as i walked out on the street and joined the sea of people in the city. they were all dressed in nice crisp suits, carrying shiny suitcases. for a moment, i thought to myself: these must be the most successful group of people, top rank managers, top rank salaries, top rank living standards. their footsteps ascending the staircase to the tallest building in the city, all so definite, so convicted. their posture straight up, head high up, so proud. then i looked at their faces - blank.

 

as i walked out on the street and joined the sea of people in the city. i found myself being drawn to that stream of people. i strolled alongside this big guy, two, three steps and my feet was brought to a stop. i slowly found myself standing right in the middle of that stream of people - alone. the people still kept moving along. their footsteps neither quickened nor slowed down. they just kept moving and moving, undisturbed.

 

and i closed my eyes and saw myself walking towards the crossroad. i took the seat right at its heart. the place suddenly became empty.the crowd seemed to have vanished into thin air like magic. i sat there, quietly for a period which felt like century. my eyes shut. to my surprise, i saw a lady. like she could feel i was staring at her, she turned around. a sad smile on her face. her eyes looked straight into mine, piercing, yet they seemed so far away.

 

for a moment, it seemed as though our mind connected. and i started talking to her without moving my lips. i asked her what seemed to be the most aching question in my heart. she smiled and looked away to the distance. and from the skyline, i saw images of my friends in various parts of the world. all smiling happily. their pretty faces against foreign background. i saw spring, summer, winter, fall. its beauty lighted up the place, warmed my heart.

 

then the images faded away and i saw a little girl. the eager look on her face. i saw life in her eyes, her smile, her being. it seemed to have been radiated out from her, into her surrounding. a sense of familiarity aroused inside me -simple and unexplainable.

 

i fell into silence. i saw her smile at me again then her body faded away. my hands seemed to have reached out at that moment, trying to get hold of her. but she seemed too, have vanished into thin air. i sat there all alone again.

 

i opened my eyes and saw the big guy next to me. i smiled at him - not bothered by whether he would smile back. and i walked on.