A Detour

Everard was in his study room, frantically opening all the drawers of his desk and looking for something.

“Where the hell did I put that file on that brewery?” he grunted as he bent down on his knees and pulled the drawer at the very bottom.

His eyes suddenly widened.

His whole body stopped functioning for a split second when his gaze fell on a rolled sheet of paper that he had tucked away for a few months now.

Memories about the past suddenly engulfed him whole and made it very difficult for him to breathe.

He slowly stretched out his trembling hand but pulled it away as soon as his fingertips touched that paper. He kept on staring at it for a long time before finally taking a deep breath and picking it up.

He exhaled noisily and then sat down on the floor while resting his back on the foot of his desk.

He slowly pulled the knotted ribbon that was wrapped around that sheet of paper. But his hesitation didn’t allow him to unroll that sheet immediately.