"Everything will go well? Without my father?! Do you think it will go well for me?!" Again, she was triggered to shout as the boy tell those words to her.

"I didn't mean to--"

"Now?! How can you make me believe that everything will be alright?!" She continued as she burst in tears, waiting for an answer from him. The boy stopped for a moment, and then she felt sorry, realizing what she did.

"Pardon me..." The boy responded, then he stood up as continued.

"Would you mind following me?"

"Where are you going?" She asked with curiosity.

"Just follow me." As they walk in the seashore, she realized that the boy was taking her into the Lighthouse.
"What are we doing here?" The girl asked in confusion.

"Do you see that?" The boy asked her as he points his fingers on the sea, and she looked at it.

"How vast do you think is this ocean?"

"Of course it's endless!" She answered sarcastically.

"That's right. It's endless." Then he smiled. "How about that ship? Do you think it's the same as the ocean?"

"Of course they're not! They're incomparable!"

"You've got it right. The ocean and that ship is incomparable." He, then turned to her, making her feel confused. "By looking at the ship closely, you can see it's really big. But as you consider things that surround it, you will see that ocean is incomparably greater than the ship, and realize that the ship is nothing compared to the boundless ocean." With those words coming from him, she knows he's saying something. But still, she remained silent.

"Mostly, we let the troubles dwell in us, not wandering into the solutions. We overlook the possible answers and live with the troubles." This time, he made her realize what she's going through.

"But if you're going to look on the brighter side, you can see that answers are everywhere, surrounding the problem..." He's right.

"Just like the ship being surrounded by the ocean. Are you going to let yourself believe that ship is greater than the ocean?" She finally got it. Letting the troubles dwell on her isn't the right answer. Little by little, tears fell down her face.

"Most people seem to only look at theship..." And there he goes.
"But I hope you will look into the ocean." There, she finallytook the last gift of her father... the last gift she had thrown that this boy pickedup and gave it to her.