A boy named Brayan lived in a small apartment in a big city with his family. He always felt lost and had no idea what he should do with his future. But he was very kind and humble.
Every day, when he came home after school, he saw an old, worn-out set of stone steps leading somewhere. There was a sign hanging at the beginning of the steps saying, "For the lost." He had always wondered where it would lead.
One day, he got into a fight with his parents and ran away from home. A huge rain came barging down. He got soaked and had nowhere to go. Then he suddenly remembered the old stone steps and thought they might lead him somewhere safe until the rain stopped.
He went to the stone steps and climbed slowly, and when he reached the top, he saw a stone path that he thought would lead him to a house or a shed where he could spend the night. So he followed the stone path.
After about an hour, he realized the path had no end. He decided to turn back as it was getting dark. But no matter how far he went, he reached nowhere—it was like the exit had never even existed.
He tried to call his mother using his phone, but there was no reception. And suddenly, his phone's battery died.
He was scared. He wandered off the stone path, thinking he might reach a ledge or somewhere he could get help. On either side of the stone path was a big forest, but as he went deeper into it, he got more and more lost. Eventually, he reached a point where he couldn't even see the stone path.
Terrified, he shouted for help, but no one could hear him. Then he lay down, tears running down his face, until sleep finally took him.
A strange sound calling his name woke him up. When he opened his eyes, he was amazed by what he saw.
There was a creature that only existed in fairy tales standing in front of him, asking if he was lost.
He replied, "Yeah," in a low voice.
The creature told the boy to take its hand and led him somewhere.
It was blue in colour, had a bunny-like but not scary face, was twice the size of a full-grown man, and had fur covering it from head to toe.
As they were walking, the boy asked if it lived alone. It replied, "No, boy, I'm not alone." As soon as it said that, different kinds of creatures started to appear.
He was scared a little, but the creature comforted him by saying, "Don't be scared, boy. We won't hurt you. We are here to guide you."
The boy had no choice but to trust the creatures. They took him back to the stone path and walked along it, but in the opposite direction. The boy was confused and asked them, "Aren't we walking in the opposite direction?"
The creature replied, "The path you see is not always right, boy."
While they were walking, the boy asked why they were here and what they were.
The blue bunny said, "We are the lost souls, boy. We were made to guide the young, and after our purpose is fulfilled, we come here to take eternal rest."
The boy replied, "If you are here to guide the young, why haven't I seen you before?"
The creature said, "We are only visible when we are needed."
Then they all stopped and told the boy that the exit would be around the corner, and to follow the path. As he was leaving, he asked, "Then why can I see you?"
As soon as he said that, he slipped, fell down the stone steps, and lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he was at home in his bed.
He ran to the living room and asked his mom where she had found him. She replied, "Down the old, worn-out stone steps."
The boy told his strange encounter to his mother, but she laughed and said, "Wow, you have quite the imagination. Why won't you write something?"
During the fall, he had broken his arm, so he wasn't able to leave home for some time. During that time, he reflected on what had happened.
He wrote down all the events that had occurred during his strange, fairy-like encounter with those creatures.
After he got better, he went back to the old stone steps, but he couldn't find anything. However, on top, he saw an old man praying and asked, "Why are you praying, Mister?"
The old man replied, "This is a holy ground, where the spirits of the forgotten linger. If you ever feel lost or regretful about something, you will end up in this place, and it will show you your path."
At that moment, the boy realized that everything had happened for a reason.
As time passed, on a day when he was cleaning his room, he came upon some of his childhood drawings. In every single one, there was a big blue bunny. It was only then that he realized the creature that had helped him was his childhood imaginary friend.
He went on to turn the encounter he had with his imaginary friend into a book. His work became famous among the young and the old.
He devoted his book,
"In memory of my loving friend, the blue bunny."
He named the book A Forgotten Friend.
On the last page, he wrote a message that he wanted to give to his readers:
"Always remember, all of us are here for a reason. And it might not be clear at the moment, but when the right time comes, you will see your path—maybe with a little help from a forgotten friend."
fin.