Chapter 1

"𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡."

This was the last sentence I wrote in my diary just before the train sounded its whistle, growing louder announcing my departure from my hometown.

My name is Alexander aka Alex, a doctor. I finished my graduation three years ago. I am a young rural man with big ambitions in a country that lacks ambition. History tells a different story from many centuries ago, but now it is a mere blend of poverty, ignorance, and desolation. I submitted my papers to work in multiple hospitals, but as expected, I wasn't accepted. As for other job opportunities, the country can't afford to hire new workers, and since people can't afford their medical expenses, failure has become the destiny of all my medical projects.

The only choice I have is to leave... But where should I go?

I was completely unaware of my destination until that fateful day when my friend enlightened me about a far-flung western area called ELDORIA, which I had never come across. Due to my current financial predicament, that distant opportunity became my saving grace, even though It's a permanent job.

I submitted my papers and surprisingly I was selected from the pool of applicants. Interestingly, there was no competition for the job as I was the sole candidate, therefore my acceptance came swiftly and effortlessly.

The interviewer, a distinguished gentleman with grey hair, informed me of my acceptance and instructed me to take the military train that traverses the western desert of the Old River. Those familiar with this train know its significance.

The road leading to that region is well-maintained. Upon arrival, I will meet someone who will handle my financial matters.

I packed up all my baggage and left my house on my way to my destination.

I had dozed off with my eyes closed, lulled by the quietness of the carriage and the overwhelming scent of soldiers' socks. Suddenly, one of them, holding an oil lamp, gently tapped me and instructed me to gather my bag and follow him. My fears came true, as I arrived at this unfamiliar place at the stroke of midnight. I attempted to speak with the soldier, but he stopped me and gestured towards his ear as if he was listening to something else, he asked me to listen as well. A distant echo of drums beating and flutes could be heard from behind the mountains on both sides of the railway. It grew louder gradually as the train advanced. Then, he whispered to me: "𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜?"

I nodded in response, the distant sounds filling my ears and stirring a strange feeling within me. The drums and flutes created a rhythmic melody that seemed to come from another world.

"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑠." he murmured, his voice barely audible amidst the growing cacophony.

I was confused, having no clue of what should I do, sensing my uncertainty, he spoke again, his tone serious:

"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑦."

My eyes widened in disbelief:

"𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝?!" I asked with a mixture of fear and incredulity creeping into my voice.

"𝑁𝑜," he replied firmly, his gaze unwavering: "𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

I stared at him, my mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts. Jumping from a moving train? It seemed reckless and dangerous, but his words left me with no alternative.

As a few minutes passed, the piercing squeal of the train's wheels filled the air, signalling its gradual deceleration. The soldier's commanding voice pierced through the clamour.

"𝐽𝑢𝑚𝑝!" he ordered

"𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛?" I questioned, hoping for reassurance.

He met my gaze, his expression solemn.

"𝑌𝑒𝑠," he replied resolutely, "𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑦."

My body froze as I looked at him. He snatched the bag from my hand and threw it outside the moving train. Then he grabbed my hand and gave me the lamp he was carrying, and shouted:

- 𝐽𝑢𝑚𝑝!

Heart pounding, I made my decision. With a leap of faith, I propelled myself from the moving train, landing on the ground with a jolt. I glanced back at the soldier, gratitude and uncertainty in my eyes.

__________________

As I disembarked the train, I found myself alone with only a bag and a lamp whose flame could be extinguished at any moment. The reassuring sounds of drums and flutes beating in the distance provided some comfort, indicating the presence of other people and the nearby railway. It also meant that trains would pass by. I set aside my flashlight and sat with my back against my bag, anxiously awaiting the sunrise.

Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat as the sound of an approaching car engine pierced the stillness. The dim light emitted by the vehicle hinted that its driver was aware of my presence. An old white car with a trunk came to a halt in front of me, and the driver peered out, speaking rapidly in a dialect I couldn't understand. I cautiously approached him, shining my flashlight in his direction.

It became apparent that he was an old man, his head wrapped in a patterned shawl, as is customary in the desert. His eyes were sunken, suggesting that his vision may be impaired. Realizing this, I spoke up:

- 𝐸𝑙𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎...

Without a word, he motioned for me to get into the trunk of his car with his hand, and then he took me away from the train tracks.

The road to Eldoria was longer than I imagined. The old man kept leading me through dark mountain paths for about three hours, until I thought he had lost his way, especially as the sounds of drums and flutes faded away.

Whenever I knocked on the metal roof of the car, he would stop and talk to me, and he continued on his way without paying attention to me or my shouting. He even almost fell over me, had I not held on well when the car passed quickly on an uneven rocky ground.

I hit the roof of the car with my hand again in anger, and almost reached out my hand through its window to grab his head so that he would stop after I realized that we had lost our way and perhaps the way back to the railway as well... but I retreated when I saw it.

Distant lights appeared on the horizon. The car was on its way to it. It was the lights of Eldoria... the silent land...

The car came to a halt near a small agricultural patch on the outskirts of the town. I noticed the old man reaching out his hand through the window and gesturing towards something.

He requested me to leave the trunk of his car, so I jumped out of the car with my bag and inquired how much I had to pay. However, he seemed uninterested in my conversation, refusing to acknowledge my question.

Without uttering a word, he drove his car a few meters ahead before abruptly turning around and swiftly walking away from me in a strange manner.

So I turned around towards the town and continued my walk into it.

At first glance, I realized the small area of ​​this town compared to the cities of my country. Small buildings of white brick and wooden roofs were arranged regularly on the sides of sandy streets, interspersed with pieces of agricultural land and circular water wells.

Its corners were filled with silence at that time, so I began to wander among its streets, waiting for someone among its residents to show up and tell me about the doctor's building...

Then I found that I did not need anyone's help as I saw a building not much different from the rest of the buildings, carrying an old wooden sign on which was written :

"𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟."

When I knocked on the door of the building, I had a feeling that it was empty after receiving no response. This feeling extended to the entire town as not a single person could be seen in the streets.

However, my apprehension was relieved when the first person appeared, a man who was quickly approaching without looking aside. I continued knocking on the door without stopping, until finally, a response came from inside and the door opened.

It was at that moment that I met "𝐴𝑟𝑦𝑎𝑛" for the first time.

As the servant of my medical clinic asked me with his eyes closed, I could sense the confusion in his voice, "𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢?"

I introduced myself: "𝐷𝑟 𝐴𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟."

He opened his eyes in disbelief and quickly scrambled to put on his clothes, greeting me with a loud hello. Then, he picked up my bag and led me into the building.

The ground floor consisted of a spacious hall with several dusty wooden chairs scattered around. I entered the first room, which turned out to be the doctor's examination room. It had all the familiar elements of a traditional examination room - a patient bed, a doctor's desk, two chairs, a stethoscope, and a blood pressure monitor. What surprised me was the existence of the television detector. I asked him in amazement while wiping the dirt that was covering it:

"𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦?"

He said:

"𝑌𝑒𝑠, 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙-𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟. 𝑊𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑜 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑎𝑦."

I was a little relieved by that...then he moved me to the next room, it contains only a wooden cupboard, and he said:

"𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑠."

So I asked him:

"𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚?"

he looked at me and said:

"𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤. 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡."

I grinned in disbelief and nodded my head. Following that, I accompanied him upstairs. The room was meant for my personal use, and it suited me well. Subsequently, I observed him, as he gathered his belongings to depart. At that momentI realized he was preparing to leave, so I kindly requested him to stay. I didn't want to be perceived as a stranger imposing upon him and felt that the room was spacious enough for both of us.

However, he insisted on moving his belongings to the herb room on the ground floor and continued, smiling as he left: "𝑁𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑦."

I thought Leo was joking when he told me that patients wouldn't come to the medical clinic, but it turned out to be true. In my first few days there, no one came to our door, not even once. At first, Ithought that perhaps the reason was that people in this town were unaware of my arrival. So, I decided to walk around the streets with Leo, who had become my only friend in this place. On our first day, I asked him how we would get our food. He informed me that the governor of the town would take care of it, just as he took care of his own salary. However, regarding my salary, he was unsure of who would be responsible for it. I was astonished and told him that I had been told someone here would pay me. He responded in amazement, saying, "𝑃𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ."

I had expected the conditions of our country, south of the ancient river, to be worse, but Eldoria surprised me with its poverty-stricken buildings and markets. It was evident that many people were suffering. Most of the residents were desert travelers with their horses, camels, and sheep. The remaining residents relied on cultivating their small parcels of land, relying solely on rainwater for irrigation.

I asked Leo about the availabality of cars to move between the valleys. To my surprise, he claimed to have never witnessed a car before. I told him about that crazy old man who brought me the night of my arrival, and he was amazed.. I asked him about the joys and the sounds of the non-stop beating of drums and flutes, which I had not heard since my arrival. He congratulated me. Sarcastically on my vivid imagination... and he added, pointing towards the sky:

"𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦𝑠."

Not a single patient had knocked on our door in the eighteen days that I was there. The people in the valleys seemed to never get sick. I started to feel bored and tired of the situation, and Leo's conversations became half-hearted and offerednothing new. So, on my nineteenth day, I made the decision to approach the governor of the town. He not only displayed a stingy nature but also possessed the kind of personality that one can hardly tolerate sitting with for even two minutes. With a hefty build and a thick beard concealing his flabby face, he was not a person who could be easily ignored.

I mustered the courage to inquire about my salary, only to be met with a response that left me disheartened. The governor claimed to have no knowledge of my arrival and made it clear that he had no intention of paying me a single penny. Instead, he insisted that if I wanted any compensation for my work, I would have to earn money from my own patients.

In that moment, I realized that I had been wasting my time in Eldoria. Frustration engulfed me as I stormed back to Leo, expressing my intent to leave. Surprisingly, he remained silent, refusing to utter a single word. Gathering my belongings and hoisting my bag onto my shoulder, I trudged towards the entrance of the town. With a heavy heart, I stood there, hoping for someone to offer me a ride to the military train tracks.

I was hoping to see the crazy old man who had given me a ride in his car last time, in the hopes that he would take me back to the railway. After waiting for two hours without anyone paying attention to me, my hope shifted toI became hopeful that someone from the valley would accompany me on their camel or horse to my destination. However, my hope was quickly dashed as everyone refused, explaining that they didn't know the way to the railway. Minutes and hours passed, and as the sun began to set, I realized that I was trapped in that place indefinitely. Frustration took hold of me, and I turned towards the houses in the valley, kicking the sand in anger. Defeated, I decided to return to Leo and wait for another opportunity to leave. But just as I was about to leave, I noticed him running towards me from afar. As he approached, trying to catch his breath, he said, "𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

My excitement upon seeing the first patient was so overwhelming that it made me forget the hours I had spent waiting on the outskirts of the valley for my departure. I had made up my mind not to charge anything for that first visit.

I entered the examination room to find a beautiful young woman in her mid-twenties, with long, wavy black hair and two large circular earrings. She stood up as she saw me, her long brocade dress shimmering with colours. From my initial glance, I had a feeling that she wasn't sick. Perhaps she had come to take me to her house, where someone else needed medical assistance.

I asked her to take a seat again, and she obliged by sitting behind my desk. Then, she nodded.

Returning the nod, I gestured for her to speak. She began, her tone serious:

"𝐼 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒... 𝐼 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜."

I was confused by her apology, my confusion must have shown on my face. Sensing this, she continued and pulled out a small cloth bag, which I soon realized contained coins. Placing it on the desk in front of me, she spoke again:

" 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐸𝑙𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎."

Curiosity piqued, she then opened the bag, revealing gold coins that glistened in the lamplight of the room. I tried to hide my surprise, but my eyes betrayed me.

She asked, "𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

I was astonished by her words and chose to remain silent, allowing her to continue. And so she did:

"𝑀𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑆𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑒, 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦, 𝑆𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑦. 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒."

𝐿𝑒𝑜 once informed me that this valley is the furthest one in Eldoria, one of the seven valleys."

She paused briefly before adding, "𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝..."

I said: "𝐴𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦."

Pointing to her stomach, she said: "𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑡."

I noticed for the first time that her belly had grown a little, so I asked her: "𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑡?"

She replied, "𝑌𝑒𝑠."

I nodded my head, smiling, and instructed her to lie on the examination bed. As she settled down, I called out to Leo, who was waiting in the lobby, to turn on the electricity generator. With my stethoscope, I began my routine examination. But as I listened for the fetus's pulse, I became confused and looked into her eyes. There was no sound. I remained quiet, processing the realization.

Suddenly, I heard the rumbling of the generator outside the room, and a small bulb on the television detection device lit up. I decided to use it to examine the fetus. However, as expected, the fetus's heart had stopped completely. I put the device aside and asked her to return to her seat, returning to mine as well. With a heavy heart, I turned the bag of gold towards her and said quietly, "𝑈𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦..."

She looked at me, understanding the implication, and continued, "𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑠."

Silence enveloped us for a few moments as she remained motionless. Finally, she spoke again, "𝐴𝑠 𝐼 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑... 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

Gazing at her from the corner of my eye, I saw her composure as she calmly stated, "𝐼𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡..."

I sympathized with her shock, but I knew I had to convey the truth. "𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒." I said.

Looking directly into my eyes, she responded, "𝐻𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑." She repeated, "𝐼𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡..."

Once again, she turned the bag of gold towards me and explained,

"𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢... 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑦. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑒..."

she was silent for a moment than she said: "𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒..."

Then she gazed at me, her voice filled with seriousness, and said:

" 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦..."

She continued bitterly, her eyes locked onto the vacant space ahead:

"𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 𝑡𝑜 ᒍᗩᖇTIᑎ."

"𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡."

This was the last sentence I wrote in my diary just before the train sounded its whistle, growing louder announcing my departure from my hometown.

My name is Alexander aka Alex, a doctor. I finished my graduation three years ago. I am a young rural man with big ambitions in a country that lacks ambition. History tells a different story from many centuries ago, but now it is a mere blend of poverty, ignorance, and desolation. I submitted my papers to work in multiple hospitals, but as expected, I wasn't accepted. As for other job opportunities, the country can't afford to hire new workers, and since people can't afford their medical expenses, failure has become the destiny of all my medical projects.

The only choice I have is to leave... But where should I go?

I was completely unaware of my destination until that fateful day when my friend enlightened me about a far-flung western area called ELDORIA, which I had never come across. Due to my current financial predicament, that distant opportunity became my saving grace, even though It's a permanent job.

I submitted my papers and surprisingly I was selected from the pool of applicants. Interestingly, there was no competition for the job as I was the sole candidate, therefore my acceptance came swiftly and effortlessly.

The interviewer, a distinguished gentleman with grey hair, informed me of my acceptance and instructed me to take the military train that traverses the western desert of the Old River. Those familiar with this train know its significance.

The road leading to that region is well-maintained. Upon arrival, I will meet someone who will handle my financial matters.

I packed up all my baggage and left my house on my way to my destination.

I had dozed off with my eyes closed, lulled by the quietness of the carriage and the overwhelming scent of soldiers' socks. Suddenly, one of them, holding an oil lamp, gently tapped me and instructed me to gather my bag and follow him. My fears came true, as I arrived at this unfamiliar place at the stroke of midnight. I attempted to speak with the soldier, but he stopped me and gestured towards his ear as if he was listening to something else, he asked me to listen as well. A distant echo of drums beating and flutes could be heard from behind the mountains on both sides of the railway. It grew louder gradually as the train advanced. Then, he whispered to me: "𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜?"

I nodded in response, the distant sounds filling my ears and stirring a strange feeling within me. The drums and flutes created a rhythmic melody that seemed to come from another world.

"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑗𝑜𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑠." he murmured, his voice barely audible amidst the growing cacophony.

I was confused, having no clue of what should I do, sensing my uncertainty, he spoke again, his tone serious:

"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑦."

My eyes widened in disbelief:

"𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝?!" I asked with a mixture of fear and incredulity creeping into my voice.

"𝑁𝑜," he replied firmly, his gaze unwavering: "𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

I stared at him, my mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts. Jumping from a moving train? It seemed reckless and dangerous, but his words left me with no alternative.

As a few minutes passed, the piercing squeal of the train's wheels filled the air, signalling its gradual deceleration. The soldier's commanding voice pierced through the clamour.

"𝐽𝑢𝑚𝑝!" he ordered

"𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛?" I questioned, hoping for reassurance.

He met my gaze, his expression solemn.

"𝑌𝑒𝑠," he replied resolutely, "𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑦."

My body froze as I looked at him. He snatched the bag from my hand and threw it outside the moving train. Then he grabbed my hand and gave me the lamp he was carrying, and shouted:

- 𝐽𝑢𝑚𝑝!

Heart pounding, I made my decision. With a leap of faith, I propelled myself from the moving train, landing on the ground with a jolt. I glanced back at the soldier, gratitude and uncertainty in my eyes.

__________________

As I disembarked the train, I found myself alone with only a bag and a lamp whose flame could be extinguished at any moment. The reassuring sounds of drums and flutes beating in the distance provided some comfort, indicating the presence of other people and the nearby railway. It also meant that trains would pass by. I set aside my flashlight and sat with my back against my bag, anxiously awaiting the sunrise.

Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat as the sound of an approaching car engine pierced the stillness. The dim light emitted by the vehicle hinted that its driver was aware of my presence. An old white car with a trunk came to a halt in front of me, and the driver peered out, speaking rapidly in a dialect I couldn't understand. I cautiously approached him, shining my flashlight in his direction.

It became apparent that he was an old man, his head wrapped in a patterned shawl, as is customary in the desert. His eyes were sunken, suggesting that his vision may be impaired. Realizing this, I spoke up:

- 𝐸𝑙𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎...

Without a word, he motioned for me to get into the trunk of his car with his hand, and then he took me away from the train tracks.

The road to Eldoria was longer than I imagined. The old man kept leading me through dark mountain paths for about three hours, until I thought he had lost his way, especially as the sounds of drums and flutes faded away.

Whenever I knocked on the metal roof of the car, he would stop and talk to me, and he continued on his way without paying attention to me or my shouting. He even almost fell over me, had I not held on well when the car passed quickly on an uneven rocky ground.

I hit the roof of the car with my hand again in anger, and almost reached out my hand through its window to grab his head so that he would stop after I realized that we had lost our way and perhaps the way back to the railway as well... but I retreated when I saw it.

Distant lights appeared on the horizon. The car was on its way to it. It was the lights of Eldoria... the silent land...

The car came to a halt near a small agricultural patch on the outskirts of the town. I noticed the old man reaching out his hand through the window and gesturing towards something.

He requested me to leave the trunk of his car, so I jumped out of the car with my bag and inquired how much I had to pay. However, he seemed uninterested in my conversation, refusing to acknowledge my question.

Without uttering a word, he drove his car a few meters ahead before abruptly turning around and swiftly walking away from me in a strange manner.

So I turned around towards the town and continued my walk into it.

At first glance, I realized the small area of ​​this town compared to the cities of my country. Small buildings of white brick and wooden roofs were arranged regularly on the sides of sandy streets, interspersed with pieces of agricultural land and circular water wells.

Its corners were filled with silence at that time, so I began to wander among its streets, waiting for someone among its residents to show up and tell me about the doctor's building...

Then I found that I did not need anyone's help as I saw a building not much different from the rest of the buildings, carrying an old wooden sign on which was written :

"𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟."

When I knocked on the door of the building, I had a feeling that it was empty after receiving no response. This feeling extended to the entire town as not a single person could be seen in the streets.

However, my apprehension was relieved when the first person appeared, a man who was quickly approaching without looking aside. I continued knocking on the door without stopping, until finally, a response came from inside and the door opened.

It was at that moment that I met "𝐴𝑟𝑦𝑎𝑛" for the first time.

As the servant of my medical clinic asked me with his eyes closed, I could sense the confusion in his voice, "𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢?"

I introduced myself: "𝐷𝑟 𝐴𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟."

He opened his eyes in disbelief and quickly scrambled to put on his clothes, greeting me with a loud hello. Then, he picked up my bag and led me into the building.

The ground floor consisted of a spacious hall with several dusty wooden chairs scattered around. I entered the first room, which turned out to be the doctor's examination room. It had all the familiar elements of a traditional examination room - a patient bed, a doctor's desk, two chairs, a stethoscope, and a blood pressure monitor. What surprised me was the existence of the television detector. I asked him in amazement while wiping the dirt that was covering it:

"𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦?"

He said:

"𝑌𝑒𝑠, 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙-𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟. 𝑊𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑜 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑎𝑦."

I was a little relieved by that...then he moved me to the next room, it contains only a wooden cupboard, and he said:

"𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑠."

So I asked him:

"𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚?"

he looked at me and said:

"𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤. 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡."

I grinned in disbelief and nodded my head. Following that, I accompanied him upstairs. The room was meant for my personal use, and it suited me well. Subsequently, I observed him, as he gathered his belongings to depart. At that momentI realized he was preparing to leave, so I kindly requested him to stay. I didn't want to be perceived as a stranger imposing upon him and felt that the room was spacious enough for both of us.

However, he insisted on moving his belongings to the herb room on the ground floor and continued, smiling as he left: "𝑁𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑤𝑎𝑦."

I thought Leo was joking when he told me that patients wouldn't come to the medical clinic, but it turned out to be true. In my first few days there, no one came to our door, not even once. At first, Ithought that perhaps the reason was that people in this town were unaware of my arrival. So, I decided to walk around the streets with Leo, who had become my only friend in this place. On our first day, I asked him how we would get our food. He informed me that the governor of the town would take care of it, just as he took care of his own salary. However, regarding my salary, he was unsure of who would be responsible for it. I was astonished and told him that I had been told someone here would pay me. He responded in amazement, saying, "𝑃𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ."

I had expected the conditions of our country, south of the ancient river, to be worse, but Eldoria surprised me with its poverty-stricken buildings and markets. It was evident that many people were suffering. Most of the residents were desert travelers with their horses, camels, and sheep. The remaining residents relied on cultivating their small parcels of land, relying solely on rainwater for irrigation.

I asked Leo about the availabality of cars to move between the valleys. To my surprise, he claimed to have never witnessed a car before. I told him about that crazy old man who brought me the night of my arrival, and he was amazed.. I asked him about the joys and the sounds of the non-stop beating of drums and flutes, which I had not heard since my arrival. He congratulated me. Sarcastically on my vivid imagination... and he added, pointing towards the sky:

"𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦𝑠."

Not a single patient had knocked on our door in the eighteen days that I was there. The people in the valleys seemed to never get sick. I started to feel bored and tired of the situation, and Leo's conversations became half-hearted and offerednothing new. So, on my nineteenth day, I made the decision to approach the governor of the town. He not only displayed a stingy nature but also possessed the kind of personality that one can hardly tolerate sitting with for even two minutes. With a hefty build and a thick beard concealing his flabby face, he was not a person who could be easily ignored.

I mustered the courage to inquire about my salary, only to be met with a response that left me disheartened. The governor claimed to have no knowledge of my arrival and made it clear that he had no intention of paying me a single penny. Instead, he insisted that if I wanted any compensation for my work, I would have to earn money from my own patients.

In that moment, I realized that I had been wasting my time in Eldoria. Frustration engulfed me as I stormed back to Leo, expressing my intent to leave. Surprisingly, he remained silent, refusing to utter a single word. Gathering my belongings and hoisting my bag onto my shoulder, I trudged towards the entrance of the town. With a heavy heart, I stood there, hoping for someone to offer me a ride to the military train tracks.

I was hoping to see the crazy old man who had given me a ride in his car last time, in the hopes that he would take me back to the railway. After waiting for two hours without anyone paying attention to me, my hope shifted toI became hopeful that someone from the valley would accompany me on their camel or horse to my destination. However, my hope was quickly dashed as everyone refused, explaining that they didn't know the way to the railway. Minutes and hours passed, and as the sun began to set, I realized that I was trapped in that place indefinitely. Frustration took hold of me, and I turned towards the houses in the valley, kicking the sand in anger. Defeated, I decided to return to Leo and wait for another opportunity to leave. But just as I was about to leave, I noticed him running towards me from afar. As he approached, trying to catch his breath, he said, "𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

My excitement upon seeing the first patient was so overwhelming that it made me forget the hours I had spent waiting on the outskirts of the valley for my departure. I had made up my mind not to charge anything for that first visit.

I entered the examination room to find a beautiful young woman in her mid-twenties, with long, wavy black hair and two large circular earrings. She stood up as she saw me, her long brocade dress shimmering with colours. From my initial glance, I had a feeling that she wasn't sick. Perhaps she had come to take me to her house, where someone else needed medical assistance.

I asked her to take a seat again, and she obliged by sitting behind my desk. Then, she nodded.

Returning the nod, I gestured for her to speak. She began, her tone serious:

"𝐼 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒... 𝐼 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜."

I was confused by her apology, my confusion must have shown on my face. Sensing this, she continued and pulled out a small cloth bag, which I soon realized contained coins. Placing it on the desk in front of me, she spoke again:

" 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐸𝑙𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎."

Curiosity piqued, she then opened the bag, revealing gold coins that glistened in the lamplight of the room. I tried to hide my surprise, but my eyes betrayed me.

She asked, "𝐼𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

I was astonished by her words and chose to remain silent, allowing her to continue. And so she did:

"𝑀𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑆𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑒, 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦, 𝑆𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑦. 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒."

𝐿𝑒𝑜 once informed me that this valley is the furthest one in Eldoria, one of the seven valleys."

She paused briefly before adding, "𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝..."

I said: "𝐴𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦."

Pointing to her stomach, she said: "𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑡."

I noticed for the first time that her belly had grown a little, so I asked her: "𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑡?"

She replied, "𝑌𝑒𝑠."

I nodded my head, smiling, and instructed her to lie on the examination bed. As she settled down, I called out to Leo, who was waiting in the lobby, to turn on the electricity generator. With my stethoscope, I began my routine examination. But as I listened for the fetus's pulse, I became confused and looked into her eyes. There was no sound. I remained quiet, processing the realization.

Suddenly, I heard the rumbling of the generator outside the room, and a small bulb on the television detection device lit up. I decided to use it to examine the fetus. However, as expected, the fetus's heart had stopped completely. I put the device aside and asked her to return to her seat, returning to mine as well. With a heavy heart, I turned the bag of gold towards her and said quietly, "𝑈𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦..."

She looked at me, understanding the implication, and continued, "𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑠."

Silence enveloped us for a few moments as she remained motionless. Finally, she spoke again, "𝐴𝑠 𝐼 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑... 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢."

Gazing at her from the corner of my eye, I saw her composure as she calmly stated, "𝐼𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡..."

I sympathized with her shock, but I knew I had to convey the truth. "𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒." I said.

Looking directly into my eyes, she responded, "𝐻𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑." She repeated, "𝐼𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡..."

Once again, she turned the bag of gold towards me and explained,

"𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢... 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑦. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑒..."

she was silent for a moment than she said: "𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒..."

Then she gazed at me, her voice filled with seriousness, and said:

" 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑡. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦..."

She continued bitterly, her eyes locked onto the vacant space ahead:

"𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 𝑡𝑜 ᒍᗩᖇTIᑎ."