Trailing the Shadows
As he trudged down the bustling street, the unforgiving sun beating down on him, he couldn't shake off the overwhelming feeling of defeat. His body drenched in sweat, heart pounding with anxiety, he clung onto a letter that felt like a death sentence.
The long-awaited test results were in, and he had tested positive. The street that had been his only home since birth now seemed unfamiliar, like a strange place he didn't belong in. Lost in its darkness for far too long, he felt like a victim, much like his deceased brother. Deep down inside, he knew he never wanted to be a street rogue.
As he walked for hours with nowhere to go and no loved ones to turn to, he found himself drawn to a tree on the other side of the road. Something about it felt comforting, and he sought refuge under its shade. But instead of resting as the evening descended, he found himself grappling with thoughts of ending his life.
Just as he was about to give up, a beautiful butterfly caught his eye. Its colorful wings flapped gracefully, as if to remind him that there was still beauty and hope in the world. Inspired by the butterfly's resilience, he decided to write a letter to his younger brother, whom he hadn't seen in years. He poured out his heart, apologizing for the mistakes he had made and telling him how much he loved him.
As his mind drifted back to the simpler days of his childhood, he longed for the carefree life he once had, where death was nothing more than a distant concept. Lost in thought, he wasn't sure if what happened next was a trance or a dream, but he saw her, his mother, standing tall and proud under the very same tree he was sitting.
She looked different from the woman he remembered, even though she was wearing the same dress she had on the day he was born, the same dress she had worn while working at menial jobs in the houses of wealthy, callous people. The same dress she had worn when she was hit by a trailer on her way to pick him and his siblings up from school, the same dress she had died in, the only clothe she had.
Overwhelmed by a mix of guilt, love, and sorrow, he wondered if anything in the world could compensate for the love and struggles of a mother like her. He had lived with the guilt of her death since that fateful day, seeking redemption in the streets and finding only darkness and pain.
But under that tree, his mother appeared to him once again, looking happier and more radiant than ever. Though she was still the same, with her girlish looks and tiny, unbroken voice. As he began to speak, she said, "Son, live! Today is not your day to die. In the darkness of your soul, there is strength. Find it. Awaken the sleeping giant in you and let it rise to unhindered flight. You are all I've got. Live, son, do not die."
From the depths of despair where he had drowned for so long in the wreckage of his broken mind, he found a glimmer of hope.
Though he knew the next moment could be his last, something strange stirred within him like a spark in a winter field. A flame was rekindled within his bones, igniting a strong will to fight the enemy that always wins. Death was imminent, but he refused to go down without a fight. Life was beautiful and worth living, even with its twists and entanglements.
He would live for his mother, who had borne the burdens of his childhood and provided the only shelter he had known in dangerous streets. He would find his way to her God, seeking the peace that had sustained her through the storms of life.
For the first time since leaving the doctor's office, an unforced smile crossed his lips as he wiped away his tears. Though he would carry the scars of his uncultured past, death had lost its grip on him. Each morning, he would awaken to the sunshine and watch the rainbows from the hills until his eyes closed in the eternal darkness of the grave. For too long, he had trailed the shadows of life, but now he was quickened to stand on the balance and claim his place among men.