#AtoZChallenge : Wasuremono

I sit down on the couch while trying to catch my breath. The never ending errands have taken their toll on me and all I want to do is sleep. I know that I’ll fall asleep the moment I hit the bed but there’s work to be completed. The house still looked like a mess and I couldn’t let myself fall asleep leaving it this way. But I needed a break. And like I always do when I need a break, I picked up a book to read. The book was an old one which I’d found the other day. I’d always been charmed by old books with their yellowing pages.

As I opened the book and began turning the delicate pages very carefully so as to not tear them, out fell a note. The handwriting oddly felt familiar. It was neat though time had made the writing fade a little. The note didn’t have any names on it. It read,

“I’m not sure if our paths will cross again but I know life is strange and so is destiny. But if there is something that I believe in, it is this. Our paths crossed for a reason and even when we are no longer there in each other’s life, I believe that a part of us still remains. It is not something that we leave on purpose but a little bit of us is left unknowingly, sometimes even forgetfully. And then there are incidents that bring back memories. I don’t know if you’ll ever remember me again, but if you do, may this book remind you of me. I leave this bit of me knowingly so that perhaps someday when you are reminded by the bits of me that I left unknowingly, you’ll have something to cherish. I don’t know if it is a goodbye but I leave you with the hope that we’ll meet again!”

Questions flooded my mind. Who wrote this and to whom was this written? Had this note been read by the intended recipient? Did they meet again? While wondering about the questions, a thought kept running in my mind. Those words were indeed so true. All of us had left a bit of us in people that we met and there were people in my life who though they had gone away had left me with little bits of themselves. Was something that was lost always found? I’d left behind a lot — knowingly and unknowingly, often forgetfully- wasuremono. I wasn’t sure if would find those things again, but would someone else find them and wonder what stories they held like I was wondering about the book in my hands?

Wasuremono : forgotten or lost things ; an item left behind on a train or forgotten at home.

Language : Japanese

I’m participating in the A to Z Challenge again this year. This is my third time participating in the challenge. I’m going with the theme of “Rare, unusual and beautiful words from various languages”

Originally published at The Write World.