The Strange Silhouette

I am Tim, a little kid who loves his life in Cocoyashi, a small lush village on the edge of the forest. As part of village traditions, every kid is sent on a secret discovery mission on their eighth birthday.

Today was my birthday. Nothing suspicious occurred, other than a ball from our soccer match rolling into the forest. I raced through the forest at the speed of light to fetch the ball. However, the foggy mist thickened overtime, blurring my vision. I could barely see my own hands.

“Ouch.” Quickly glancing back, a mysterious, shadowy figure with loud footsteps pursued me before collapsing to the ground. I ignored him and pursued onwards.

A weird object on the ground glittered. The sun ray penetrated the canopies above, revealing the object to be a sparkly gold ring. My heart fluttered upon the discovery of such a precious treasure. I eagerly picked it up and hid it inside my pockets.

Exhilarated by my discovery, I wandered through the forest endlessly hoping to share the great news. However, I was trapped, almost always finding myself in the same spot near the muttering silhouette. I ignored his mutters every time.

As the night became pitch black, I sprinted across the edges of the village like a cheetah but there was an invisible barrier as solid as steel.I was about to give up. I was more exhausted than an athlete who just ran 100km. I was confused like a puppy dog. I laid down against a wall and saw the same silhouette again.

I slowly approached the aging man with wrinkles who smelt like trash. I saw that he was coughing and very seriously ill. My heart ached for the poor man. He had weakened, floppy limbs. He had been injured and was weak like a turtle. His clothes were all raggedy and covered in mud.

I picked up the gold ring and passed it to the old man.

“Maybe this would help.”

“You pass the challenge of kindness.” He smiled.

Bright light vanished before my eyes. I found my feet on the firm, familiar grass of the soccer patch in the Cocoyashi village. I looked down and saw the missing soccer ball.

Today, I may have discovered a ring. However, I am more happy that I discovered the ring to help the sick man.