Life is a phenomenon

which cannot be explained,

full of mysteries,opportunities and misfortunes,

which all arise when we don’t expect them,

for every road you’ll take, you will miss the one you didn’t.

yet in the end,

not losing hope and keep going is what we all should be doing.

©Alipoetry, All Rights Reserved.

#poetry #life #quotes #motivation #Inspiration #Learning.

You reach the moment in your life when you realize you are no longer a child.

What is it that kills childhood? Is it a defining moment that all people share, when what once mattered transforms into nothing?

A choice? Is it unique to each individual, a climax one can't take back? A conscious choice serving as a covenant, unbreakable?

It is an obligation? A rule, something that must be abandoned before adulthood is achieved?

We have no choice, a voice calls to us all. It is inevitable.

Whether permitted by the conscious, embraced by the teenager, or dying as we see the youth thrive in others, it's a universal understanding that all children must grow up. And to do that, the child inside dies. We must bury it with imagination, watch it find the fate of Titanic, where its remains may be mourned by the soul.

Or perhaps, childhood never dies, and a part of it still lives inside of us.

We just have to find it.

"Dad... Dad! You're late, wake up already!" My daughter yelled, pulling me from under the covers. I got up and started to get ready. "Come on Dad, I'm late too. We need to hurry." She said, handing me my breakfast and the car keys.

We got in the car and drove to her highschool. My daughter usually arrived late, so this is what an average day felt like for us. I stopped in front of her school. "Dad, school ends at 1 P.M. Do not forget to pick me up again, okay?" She ran inside the school. This girl... She'll never learn, now will she?

Time flew by at work, and before I realized it was time to pick my daughter up from school. I hurried to her school and saw her waiting for me at her usual spot. "Here Dad! I'm coming. You're late again," she got in the car "I was starting to get worried too. I really shouldn't though, you come late every day." She said. As part of our usual routine, I dropped her at home and went back to work.

As I got home, she was preparing dinner. "Here Dad, I made your favorite." She handed me my dinner. I left it at the table and went upstairs to my room. "Good night Dad." She yelled out as I went up the stairs.

The next morning, I slept in. It was a weekend, after all. I heard my daughter call me from downstairs. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." I groaned, walking downstairs into the living room. It was decorated with lights and balloons. There was a sign. It read: It's almost time...

The sign meant: It's almost time for the end. "Hey, Dad... You can guess what's about to happen, right?" She looked sad. "Let me guess, time's up in an hour?"

"Five minutes..." I realized what was about to happen. She started crying. "Our time is ending... I couldn't be of much help, I'm sorry." I hugged her. "You're wrong. I'm still sane because of you. I don't know how I'd deal with my life without you." She looked at me with eyes looking like they're ready to burst. "Ten seconds..." She hugged me harder, as she slowly disappeared. "Goodbye, Dad..." I took off my headset. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I placed it next to my dead daughter's picture. "Thank you for letting me see Sakura One... Last... Time..."

Who is the key keeper?

Their whispers are quiet.

Perhaps they grow louder

When our thoughts are silent.

The heart knows what it wants.

We will know which door it haunts.

This real-life event was told to me by a friend. I just converted his words into a story. He deserves all the credit. I changed their names for privacy reasons.

“Wow, your parents let you get that? My parents don’t approve of me getting Pokemon cards. They even refuse to tell me why.” I said. The bus suddenly came to a stop. “Alright everyone, time to get off. You won’t be coming back to this bus until school starts, so make sure you have everything.” The teacher announced

Lucas took out his massive deck of Pokemon cards. "Don't worry, I got your back," he said handing me half of his deck. "Now you and I both have cards and we can play together. It's our last day of Grade 1, so let's have all the fun we can!" He said enthusiastically. I nodded. I was sad, but I tried to hide it. We've been friends for as long as I could remember. And losing your one good friend is something more than worthy of tears being shed.

"Argh, you beat me again, Lucas. How are you this good at card games?" Lucas gave me a smug look. "You see, you're not dealing with the normal Lucas. Once I start playing, I turn into super Lucas! Impossible to defeat!" Both of us tried to maintain a straight face, but couldn't. As soon as he finished, both of us burst into laughter.

The time finally arrived. The school day ended. Both of us stayed behind in the classroom. "Well, Lucas this is it. The end of school for two months." I said. "I know. I've been waiting for so long for this day. It's finally here. It's time for me to go. See ya!" He said, tears welling up in his eyes. Since he didn't want me to see him like that, he turned around and left. As he ran away, I could see him wiping his tears. I smiled for as long as I could. When he disappeared from my sight, I started to cry. I knew that was the last time I would see him.

As soon as I entered my room, I threw my bag on the bed. As I began to empty it, I noticed his Pokemon cards. "Oh no. I forgot to give this back. Now waht do I do? I'll keep this and give this back when I see him next time." There was this voice in my head that kept saying If you see him. I kept his cards in perfect condition.

The vacation went by slowly. On my first day of school, my excitement was immeasureable. I wanted to see him. The voice in my head kept saying that I wouldn't, but I didn't listen. As I entered the class, I scanned the room for Lucas. Nothing. All my excitement was destroyed in that moment.

Years passed and I hadn't seen him. One day in grade 10, My friend asked if I had any Pokemon cards. "That's not a very 10th grade thing to say, don't you think?" I said. "Yeah, I know. But do you? If you do bring them tomorrow. We're having an indie tournament tomorrow. It's gonna be fun. Any kid who has them will participate. You in?" I nodded. I kept thinking whether it would be a good decision to take "borrowed cards" to school. At the end, I decided I would.

The next day, I brought my cards. My friends had actually got kids from different schools to participate. The tournament was fun. By some miracle, I was in the final round. As the round was about to start, A crowd started to gather around us. "Ladies and gentlemen, today we shall have the Pokemon card battle finals. On the right we have a student who chooses to keep his name private. And on the left, we have my good friend, Liam!" As the round started, the crowd slowly started to disappear. I was about to lose. All of a sudden, I heard a voice from the crowd. "Go, Liam! Show them what Super Lucas taught you!" I looked around to see who said that. As I turned around, I felt a tap on my shoulder. As I looked towards the person, I was shocked. It was him! It was Lucas! After 10 years, we finally met again. All the excitement that I lost back in the 2nd Grade came back to me. I moved and hugged him. "You haven't changed a bit, Lucas. You look the same." He pointed towards the table. The match was still going on. He cheered me on. I did my best... but I lost. I ran to Lucas and we exited the arena. I said, "Hey, you forgot to take your cards back. But can I keep them? My parents still don't let me buy them." Lucas and I burst into laughter. I was so happy. I finally saw my best friend after 10 years. This just goes to show you, goodbyes aren't the end. They usually denote the beginning of a new chapter in your life!

"I killed them, because they invited me in. They practiclly asked me to." The white male in his early thrities looked back at me with a serene face. You would think he was sitting in a park enjoying the spring weather instead of chained to the table in the California State Police Department. The detective looked the young man in the eyes, but turned away, unable to stomach the peacefulness of his demeanor, "Please explain how somebody thinks an unlocked door is a death sentence?"

"You see, Detective, if someone keeps their door unlocked, it means you're allowed to come in and do as you like. If a door is locked, it means they are busy and shouldn't be bothered. Eevryone knows that." The detective adjusted uncomfortably in his chair, "You think an open door gives you the right to murder a pregnant woman with two children and then eat them?" The young man shrugged with the attitude as if I had asked him how his day had been, "Not necessarily."

The detective slammed his fist down on the table, "Then why do it!?" The young man was unflinching, "Alright, I'll admit it. I was in the neighborhood and saw them coming inside after going to the grocery store. I was pretty sure I had known her in high school. I just wanted to say hello." The detective spit, losing his professionalism, "So, how did they all end up dead?"

The young man brought up his chained hands to tap his chin in thought, "I knocked, but no one answered. And since the front door was unlocked, I just went inside. She got really angry for some reason, and threateend to call the police," he continued casually like he was commenting about the weather, "I really didn't want to go back to the Ward, so I shot her. And then her kids wouldn't stop crying, so I shot them, too."

The detective picked up a manila envelope from the corner of the table. Opening it, he revealed crime scene photos depicting the blood-soaked victims. On their necks and bellies were teeth marks and knife wounds that resembled cutting into a turkey. The young man reached out and stroked the photos lovingly, "Oh, I remember now. The little ones were so tasty. And she was so lovely. She was all grown up from that awkward teenager I knew in school."

The detective snatched away the photos in disgust, "They are DEAD, you bastard. You murdered them in cold blood, descrated their bodies, and now you don't even show a shred of remorse! You are a sickening criminal, and I'm going to do everything to make sure you're punished to the full extent of the law. You'll never see the light of day, again." The young man cocked his head in confusion at the detective, "But... the door was unlocked."

***Note: On the 8th of May 1980, the jury found Richard Chase guilty of six counts of first degree murder after entering the premises when the door was unlocked. Rejecting the argument that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, sentenced him to die in the gas chamber. His fellow inmates, aware of the extremely violent nature of Chase's crimes, feared him, and according to prison officials, often tried to persuade Chase to commit suicide.

On December 26, 1980, Chase was found in his cell, dead. An autopsy found that he committed suicide with an overdose of prescribed antidepressants that he had saved over several weeks.

Suicide. In my words, suicide is the process of taking one’s own life. It may look easy, but it isn’t. It takes courage to take a knife and cut one’s veins, or slit their throat. Even if it takes courage, suicide IS an act of cowardice. It is. That’s because if you were to kill yourself, what would you accomplish? Actually, would you accomplish anything? If yes, then what is it? Getting away from society? Live in isolation. Running away from your family? Leave the house. Depression? Seek help from your friends and family. Or go to a Therapist. But taking your life? That sounds stupid. I mean, why throw away your life trying to do something that can be done without losing it? Don’t you think it’s stupid too? Real courage is taking life on, even when it’s trying to put you down, with a smile. And when life begins to go your way, then you look back and say: “All that was worth it.” You say that looking at your friends and family who made you who you are today. No matter how rough life gets, you must always face it with a smile. Because in this world, the ones who are smiling are the strongest!