Origin: Recently chatted with someone and felt inspired to write this amidst my busy schedule.
In a distant, mountainous village, there was a young postman who works diligently, day and night. To fulfill his duty, he leaves home early and stays up late, regardless of blowing wind and pouring rains. As a result, his reputation stands out among his colleagues.
“All mails and packages shall be delivered on time”, the postman promised, “regardless of weather and terrains.”
The promise was printed on a flag, carried by him, and seen by others. Villagers praise him advertently. Parents reference him as a model who carry honor and glory, for their children to follow.
Many years passed until one day came.
On that day, the postman left the village early morning, in a blowing blizzard, with a package, and did not come back. It had been five days and rumors started to spread.
“He must have fallen to the valley when walking into a dangerous pathway towards his destination!”
People feel sorry about him. “A misfortune to a good man!”, someone cried. However, no one has the courage to carry back his body from that dangerous pathway, to rest him in peace.
The client who asked him to send the package to a relative, regret losing the package unluckily, and forgot the incident.
Time flies and the common memory started to fade away. When bad weather comes and families stay in cozy homes, someone may occasionally mention that particular postman with a flag, the silhouette they once were familiar with.
A few months later, the postman came back to the village.
He did not carry the flag, walking lame and deliberately disguise himself as a complete stranger. With a hoarse voice, he asked people about the postman who tried to fulfill his last duty.
He found different answers. Someone told what they heard, others criticized that he takes too much risk and ruins his own life, or even laughed at his stubbornness trying to achieve an impossible mission.
The postman finally asked the client. The client replies with a voice in sorrow: “oh, I am really sorry for him. Such an accident is unexpected. Uhm, unexpected and this is his duty. I can do nothing but to show … to show empathy.”
The postman was heartbroken.
On that day, he took a dangerous shortcut in the presence of blizzard, in order to get to the destination faster. In the blizzard, he slipped into a valley and fell into coma, breaking ribs. Fortunately, a girl walked by in that evening and rescue him to the nearby accommodation.
While he survived, he became lame permanently with the right leg severely frost-bitten. Now “deliver on time” becomes an impossible mission for him.
The postman stayed in bed for a few months. He was depressed by the irrecoverable disability and started to think about the rest of his life. When he recovered, he insisted to visit the village again, eager to check the outcome of his utmost sacrifice, from the villagers.
He still remembered that, he had been praised by the old, admired by the young, regarded as important and respected as the best. He was motivated to work hard and to take the risk, because of the compliment of the others.
“If I come back, maybe they will welcome me as a hero and help me wholly-hearted.”
The girl who takes care of him, made fun of his comments.
“Maybe you can go back in disguise and read what they think first,” she suggested, “and decide your next move”.
He took her advice, went back to the village, only to see the villagers already forgot his deeds. He was deeply disappointed.
For a few days, the young man couldn’t sleep well. What he did was not earth-shattering, but at least worthy of heart; what others say was from their self-interest but still reasonable. Everything seems fine, but why he feels so heartbroken and depressed?
The young man couldn’t find an answer. The girl smiled and said:
“That is the nature of humans. They admire the elite, despise the despicable and forget the dead. You feel disappointed just because you build yourself on the honor given to you. Driven by the external compliments, you never know what is the most important to you. Ten years have passed, and you serve their desire and need. They give you complements, and you lose yourself.”
“Thank you. You enlightened me.” The young man sighed, deeply.
He recalled his old days. He has devoted himself to his work: he got up early, delivered and came back late at night. Over the ten years, he lived in a plain apartment, and saved little money for himself.
Knowing his situation, the girl did not charge his stay. However, the young man is determined to leave. On one sunny day, he thanked the girl and chose to say farewell.
The girl asked: “Well … what is your destination?”
“I have no choice.” he replied with a bitter smile, “I will come back to the village. Hopefully I could get some lands from relatives to survive the rest of my life. My honor has gone and never come back again.”
When he was about to leave, the girl showed him the flag, and the package he dropped in the valley on that unfortunate day of blizzard. The postman stared at the package, checked its address, grabbed it with a long sigh, and disappeared at the end of the road.
The girl regretted. She wept.
She knew him so well.
“He has the determination that few of us have. Let him go.”
Two months later, the girl visited the village and found his apartment. The young man was not there. She then found the client who asked the postman to send the final package to the relatives, and the client told her a horror story, with a pale face and an upset voice:
“The other day a shadow came to the house of my relative, and knocked the door. It was twilight with dark, cloudy sky and cold blowing wind. My relative opened the door and saw a human-shaped figure. The figure held the package and was covered with dust and blood, too terrifying to stare at. My relative was super scared and thought she met with a ghost.”
“So … she pushed the ghost away into the chilling wind, and slammed the door in horror. When the night came, she dared to open the door again, and no one was there anymore.”
The girl nodded and left, without asking more details.
She wandered around in the village, and was surprised to see a monument of the postman. In front of the monument, there were flowers, candles and objects that are believed to have the mythical power to rest the dead in peace.
She asked the people nearby. They told her the ghost story again, concluded that he died in pain and sorrow, and his soul was not settled at rest. The villagers then rushed to fund-raise and build the monument, all in one month.
She read the epitaph that recorded the achievement of the dead. She saw beautiful handwriting, elaborated sentences and well-designed decorations.
Thinking of his destiny, sadness came from her heart.
“He passed away. Nothing left behind. This monument is just a useless junk.”
She murmured. The twilight came. The sun was about to set. People come back from their daily work and started to enjoy life. Boys playing, girls dancing, youngsters flirting with friends and elders sitting calmly and smiling.
Everyone enjoys their lives.
She turned back, paying attention gently to the sculpture of the young man. With the flag on the shoulder and the package below the armpit, his eye gazed afar, and his face appeared solemn.
“Once you are on duty, you are not free. Day and night, your step is hasty; spring and fall, you enjoy no leisure. Finally, you leave us with your deeds hidden in the history, and never be mentioned again.”
“Is your entire life worth it?”
The girl did not know the answer.
All of a sudden, her mind was enlightened by a spark, and her sadness is relieved:
“At least, in this final part of your journey, you fulfilled the mission not because of the external compliments, but just because of yourself, because of your determination.”