Today was surprisingly warm for March. It felt like August instead. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAimcQzunTop
I was in three different departments at my job, doing all the tasks others could, but they decided to give me. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAJuWy9J3YxM
I am coal for a fire they never want to see extinguished, yet here I burn out.978Please respect copyright.PENANAI1HqIlsd1i
It's been four months since that day.978Please respect copyright.PENANAMLwj5e44Wk
Call me Hidaka. It's my lesser-known name, but that doesn't bother me. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAsIN9y0XUwM
I'm young still, 22, yet old in spirit. I have lived a lot of life. Much more than a lot of people my age. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAb2xpQTNhWs
That may sound petty or like a brag. But trust me, I in no way feel pride in this. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAtpcaOv3ezM
Only loneliness.978Please respect copyright.PENANA14tIrnFAWk
At 16:00, I clock out and get ready to leave. There is a party at my family's home tonight, but I feel like ditching. Too bad I can't drive.978Please respect copyright.PENANAQwTizldMOS
My brother sends a text to me, stating only good news. After being belittled by one of my managers all day, it's nice to have something to smile about. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAQ4EgAyMazM
Once I gather my things, I go around the store to buy some items for myself. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAH5TCArz4r8
On impulse, I decide to buy a picture. I never buy décor, but this was a must. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAWpoaBGdz5F
It was a photograph of cherry blossoms. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAWS5boyEfVY
One thing everyone quickly knows about me is I love cherry blossoms. They remind me of good, whimsical memories. They recall a sweet time before this era.978Please respect copyright.PENANAj9CNhELnYv
They remind me of home. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAHuaHDkmHU2
The guests arrive a little later than 18:00, but I don't mind. I'm not the one hosting, anyway.978Please respect copyright.PENANAxspDOC8hFG
My sister and brother are making an effort to make more friends at their church. I think that's amazing. They found a place they really like. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAaxjhXJgtUO
All night, we play board games. Not much conversation is actually done, and when we all stand to talk, it is dead silent. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAGAtOuApOZV
I don't want to be here. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAuVFUKrIljw
It is now 0:04. I sit in my messy workspace, staring at the faux ivy hanging from the ceiling. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAI8Rxl94LGo
I contemplate a lot of things at this time of night. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAdjM401ZYyi
I think about my job and the anxiety of being a hamster stuck in a plastic ball forever.978Please respect copyright.PENANA7HOG0vn9KL
I think of how I didn't care for company and how I wished I was left alone this evening. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAbBRrXYjx7v
I think about how I haven't had a proper church home in almost 2 years and how I wish I could find a place and congregation to return to each week. 978Please respect copyright.PENANASObwjz18XF
I think about being 22 and how my sisters want me married. I don't want to think about it now.978Please respect copyright.PENANA3RwggDzpsy
Most of all, I think of 2 years prior to this time. It was a time of freedom and promise, a time where I truly thought I knew where God wanted me. 978Please respect copyright.PENANA8gCDkVqpmb
Now, I have a better understanding of where to go next. Better than I did four months ago. But I'm still the same. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAfsgUwKpVca
I'm still lonely. I still feel depressed and bitter. I still feel dejected, betrayed, and abandoned. 978Please respect copyright.PENANAbgMGhUGTBq
Maybe I should sleep all of this away. I think I need to talk to God more about this sorrow.978Please respect copyright.PENANAYVnxDzjkWa
I know all of this makes no sense. But I hope I can prove to you it will. 978Please respect copyright.PENANA1GjMpj91n2
I want it to make sense.978Please respect copyright.PENANAHhXrIKPyeQ
But alas, I must rest. Sleep only comes for the traveler once a fortnight, so I must seize it like a prize. Now I will go to the place of my dreams, a place where these past four months haunt me no more.978Please respect copyright.PENANAfiUqeMISoW
The PaperGarden.978Please respect copyright.PENANAPVMZUsnN2N
To be Continued...978Please respect copyright.PENANAkxRiTyJjZb


