Soft snoring was vibrating in the air as the village elder was

sailing the dream islands. The masks on the wall, almost

like guarding his sleep, were all pointed to face the
wooden bed where the elder of this village slept under a
leafy blanket. The temperature outside was exhaustingly
warm, which was unusual in the village. The air was
generally alive and restless, dancing in trees and crops like
a breath of life. Some of the youth were concerned that it
might be a bad omen. An omen that was long feared in the
deeply isolated village of Trinbamna.

A sudden rush of footsteps closed in on the room and the

door was slammed open.

"Wake up Kroesik, we have a problem." A young man with

simple clothing shrieked from the door, looking worried.

The village elder, Kroesik, slowly tossed his leafy blanket

aside and laid his feet to the ground, still sitting in bed,
rubbing the sleep off his face.
"What is the emergency, young one." He sighs loudly and
turns his eyes to him, still squinting from the brightness.

"We have outsiders in our village. Your daughter has

brought in outsiders." The young man tries to hold his calm
as he speaks.

Kroesik's eyes grow wide, and he nods determinedly

before getting up and rushing to get dressed.

Not long, and Kroesik arrived at the town square with his
escort. The area was filled with curious tribesmen and
women, who desperately wanted to catch a glimpse of the
rumored outsiders. The elder reached the crowd and
shouted orders, untranslatable to the common tongue.
Instantly, the villagers formed a path for the elder and
placed two fingers against their chest with a raised thumb,
to pay respects towards Kroesik, as he walked the path
towards the intruders. He wanted to keep his calm, and
tried to avoid the worried looks that burned his back on his
walk towards the center. Three men, softly shaking in fear,
were standing stiffly in the middle of the crowd of curious
eyes, while Kroesik's daughter, Silmida, was studying them
closely. These white men differed from everything the
village had ever witnessed. Their skin was lighter than the
sandy, creamy skin of the occupants of this village. Their
clothes seemed weird also, full of pockets and metal parts.
Something that the villagers, dressed in leafs and pelts,
had never seen before. The elder closes in on the intruders
and stared them in the eye, one after another.

"Not bad for a first scouting trip, huh dad?" Silmida brags
proudly in their language while sniffing the neck of one of
the intruders.

"My daughter..." Kroesik replies calmly and dragging. "You

are allowed to bring mementos from the trips to the
outside world, not people. I apparently wasn't clear
enough on this. My apologies, that I did not inform you
more thoroughly." He says and nods slightly towards
Silmida.

Kroesik clears his throat loudly enough to make one of the

outsider's whimper quietly. "Welcome to Trinbamna." He
announces in the common tongue and places his index and
middle finger against his chest with a raised thumb.

"You speak the common tongue..?" One of the outsiders

manages to blurt out and quickly makes an effort to copy
the elders greeting.

"I learn little. Many information trips to your world. I learn

like monkey learn." Kroesik finishes with a friendly
laughter. "Come, friends, let us offer hospitality!" The elder
claps his hands loudly together and hails them to follow
him through the crowd of curious villagers.

The shy villagers began to approach the white visitors as

time passed by, offering them food and handmade
trinkets. The people of Trinbamna were a curious group of
individuals, always willing to learn more, and they were
easily intrigued by fresh elements for the eyes and the
mind. These people were strong believers in the principle
of treating others as one would wish to be treated, so this
was enjoyment for them in the purest of forms. The
positivity and excitement were thick in the air, making the
unusual heat bearable to breathe, as gifts were given, and
the joy on the villagers faces lit up the sky of a setting sun,
as they bathed in the delightful curiosity of the outsiders.

"For...Eating?" One of the visitors asked a young woman,

who just offered him a brown cup, decorated with childlike
paintings on the side.

The woman squinted her eyes and tilted her head slightly
to the side. The visitor then pretended to eat from the cup,
igniting a smile on the woman's face, who then repeated
the word "Eating.", and nodded at him excitedly.

Kroesik witnessed this and just smiled gently.

"We will have food now. I hope you are hungry, friends."
He declares and sways his arm towards the men and
women carrying humongous plates full of meat, fruits, and
vegetables.

After few moments of eating, Kroesik notices one of the

visitors to be only eating vegetables.
"Friend, why you do not eat meat? It is plenty for you
also."

The other two look at the third one anxiously, before he

replies.

"I'm a vegetarian. I never eat meat." He replies with a

serious tone.

The other two then steer their eyes toward Kroesik, clearly
worried that he may have offended the elder.

Kroesik hums in wonder. "What is the reason for that? You

no like taste of meat?"

The vegetarian takes a quick glance of the other two men

and decides to explain his odd behavior.

"I believe it's cruel to kill an animal, just to feed on their

flesh, when there are other perfectly good ways to fill your
daily needs of food. For example, this meal would fill
everyone's stomach, even without the meat." He explains
more loosely, now that he saw that the elder was just
genuinely curious about his eating habits. "You have
enough green food growing around, right? Would you be
able to feed the village with only fruits and vegetables?"

"Yes, I believe. We have many trees and bushes growing."

Kroesik replies, still curious of the ways of this vegetarian.

"Then why would you kill helpless animals, if you can get
by without doing so?" The man asks, with a poorly hidden
frustration in his voice.

The elder shouts out a laugh, startling the three visitors.

"Big boar is no helpless, my friend!" He chuckles and clears
his throat before continuing. "But I believe I understand
your point. And I respect your choice of not eating meat.
Good thing we have plenty of other food as well." He
finishes and nods his head with a warm grin.
The vegetarian stares at his feet for a moment and clearly
swallows what he has to say.

Kroesik studies this strange man for a moment and asks,

feeling puzzled. "Friend, you obviously do not understand
my ways of eating, so why you no ask me about it with a
willingness to understand? I believe we have different ways
in our villages, but in Trinbamna, we teach children to ask
the right questions by explaining our way of thinking and
reason behind our actions. So children will know, and they
do not have to assume. So forgive me for using the method
on you now, I mean no disrespect." He explains and
presents the nature all around them with his hands. "We
believe that it is a part of nature to eat the weaker
animals. If mighty boar would be bigger, it would be eating
us. Or if we swim in water, a big shark will be eating us,
and so on. Dying is the most natural part of life, even if it is
cruel, but life is also cruel. I do believe, that you would like
to make less cruel in this world by your actions, but I think
that what you are trying to make happen, is not the
biggest worry you should focus in this life. For many
moons, I could explain to you what I mean by that, and
especially what I do not mean by that, but now I only ask
you to respect my choices, as I respect yours." The elder
finishes his explanation with his left hand pressed against
his chest, and the other hand extended towards the
confused vegetarian.

"Mmm..." The outsider murmurs, and offers his hand.

"Good." Kroesik nods with a grand smile and spreads his

arms. "Then, let us continue eating!"
The moon had taken over the stage in the sky, and the
silence had fallen over the village of Trinbamna. Only the
crickets and the peaceful snoring could be heard in the
night around the village. A lonely shadow danced around a
tiny campfire, wondering the future of his village after the
events of this day.

"Hey there, chief! Mind if I join you?" One of the blond

outsiders called out from few meters away.

Kroesik turns to him and musters a tired smirk and waves

him over.

"The night is something else here." He says and sits down

next to the elder. "Korsi-...Kroorik...I'm sorry, may I just call
you Crock?" The young man stumbles with his words and
looks apologetic.

"You can call me whatever suits your mouth well, friend."

Kroesik nods approvingly, without taking his eyes off the
flame before him.
"And my name is Terry by the way. So, Crock, We were
talking with our group, and we decided that with your
permission, we would like to introduce more people to this
village." He explains nervously, pausing for a moment to
see the elders reaction.

Kroesik sighs loudly. "Well, it has been many seasons with

only the people of Trinbamna. Maybe is time to learn new
ways from the people outside." The elder suddenly turns
to Terry with a worried look on him. "But I worry, for I do
not understand the ways of you people well enough. I am
afraid I will hurt the feelings of your people like I believe I
hurt the feelings of your fruit-eating friend."

Terry snorts out a relieved laugh. "Don't you worry about

him! He is very passionate about his new diet, so no words
in the world would make him understand our meat-eating
habits. We just let him be and let him enjoy the new
lifestyle he has discovered."

The elder continues to stare Terry deep in his eyes and

finally says. "But that is the biggest fear in me." Kroesik
says and turns his face back to the flame.
Terry looks confused and directs his eyes to the flame,
almost like trying to find what the elder sees in there,
when Kroesik finishes his thought with the flame reflecting
from his eyes.

"No words in the world would make him understand."

When morning came, the three men had left the village
with hasty goodbyes, promising to return soon with the
rest of their explorer's guild. True to their word, they
returned within few moons with a horde of inquisitive
minds, eager to learn more about the isolated tribe of
Trinbamna. Everyone was getting along, trading items from
their worlds and showing interest in learning each other's
language. Everyone except Kroesik. For he was too busy
worrying the decision he made.

"Brother, worrying your mind is not the way we live life."

Kroesiks younger brother approached him and laid his
hand on his shoulder. "Look how much happiness these
strangers brought to our brothers and sisters." He
continues and looks through the ecstatic crowd before
them. "What is it that worries you? share the burden with
me, maybe I can help."

"I only remember the seriousness in grandfather's voice,

when he talked about the outsiders. He spent more time
scouting the outside world than either of us, and he was
the one who spoke about it the least. But when he did, it
almost sounded like a warning. He knew that our worlds
were too different." Kroesik finishes and looks for his
brother for answers.
"That senile old man also "knew" that moon would come
crashing down on the day of his death." The brother
replies with a gentle voice and looks at his older brother.
"And we all know what rises up in the sky after the sun
goes to rest, even to this day."

They share a laugh and the worried brother shakes his

head. "Maybe you are right, young brother, I believe I just
need to study my mind more, to be able to accept this new
turn of a page in the book of our village."

"Gather power from the looks on their face." He says and

points at the party of people before them. "Don't become
a victim of your mind, like grandfather did." He finishes
and taps his older brother to the shoulder before joining
the group.

The elder realized the ridiculousness of his thoughts at this

moment, for he was the sole person with a worried frown
in this pack of ecstatic individuals. He breathes away the
negative emotions and follows the example of his brother,
and joins in the cheerful herd.

Spending time with people from two different worlds had

a positive impact on our worried elder, who rests his body
on his bed after a long day of learning. He counts the
masks on his wall like he did every night before sleep,
remembering where he found each and every one of them
on his scouting trips in the outside world. Every mask held
a memory for Kroesik, making every single mask a valuable
treasure for him. Once again he embraced the memories
they hold within them, gave thanks for the thing he
learned today, and turned to his side with his mind at ease,
while the masks around him guarded his sleep, emitting
love that only Kroesik could feel.
Few full moons had passed, and the once quiet village was
now busier than even the oldest members of this society
could remember. Tourism had landed on Trinbamna, and
the villagers seemed happier than ever, spending their
days on learning new skills and ways of life from the
interesting people of the outside world. Most of the
tourists had already become known to the villagers, for
everyone seemed to fall in love with the place so much,
that they returned as soon as their busy lives allowed it.

Kroesik was having his daily walk to relax his mind. He

passes by the small new area, which was full of freshly
build huts for the tourists to sleep in. He felt a quick flash
of negative energy, but shook it right off, fighting off the
natural fear of change. The village was receiving food and
clothes from the visitors in such extent, that most of the
villagers could take time off from their daily work.
The day was hotter than any summer day Kroesik could
remember. The surprisingly warm spring had turned into a
boiling summer. The village elder was struggling with the
heat so much, that he decided to avert from his usual
walking route, and head towards the river, to freshen his
face with a quick splash of water.

The old leader was leaning on his knee with water dripping
from his face when he hears a heated argument nearby. He
quickly gets to his feet and hurries to the scene. A young
man and a woman were yelling at each other with arms
flailing around, like casting curses upon each other.

"Friends, friends!" Kroesik says calmly but loudly to soothe

the fighting adults. "What is the meaning of this? You are
responsible adults and you should know by now, to not
join into hatred with your enemies." He continues to scold
the young adults when they finally noticed the elder.

"Enemies?" The man scoffed embarrassed, looking baffled.

"No, good sir, we are a married couple, not enemies." He
continues and shares an awkward laugh with his wife.
"Well, sometimes it feels like maybe we are enemies." The
wife adds and looks at her husband with a sudden
kindness in her face.

Kroesik has trouble understanding the situation, and after

a moment of silence, he shakes his head in confusion and
tries to vocalize his lack of comprehension.

"Why did you marry each other if you are enemies?" He

manages to utter.

The couple giggles and grabs each other's hands.

"We are not enemies, we are in love. Sometimes couples

fight over disagreements or differing opinions. But that's
just love." The wife proceeds to explain their behavior.

"But you were yelling at each other and calling each other
names. Why would you ever, willingly, be mean towards a
person you love?"
The wife is about to open her mouth, but the husband
raises his finger to silence her and turns to the elder with a
question. " I believe our ways in this subject are quite
different. May I ask you, that how do couples in Trinbamna
solve problems together?"

The old chief studies the young couple for a moment and
proceeds to explain a thing, he never thought he would
have to teach to a grown person. "We are human, so we
solve problems with our tongue, language. We all do not
see eye to eye on everything, and for this, we have a
tradition. Every new year, we can challenge our enemies to
a duel, where we curse them with loud words and even
fight them with fists if necessary. But after all that, we all
eat and drink together, for the grudges need to be left in
the past year, and we need to step into a new year with
only friends." The elder squints his eyes while he looks at
the couple. "But to see married people doing this is
something new for me. For us, love is when you care for
someone so deeply, that you value their well-being like you
would value your own, or maybe even more. So why would
you insult the person who should be the most important to
you? Why is your body even allowing you to form such
negativity towards a person with such importance? Are
you sure you really love each other?" Kroesik shoots the
questions, with a grave need for explanation.

The old chief was not an expert on the ways of the

outsiders, but he was an expert on body language, for that
remained the same, no matter how far corners of the
earth you were from. And he clearly saw that he had
offended the young couple.

"Of course we love each other." The wife scoffs, trying to

look at her husband for support.

"When you care deeply for someone, the other emotions

are also bigger." The husband tries to take the spun off
situation into control. "I love my wife with a passion, so I
also argue with her with the same passion. If I wouldn't
involve the same heat in our arguments, wouldn't that just
mean that I don't care enough?" He tries to explain himself
to the baffled chief.

Kroesik stares him dead in the eye. "You talk about arguing
like it is a sport to you. Solving problems is what people
should be doing. Never is a good moment for argument.
An argument is the evil twin of problem-solving, where
you forget the actual problem, and focus on inflicting
emotional pain upon others. Children argue, for they
cannot control their emotions enough to keep their calm
and focus on the words they are being told. Children only
wait until the other person is done talking, just so that is
now their turn to completely ignore the other ones words,
and it is finally their turn to scream nonsense, where the
other person will only pick the words which they can use
against the other. Never even coming close to solving the
problem which started the whole conversation." He
finishes with a deep stare at the couple. "Now, good
people, tell me what you were fighting about." The elder
sees that the couple is not agreeing with him, but he burns
for answers on the subject.

"He likes to spend more time with his friends, rather than
with me, which makes me feel ignored and not valued as I
think I deserve." The woman is quick to begin explaining.

"Good, Good!" Kroesik interrupts with an exaggerate

nodding. "You were clear to explain not just the problem,
but also how it made you feel. This is the beginning of the
road to understanding one another." The elder adds,
unable to fight off the feeling, that he is indeed talking to
little children.

"Pffft, please, when I make time for us, you are always too
tired, or have other plans! After weeks of constant
nagging, you finally get your way, then you won't even do
anything with me." The husband defends himself

"If you would do the things I ask THE MOMENT I ASK-!"

"Stop stop." Kroesik waves his hands and urges a stop for
the argument. "What is this? You are only comparing the
amounts of mistreatment you are giving each other. You
are not trying to solve anything, you are just racing to see
who treats each other worse!" He states with a slightly
raised voice, smothered in frustration.

The wife suddenly grabs her husband by the arm and drags
him away from the scene. "I won't be judged by him." Are
the last whispered words the chief hears from the couple
as their backs shrank away from sight.

"Even my words were dragged into the race of who's

handshake worse." The chief sighs and mutters in their
tribal language. He couldn't understand why these people
were unable to hear words as they were meant. The wife
was clearly upset about the lack of attention the husband
was giving her, where the end of the argument would have
been, that the husband respected her feelings, were they
justified or not, and together they would have found a way
to help her to shake away the feelings of being ignored, by
answering all the questions that she may have, with an
utmost honesty. Is she still being loved as she was in the
beginning? Are his friends more important than her? Is he
respecting her as much as she used to? Or maybe the
husband really did spend too much time with his friends.
Maybe he was putting everything else in front of his
marriage. Then a conversation must take place, where the
man must make decisions, on how he wants to spend his
time without hurting anyone. If he feels, that he will be
unhappy if he can't spend the time he needs with his
friends, then a hard choice needs to be made, and he
needs to make this decision, while only thinking about
himself. For if he chooses to sacrifice his friends for the
marriages sake, just because he feels that it is the right
thing to do, he will never be truly happy. If he feels in his
heart that his friends matter more to him than his
marriage, then he must follow that decision for everyone's
sake.

Or maybe he never realized that he was unconsciously

neglecting his wife, and after being confronted about it, he
realized that he doesn't really need that much time with
his buddies, and through this realization, he now focuses
more on treating his woman better, to better reflect her
needs as a wife. The conversation usually accumulates into
an argument, when someone feels that they are wrongly
accused. This time, the man felt that he was wrongly
accused, so he immediately accused his wife, to push the
blame back on her, like throwing a burning coal to each
other. But why throw the coal around if you love each
other? why not hold it together and distinguish it
together? Don't call your wife ludicrous, if she feels in her
heart that she is being neglected, even if you know you are
giving her all you have. For the problem may lie solely in
her insecurities, and what kind of man wouldn't want to
help his loved one to outsmart her fears and insecurities?
There are as many solutions to these problems, as there
are couples in this situation, but arguing is never a solution
in any situation.

"You'll learn our ways in time, Crock, Don't worry about it

too much." Terry comforts Kroesik as they sit by the fire
like they used to ever so often at night.

"I worry, yes, but not without a reason I assure you." The
elder replies while leaning his chin in his fists. "I have tried
to hold a conversation about subjects that I do not
understand, but all I do is anger your people."

"Yeah, you told me about the arguing couple, but we aren't

all like that! They were just too stubborn to listen to a
voice of reason."

"No my friend, what occupies my mind now, is this man I

met yesterday evening." The elder sighs loudly, staring at
the sky and begins explaining the events of yesterday.

The old chief was sitting on the side of the road next to the
river and reading a book about the common language. The
sun was about to go down, making his old eyes unable to
see the text clearly any longer. He slams the book shut and
notices a man with a weird smile coming his way.

"Hello there! You're Crock, right?" A middle-aged man with

a silver hair, waves from the side of the road.

"That is who I am." The elder greets him kindly.

"Mind if I come and sit with you for a moment?" The silver-
haired man asks while already walking towards Kroesik.

"Sure thing, friend."

"Man, it really is warm in here." The man sighs as he sits

down next to the old chief. "The name is Frank." He states
and offers his hand to the elder with an intense, almost
like challenging eye contact.

"Nice to meet you, Frank." He says, studying the man

whose presence already felt threatening and uneasy with
his exaggerated expressions and an unnecessarily strong
handshake.

"Nice place you got here. We came in here with my

daughter. She's still young, so I needed to come here with
her." Frank explains and sips his glass bottle filled with
water.
"Well, that is nice of you to accompany her trip to our
humble village."

"Yeah, well, I usually do the heavy lifting for our family,

while my wife runs around the places with our daughter."
He announces with poorly hidden pride and takes a quick
look at Kroesik before adding. "I own a huge company and
it takes a lot of effort to keep it running, so that usually
takes most of my time. I'm like you guys! As the head of
the family, I need to make sure to bring the food to the
table." He finishes and laughs.

"You sure seem proud of your work" Kroesik replies with a

friendly smile.

"Yeah. I've put my whole life in it. It's my life's work." He

sighs with a sincere smile for the first time, before his face
seems to darken.

"But I do fear, that my company will die with me, for my

daughter doesn't possess ambition. All she cares about is
irrelevant things like traveling or spirituality. I mean, I do
understand that those things must be fun and carefree
things to do, but life isn't just about that. You need to work
hard and do something meaningful with your life." The
man preaches and looks at Kroesik for some support for his
thoughts.

The elder knew that he must've misunderstood the words

of this man, for the words he spoke, did not make any
sense in the head of the old leader.

"So your company is not doing so well? That is the reason

you need to work so much? I will arrange so, that you can
take food for your family from us, for we have plenty at the
moment."

Frank lets out a mocking laugh. "No Crock, that's not the
case! We live in a house which is the size of that corn field
right there, we have servants to keep the house clean and
prepare dinner for us, and a separate house in the hills
where we can go away from it all every now and then." He
corrects the old chief with his back straightened up from
pride.
Kroesik is getting frustrated with himself, and his inability
to understand the weird ways of these outsiders, time
after another.

"Why do you then work so much still? If you already have

more riches than most will ever achieve, why do you still
work for more? Why not spend more time with your loved
ones and just start enjoying life? You said you had
difficulties understanding the mind of your young
daughter. Why not spend more time to get to know her
better, and to understand her view of the world?"

The silver-haired man looked at Kroesik with a world of

opinions behind his eyes, but no words were spoken.

"We do not have money in our village." The elder begins

with a calm note when he sees the muffled anger in
Frank's face. "So everything we need is bought with time.
When I was a young boy, I saw one village girl, who had a
chair that swung you to sleep. A rocking chair is what it's
called in your land. All I wanted, was a chair like that, so I
cleaned the barn of our neighbor, and in return, he gave
me enough chopped wood to build my own. I, of course,
did not know how to operate the wood, so I went to
another neighbor, who was a master wood crafter. He
taught me how to transform the wood into the pieces I
needed, and in time, I finally learned enough to make my
own rocking chair. I was happy like a fool when I finally got
to sit in my brand new chair! But after a short while, I grew
bored with the chair, and other things caught my interest.
That's when I learned that I will have to think more
carefully, on where I spend my time in life, for we only walk
here a short moment. "

Frank chuckles awkwardly. "But in our world we have

money, so it's a very different situation."

"No friend, it is the same situation, but in disguise."

Kroesik corrects him. "You begin with spending time, then
ending up in receiving something. Only in your world,
there is money in between. My friend, Terry, said he
bought a new car that cost his whole years salary. He said
it does not bother him, because he pays off the car little by
little. But the money he will need to eventually pay off the
car is going to cost him almost two thousand hours of his
life, that he is gonna spend working to earn the money for
the car. So do you understand now, that it is the same in
your world?

Frank is quick to defend himself. "But I make so much

money that I can buy a new car with few days work."

"Sure you can, but how much time did you spend to get
into a situation like that? How much did you have to
sacrifice for wealth? I believe you spent many years in
schools, and even more years working late to prove your
worth. Because you chose to spend time on achieving
wealth, you sacrificed the time you could've spent with
your family, which I believe didn't need all that material
you bought them, as much as they needed your presence
in their lives."

Frank stands up and snaps at the elder without looking him

in the eye. "You have a lot to learn from our world, chief."
And walks away.

Once more the Elder is left alone with his thoughts, after a
conversation that left an outsider upset.

Why are these people so offended by other views of life?

Why do they feel violated when they are presented with a
solution to their problems that would require some self-
observation? Frank was having difficulties understanding
his young daughter, but when understanding her mind
would require invested time on Franks part, it was too
much to ask. It was too much time asked, from a man who
had half of his life spent on achieving money. I believe in
the ideology of live and let live, and I do not wish to force
my ways of life upon anyone. But when a fellow soul is
struggling with something, that I believe I know the answer
to, I would love to help. Maybe these people from the big
world just shield themselves from other ideas, just by
assuming that people only try to push their own beliefs
upon theirs, not really knowing any better. My ways may
not work, but if you are experiencing a constant problem
in some parts of your life, it is certain that you need to try
something new. This endless race after wealth was
something unfathomable for the mind of a village elder of
an isolated tribe. If these people wouldn't have other
problems in their life, then he would understand it for
some sort of a hobby, but what he had learned with his
studies, that these wealth chasers were as troubled as the
common people. This made sense, for how can you
improve your mind, if you sacrifice no time for self-
observing and self-criticism. These people are talented on
achieving wealth, for they have sacrificed chunks of time to
master the skill of money earning.

But in this time, we are still unable to craft time. We need

to respect the time we are given and make a plan on how
to use it. The mystery is, that why would anyone put
material gain in front of happiness, in the order of things
to improve within you. And in the end, everyone just wants
to be happy. Gaining wealth to soothe your needs is just
the way you're told to live, an easy road to walk on, rather
than spending your time on getting to truly know yourself,
to figure out what your heart desires, before taking the
required actions to reach it. The road to wealth is already
drawn, you just need to walk the lines, where millions had
walked before you. Life to inner peace and true happiness
is a road you need to draw yourself, and walk the path
untouched.

Then why is the first option the most common one? Does
it feel safer to do it because others do it too? Or just
because you don't have to paint the path yourself?

Or maybe I am the one who is wrong? But can I be wrong,

if in my heart I know I am truly happy with my latter
option? Surely I can fathom a scenario, where someone is
truly made happy with wealth, it's just that I have never
seen one such person.

I know it is hard to accept different truths from elsewhere,

but it's only your ego that is standing in your way. Give
other ideologies a chance.
"So once again I offended your kind, and was left with a
world of questions." Kroesik finishes his story to Terry. "I
can only imagine how fiery the arguments are when they
are fighting with others from outside. Because I sense that
they are holding back their words in my presence."

The elder tosses a log in the fire before them and sinks into
his thoughts.

"I have seen change in my people also." Kroesik says after a

moment of silence. "Some of the villagers are talking about
moving into the big world. I do not mind that, but what I
do mind, is the reasons behind these decisions. I heard a
pack of younglings talking about moving to the grand cities
to get famous. Just because they were talking with the
outsiders, they have now eaten up all their ideas and
dreams, without fully understanding them. I also fear for
my young daughter, for she is spending a lot of time with
an outsider boy. I truly hope that she will hold her head,
and not get lost in the ways of the outside world."

Terry shakes his head and pushes his lips tightly together.

"I have told you many times, dear friend, that you worry
too much. Everything is just new for your people, hence
the excitement about everything from our world."

Kroesiks cannot take his gaze from the flames.

"I'm afraid, Terry." He whispers with his eyes still locked in

the fire.

"I already feel frustration against your people. I'm afraid

that letting your people in here was a big mistake."
A full moon had passed, and our worrying elder was
learning more and more about the outsiders through
books and interactions. He was growing more desperate,
for the conversations always left him with more questions
than before. He felt like an exile in his own village, for he
seemed like the only one who couldn't understand the
ways of the big world. These proud people, who could not
be reasoned with, were pushing heavy on his heart, casting
a shadow over every thought he had. But Kroesik knew,
that he only needed to learn to understand the ways of
these people. Because no person is evil by heart, or
miserable by choice, just reasons behind their actions need
to be understood. And our old chief was set on finding the
understanding with these people. To re-achieve his
serenity.

The long, hot summer was finally reaching its end. Like
they did every year in the village of Trinbamna, this year
also they celebrated the past summer, and gave thanks for
the fruit it bore. This years celebration was held in the
freshly erected town hall, which was mainly used for
selling mementos and snacks for the tourists. Kroesik was
sitting with the children at the edge of the dance floor,
where adults were dancing to the rhythms of the tribal
drums and Terry playing an acoustic guitar. The elder found
himself spending more and more time with the youth
nowadays, for he felt that they weren't so petrified inside
an intellectual box as the adults of the outside seemed to
be. Kroesik was looking around the room where he felt
alone with his forced smile, for the others were hardly
containing their joy with their dance and laughter.

All, but one.

The elder noticed this dark haired girl with a thick layer of
makeup, browsing her phone and taking pictures of
herself. But her kind smile occupied her face only when
she was taking a picture, and right after, she seemed like
the saddest and suppressed girl on the planet. This was
not the first time Kroesik had seen this girl in the village,
and previous times also, her behavior was the same. It
seemed like she was trying to convince her smartphone,
that everything is better than it actually is. With a loud
sigh, Kroesik stood up and began walking towards this
weird behaving girl, reminding himself about his decision
of not to lose hope on understanding these people from
the big world.

"Hello there young lady, mind if I sit with you for a while?"
The elder approached the girl with a kind smile.

The girl before him lifted her face from her phone and
greeted Kroesik with a wide grin, and tapped the stool next
to her. Kroesik sat down and nodded at her phone.

"Wonderful devices you got in the outside world. I have

been spending the last couple of weeks on studying these
electronics and what they are crafted for. I mean besides
phone calls." He corrects.
The girl acts out a laugh and taps the screen of her phone
with her finger.

"Yeah, I rarely call anyone. Mostly I just use the social

media." She pauses for a moment and turns to the elder
with a question in her mind. "Umm... You do know what's
social media?"

"I do, I do. I just believe I do not fully understand the

reasons people use it yet."

The face of the girl lights up as she begins explaining the

ways of her world.

"Well, first of all, you are constantly connected with all

your friends, so you never feel alone and stuff." She
excitedly inhales more fuel for her words. "And you get to
follow the life of super important people and feel this
whole new connection with them! There are millions of
ways to spend time, looking at funny pictures or videos, or
to educate yourself by following some science pages for
example!" She finishes her explanation with an expression
that expects amazement.

But the chief was not amazed.

"All that I learned by reading about the subject, but what

confuses me, is the behavior people actually practice in
social media." He explains with a blank expression. "I saw
the other day this young couple in the park next to the
river. They were dressed up in beautiful summer clothing,
and with them, they had a big basket of food and drinks.
The man laid a colorful blanket on the grass, while the
woman began unpacking the picnic basket. Finally, they
both sat down, cuddled up, and took their phones in their
hands. They both recorded a video of themselves,
explaining to the phone how blessed they are for having
this moment and each other, and thanking the universe for
letting them stay humble through all their happiness."

"Awww. That is so sweet." The girl squeals emotionally.

Kroesik avoids eye contact and is quick to continue his

story.

"But after that, they both let go of each other and laid
down on different sides of the blanket, and spent the next
hour just operating their smartphones, completely
ignoring each others company. They ate some of the food
which could be eaten without preparing, for they were too
busy with their phones. After about an hour, the man
snapped at the woman, bluntly stating that they should
leave before it gets dark. The woman was too busy smiling
at her device, that without replying, she just got up and
began packing the leftover foods with the phone still in her
hand."

"Wow, so it was all an act." The girl replies with insincere

surprise in her voice.

Kroesik measures her with his gaze. "Why do you do it?"

"Me?!" She snaps and points her chest with her finger,
"I actually meant you, as in you people, but yes, why do
you do it?"

There's hesitance in her voice and she avoids the elder's

eyes. "What are you talking about, how the hell should I
know why some people are frauds?"

"Because I've seen you do the same thing. Filming yourself,

telling your device how blessed and happy you are, only to
break down in tears after. You just told me, that you can
connect with everyone in the world, including your friends
and family, so why aren't you asking for help for whatever
is bothering you? You obviously are not happy with the
situation your life is in right now, so why pretend to be
happy for other people? Is the image you give out to the
world more important than your actual happiness?" He
asks without putting much empathy into his facial
expressions anymore. For he was surer than ever, that this
conversation would crash and burn like all the others
before.

The girl snaps her tongue sharply and blinks rapidly.

"You've been spying on me?!"
Kroesik closes his eyes and gathers all his leftover patience
to walk through this with dignity.

"Did I say that at any point during my speech? Why is it

that you people always find the most rotten way to
interpret what you are being told to? Do you hate each
other with such passion that it makes most sense inside
your mind, that everyone is out there to hurt you? It never
crossed your mind, that maybe I just happened to see you
and I grew worried over you, because you are a living
being, just like me? No, you immediately assumed I was
stalking, or spying on you with cruel intentions." The elder
was holding in anger, which he hadn't felt since the time
he was a boy. He was momentarily thrown back into the
memory of the neighbor's kid breaking his rocking chair on
purpose. He felt such anger towards this kid, that only
solace he had, was imagined scenarios where he would
break his face into as many pieces as he had broken the
rocking chair. He was later taught to control his anger, for it
was an issue of an untrained mind, which everyone grew
out of before they stepped out of childhood. This
continuous, seemingly infinite ignorance of these outsiders
was truly a test of the elder's patience, which he thought
he would pass through with a mind fresh of new
knowledge and understanding.

But now these feelings, long forgotten, infested his mind

like leeches, clouding his judgment like back when he was
a fury driven boy with a freshly broken toy.

"Pfft, chill out chief. No need to get all emotional." She

replied mockingly with a lack of interest in the elder's
words.

Kroesik stares at the girl with a whole world whirling inside

his head. Countless thoughts and scenarios passed him by
and made the earth around him slow down like the time of
a waiting man.

Why wouldn't she hear the words that Kroesik spoke? She
didn't just ignore them, but it truly felt like she did not
even register what he had to say. For a long time, it
seemed like the elder could not find the right words to
represent his suggestions he had for the outsiders, or the
words he chose, had a different meaning in the world
outside. But as time passed, his skills in the common
tongue were improving, and he seldom had to stumble
with his words anymore. All this time he was busy with
filling the gaps in his knowledge too, for he was certain
that he needed help on understanding the views and
habits of the people of outside, to further advance his
intelligence. He did all this, and not one outsider is willing
to even register what he has to say. In this village, ego is
something that children are being taught how to handle,
for they are unable to question themselves at a young age.
But like growing out of diapers, the kids are taught respect
and self-criticism, to encourage them to find fault within
themselves first.

In this village, ego was a nuisance, but in the world around

Trinbamna, ego was a God
"I finally understand."

He whispers under his breath, with a newfound calmness

within him.

The girl raises her eyebrow and huffs quietly, weirded out
by the chief, and dives back into the world of social media.

Kroesik is about to stand up from his chair, when her

daughter, Silmida, approaches him.

"Hey, Dad! She shrieks ecstatic, hand locked into the man
she was spending a lot of time recently.

"We've been talking with Charles..." She pauses to look

Charles in the eye, poorly hiding her excitement.

"That we are gonna move into the big world together and
get married! To a big city where we can live like these
wonderful people, Chase our dreams and work hard to
achieve them! Isn't that right, baby?" Silmida ends her
announcement with a loud kiss on her new fiance. "And
nothing you say can stop us, Dad!" She adds and winks her
eye.

It was like these words blew out the last flickering flame in
the eyes of our troubled elder, as he heard these words
coming from the sunshine of his heart. His little
hummingbird, blessing from the earth to a childless family.
Kroesik and his partner had trouble conceiving a child for
many years. Her wishes still sometimes echo in his mind.

"I would give my own life, to be able to give you a child, my

light."
That she did. The birthing was too heavy on the body of
the weak woman, and she indeed gave her life for their
daughter.

Now when he witnessed her daughters decision, eyes filled

with mist and heart empty of joy, he nods to the couple
and mutters.

"Then that is how it shall be." and walks past them without
looking back.

"He'll come around." Were the last words he heard from

the distancing group of people behind him as he
approached the main entrance.

Like a ghost of the past, he slid through the crowd of

lighthearted celebrators with an aura, dark as the void
itself. He walks out the grand doors and focuses his sight to
the dark night skies. He saw not a single star in the sky
above, and he breathed out a calm sigh and repeated in his
head, that this is the right thing to do. He turned to his
right and picked up a few long metal bars, which was left
behind by the builders, and closed the big doors shut, and
jammed the bars through the door handles, sealing the
entrance shut. He turns around, not to questions his
actions, but to embrace the empty village around him, now
that everyone was inside the city hall. The elder takes one
of the tiki torches from the side of the road and tosses it to
the roof. Terry and the builders agreed on building
everything in here with a theme of wood and hay, like the
original architecture of Trinbamna, but even so, Kroesik
emptied the road from the torches and tossed them to the
roof. All except one. The chief never looked back to the city
hall, as he walked through the village, spreading fire to
every single building and hut along his way towards home.
He remembered his wife once more, and the time which
he was blessed with her. He never was angry or bitter for
her untimely death. He always reminisced her with a smile,
and he knew to be grateful for the time he had with her,
rather than grow bitter for the future which was stolen
from them. His heart felt warm, remembering all the
villagers who were willing to guide him forward
throughout his life when he had a troubled mind and
needed an advice or a different opinion on something he
felt he couldn't find a solution himself. This situation did
not bother him, for he knew to be doing a favor to his
people.

"I guess grandfather was right after all." He scoffs in

disbelief and gave no more room for these thoughts.

An empty minded elder finally arrived at his doorstep, with

wildfire and screams of terror following his trail. He smiled
pleasantly and dropped the torch at his doorstep as he
walked inside and closed the door behind him. The chief
took his time on walking to his bedroom, almost like saying
his silent goodbyes to the memories around him. He
reaches his bedroom and sits down, raising his eyes up to
see the masks on the wall around him. They were always
greeting the elder with a smile, no matter what happened
outside these walls, this was the one place for Kroesik
where he would be always welcomed with a delighted
smirk. Terry had later told him that most of them were
Halloween masks, only used on a specific holiday by
children. Kroesik remembered Terry's face when he told
him this, thinking it would take the charm away from them
in the eyes of the old chief. But it did exactly the opposite,
for what is purer and more valuable, than a child's laughter
and joy, which these masks on his wall now represented to
him.
"The night is warm again." He whispers with a content grin
and closes his eyes. "I give thanks for the wisdom that this
day had brought me." Kroesik repeats the same mantra he
did every night, before closing his eyes from the day, in the
native tongue of Trinbamna, and placed his index and
middle finger against his chest with a raised thumb.

As he laid on his back with closed eyes, flames licking the

room all around him and cracks of wood echoing in the
walls, he felt peace for the first time, in a time that felt like
infinity. He had found a way to void all his negativity and
anger, and in this moment he felt un-disturbance,
harmony,

Serenity.

As the fire consumed the village, the cries of agony and

despair soothed, as the flame swallowed the village. Only
the spirits of the now deceased village witnessed the
memento masks of the old chief, now disfigured and
twisted by the fire, scattered across the floor. Mystery,
which would forever remain unsolved, lied within masks
untouched by the flame, which had also adopted a facial
expression of agony and dread.

And all of them were facing the soul abandoned body of

our troubled chief, Kroesik.