Den was puzzled, he had never known such incredibly unnerving desolation in the whole of his motherfucking life. As he sat down alone in his fucking study room, he sat down at his study table, but he couldn't focus on any of his bullshit, he was going paranoid, just like always, this wasn't new to him, heavy and constricted breaths, breathlessness, trauma, and finally wallowing in misery.

All of it was a vicious cycle, it had all happened as many times as he could recall, he had wanted to kill himself at multiple instances. He unfortunately was still alive, and no-one absolutely no one understood him. Every one was there to just come into his life, drift away, his mom and dad had died when he was graduating college in a car accident, and he had somehow managed to pay his college fee by doing chores and doing odd jobs around the town.

" I can't help it anymore",Den cried out to himself. "No-one cares, no fucking one does, who do I live for in this essentially cruel and unfeeling world?"

But somehow he wasn't even able to muster the courage to take the step and end himself right there, grab the butter knife from his apartment kitchen and drive it deep into the temple, he just kept crying, till it hurt and then it felt like all of the poison that he was storing inside, all of the pain of loneliness, exclusion was coming out, there was no one who cared about him, he had to do it himself.

After all of it happened, Den decided that he had had enough and he decided to fuck the world and go sit in the park to just he didn't know, reconnect probably, although that was impossible.

Den saw a few children playing near the slip on the left side of the park, so he decided to go swing on the porch swing on the right side. He was still very absorbed in his thoughts, fucked up all the way, and suicidal. Suddenly he heard a voice infront of him, the voice of a little girl, five to seven years of age, asking him, "Why are you sitting here, swinging all alone, join us, we are having so much fun." He didn't know what answer he'd give cause this was totally unexpected, this situation was one he had not forseen, so he simply smiled one of those smiles atypical of sad people, the smile of melancholy and said,"No, have fun, I'd rather watch y'all from here, it's okay." The girl edged towards him, looking him in the eye, and suddenly placed her hand on his cheek and wiped a tear off it. He was embarrassed and was blushing, she said nothing, only,"Are you sad for some reason?"

Den bit his lip yo prevent himself from bursting out in tears. He told her in a shaky voice, "No, i.its okay, I'm not sad hon, why don't you go and play, your friends are probably missing you." She gave him a long stare, then put her tiny arm into his and sat on the porch swing next to his.

Den could not hold back anymore, he gave up, fresh, warm tears, started rolling down his cheeks, and the magical part was the girl was wiping them with her tiny fists. She hugged him with all her might, and she told him, " I love you" and he couldn't hug her back incase it hurt her but it was so soothing, her touch was the best thing that he had known in years.

After what felt like an eternity, she let go, and Den asked her, " What's your name?". "Persephone"came the answer.
They held hands and talked for some time more and then she went back to her friend circle, before going back she ran and turned around and waved at Den, he wore a look of content now, he was no longer sad. He had the will to live, because someone had loved him first, without even asking for it, he had gotten love and that he surely meant something, and he could still dream to love his dreams.

© Dhritiman