Dear reader,
So, um where do I start?
Well um.. My name?
Yes my name! My name is Kristen Mawroh and I am an 18 year old living in a small town in the country side. A peaceful beautiful town with a population of roughly 11,000 at most. Its mostly uneventful too.
And uh let's see what else?
What does one usually describe about oneself in introductions? My appearance? My hobbies? My upbringing? My personality?
If I was to start with appearance, then let me just tell you. I have a rather dull looking appearance. I have a thin, fragile and pale looking body with brown dim looking eyes and lips that are mostly dry and cracked (not kissable in other words). Most of all, I wear a cloth over my head in a turban like manner to hide the obvious fact that well, I have no hair. Yes I'm bald, and not in the good way. Oh how I miss my precious hair. Anyway.
I spent most of my time confined in a white wall room, bed ridden with mostly nothing to do. it can be boring most of the time even though I get frequent visitors everyday. But hey, right now the view from my room window only lessens my complain a bit. It's not that bad a deal if you ask me.
Since my room is in the upper levels of the building, the view I get to see from the window besides me tends to remind me of how beautiful the world really is. During the day the sky would cover the upper half, like a silk blue blanket that stretched till the ends of the horizos, while my little town and little houses laid beneath it. During the night, if the skies were clear the stars would be visible and its like the town beneath, lit up by the lights of every household, is reflecting the heavens above them. So seeing this every night really plays a factor in calming my little ever so fragile heart.
Now before I drag this on any further than needed, I would like to go on to the main topic i.e. my main intention on why I've written this letter. To do that I would like to ask you a question. OK here I go, are you ready?
Let's say, somewhere in the middle of living your ordinary life you were suddenly told that well, this life of yours.... Is going to end sooner, much much sooner than you thought it would.
Would you still be able to live the rest of your life whole heartedly?
Would you still be able to chase the dreams and goals that you one day back in the past set your eyes upon?
Would it be hard to live the rest of your life fully? Would despair and sadness become of you?
Would you be stuck in one place unable to move, regretting and contemplating everything that you've done until now?
Let's say for instance you did. But even so being human as we both are, we'd still want to move nonetheless right? How would we even achieve that? How could we convince our hearts and minds to keep on moving?
Let's say we were given the wish to forget that our life was fleeting but it wouldn't change the fact that still, we would never be able to go far enough.
If we did forget, would living and not crying be easier?
Would fate be kinder to us? Would we be able the life without regrets and die the same!?
I ask you all this from my heart and I would very much like to know your answer even if it is impossible to hear it. Still, I would like you to think of it. To ponder over it. To give out an answer that your heart is content with. Even if I won't be there to hear it, I promise somehow, someway I'll still listen to it.
Because these are the same questions I had to ask myself all those years ago when I heard the man in white telling my mom of the sad news that broke her heart and broke her down to tears in front of my father in the quite hallway as I listened secretly. The moment I did, I was blank! My mind was still processing it all, my heart still refusing to believe it. My eyes welling up, my hands in a fist and my teeth's biting my lower lips which made blood come out.
I didn't know what to do, who to talk to, who to blame, who to shout at, whose shoulder I should cry on. So instead my limbs decided for me. I ran without looking back. I was running without holding back. I was running without any clear destination.
I was running thinking, about all the things that I have done in my uneventful life. About the many things I hadn't done at all because of who I was, the uninterested person I was. About the people who love me and the ones that I love back. About my goals and my dreams and my hopes. I could see them shattering and breaking apart.
Because of thisw I was, starting to regret.
I remember it like it was yesterday, as I ran , I stumbled on some tree roots and crashed on some gravel bruising myself heavily in the process. Yet I couldn't feel the pain. No. No, why would I? The pain in my chest was greater. I clutched my dress, tears uncontrollably going down my cheeks as I embraced the hard, uncomfortable ground.
I was regretting, regretting so much. What was I doing? All this time, I didn't care. I was selfish even if I had things I wanted to do, I didn't bother thinking that life will always give me a tomorrow for that. But life being the cruel thing she is, told me that my tomorrow might never come at all. No, after three years from now my tomorrow wouldn't come anymore. That was what life decided for me. I didn't want that. No human would. I was regretting so much.
I stayed there for a while as I calmed myself down. After I did I started thinking again, about all the things I want and the people I love. I dont want to lose them.
At that moment I heard it.
As faint as it was I heard it.
"Then dont.... Keep moving...."
I looked up to the clear blue sky, wondering where the voice came from.
'Keep moving' huh? How? I feel like time had stopped for me.
Regret filled over me and it was hard to move. But why?
Was... Was that enough?Wasn't that stupid? I didn't remember being made like that! "No" I said as i started pushing myself to stand up.
"No, I will not regret. I will not yield" yes I won't no matter what.
"NO!" I shouted.
"I will keep on moving" I whispered as i looked up again to the sky covered in the beautiful orange color the sunset gave out.
This time, I will do things my way. And i would change my ways. I would start running properly this time, I have four years so no rushing. I would make a list, yes, and I would complete all of them. I won't make them impossible enough yet they won't be easy either. I would make moments with my people along the way. Precious beautiful moments that I'll hold on forever. I would do all of them.
Most of all I would not regret. I will burn that very thought. I will accept my fate, yet I would still move.
But I will never regret.
And I will live, live until death comes knocking on the door putting an end to my adventures.
Until then I will live. And when death comes, I'll embrace it.
So to you who's reading this, please don't be sad. By the time you read this I'm sure I'd be long dead, but there's also I thing that I'm sure of. That I'm out there somewhere, doing something or watching over you. If you gave me a heartful answer then I'm sure I'll be there, I'll guide you. I'll protect you, whoever you are.
So until that time, I bid you goodbye.
Yours truly
Kristen Mawroh.
"......"
That was what i thought anyway, the moment I closed my eyes the day after I wrote that letter. I thought it was the end. I thought i was done with my life and I was happy with it. In those nostalgic moments I embraced my end.
I gave out a small sigh basking in all those nostalgic memories I made after that day, when I learn my life was going to fade out sooner than expected.
I open my eyes now only to see this place crumbling away beneath my feet. Crumbling into nothingness, into darkness the pillars besides me tumbling down creating small trembles. The concrete I was standing on was starting to collapse and break apart, debris flying everywhere.
I looked up and thought as i closed my eyes.
"No" I whispered as a smile formed on my lips. I opened my eyes, with a determined expression while making a fist. "That wasn't the end at all"
I took a position, ready to jump as hard as I could and taking in a deep breath in so I can shout.
"I WILL KEEP MOVING!"