Today was surprisingly warm for March. It felt like August instead. 409Please respect copyright.PENANABcihb3CtaM
I was in three different departments at my job, doing all the tasks others could, but they decided to give me. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAJuaWeq4McL
I am coal for a fire they never want to see extinguished, yet here I burn out.409Please respect copyright.PENANA958kATOyt6
It's been four months since that day.409Please respect copyright.PENANACC6bFNbEQc
Call me Hidaka. It's my lesser-known name, but that doesn't bother me. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAU1WAD0fR0L
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. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAjTqIEJxLoK
That may sound petty or like a brag. But trust me, I in no way feel pride in this. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAXqtVsXYn5T
Only loneliness.409Please respect copyright.PENANAKQLC490OQi
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.409Please respect copyright.PENANAX4VoqRadZy
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. 409Please respect copyright.PENANABm6Key9ceK
Once I gather my things, I go around the store to buy some items for myself. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAIs60LWJ3TP
On impulse, I decide to buy a picture. I never buy décor, but this was a must. 409Please respect copyright.PENANA0wRv1gRMEz
It was a photograph of cherry blossoms. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAcpMAvLRQ4o
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.409Please respect copyright.PENANAQh2Sg013Mz
They remind me of home. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAloydqRch9j
The guests arrive a little later than 18:00, but I don't mind. I'm not the one hosting, anyway.409Please respect copyright.PENANAQ7VXTkNsqV
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. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAPEyrJS7VLY
All night, we play board games. Not much conversation is actually done, and when we all stand to talk, it is dead silent. 409Please respect copyright.PENANA1Xdpp9KSdf
I don't want to be here. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAhOkx1TBhou
It is now 0:04. I sit in my messy workspace, staring at the faux ivy hanging from the ceiling. 409Please respect copyright.PENANASoD7DCg0qt
I contemplate a lot of things at this time of night. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAvtXOtmwnKP
I think about my job and the anxiety of being a hamster stuck in a plastic ball forever.409Please respect copyright.PENANADn6GXb9KFw
I think of how I didn't care for company and how I wished I was left alone this evening. 409Please respect copyright.PENANABvn4x454wU
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. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAKU2BFY2lzA
I think about being 22 and how my sisters want me married. I don't want to think about it now.409Please respect copyright.PENANAoxPTRoGoz1
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. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAeiznYgFQLl
Now, I have a better understanding of where to go next. Better than I did four months ago. But I'm still the same. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAZ1theRnwmv
I'm still lonely. I still feel depressed and bitter. I still feel dejected, betrayed, and abandoned. 409Please respect copyright.PENANAkQrWzBn4nL
Maybe I should sleep all of this away. I think I need to talk to God more about this sorrow.409Please respect copyright.PENANA3gU5eRmVJn
I know all of this makes no sense. But I hope I can prove to you it will. 409Please respect copyright.PENANA2X4dzRKy6k
I want it to make sense.409Please respect copyright.PENANA8Iki18YyHm
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.409Please respect copyright.PENANA7aNqMk3RY3
The PaperGarden.409Please respect copyright.PENANAyBdEIZH7Yw
To be Continued...409Please respect copyright.PENANAsCxXKasLpR