be me
just the son of a farmer, fourteen winters old
walking back from the village of koroneijuku with some tools my dad needs
usually i don't go by myself, but dad says i'm a big boy now
whatever, dad
our farm is a bit away from the village but if you take a winding stone path through an old forest, you'll get there
y'know, i never got the chance to pay attention to things around me
mom said i always thought too hard about stuff
usually my dad would tell me stories about the land while we walked
that long ago, a glorious empire led by the god-king yeguu ruled over it
its banners stretching from the mountains in the north to the seas in the south
was always unsure whether to believe him or not, but it's not like i know much else
we have to live off this land, no time to be exploring it after all

i turn my attention to the path i'm walking on
the rocks are beaten and cracked, its structure remaining but its age showing
this path must've existed way before i was born
maybe even before my parents were born
it's as if ten thousand people have walked on it before me
and ten thousand more will walk on it after me
the road that goes on for distances i can't even fathom in either direction
i dont even know where it actually begins and ends
the farm and the village only lie near it
as if this path once had a bigger purpose than just being a way to go to the village and back
it's rare to see an outsider around these parts, however
only us and the village guards regularly use this path now
the trip back is quiet save for the sounds of nature
the branches of the trees sway in the gentle breeze
it was snowing last night but it's all melted now
even the water that comes from snow is gone
it's still chilly, but that's winter for you
take in the environment around me
it's so peaceful
and serene
and beautiful

suddenly i notice some scratches on one of the trees near the path
walk over to it and examine it
it's not just random scratches
it's writing
the scratches are faded into the wood now
it's not a very deep etching, and the crevices are somewhat filled with moss
easy to miss if you aren't looking for it, i was just lucky
i can still make out most of it though
an outline of a heart is carved into the tree
inside it, the letters "KC + UR"
"never forgotten"
"Year 1170"
as i look at it i feel a tinge of sadness
i don't know what any of this means
is this a memorial?
stare at it some more
who wrote this? when?
clearly it wasn't written recently
the text gives me no further answers
i don't have time to stay near it, the sun's almost down
but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it
and as i walk away from the ancient mark immortalized into the tree
my steps trodding on a path which may have matched its age
my sorrow gives way to wonder
the person who carved it is long dead, i am sure
their passion probably died with them
and the meaning of that passion has been lost to time as far as i know
but its result remains
a message orphaned from its context, yet still it speaks
waiting for someone like me to come across it
to ponder it
and eventually, to forget it
it'll wait for another person to find it
and the cycle will repeat until the tree is dead
then this remnant of a era infinitely long before ours will disappear
its history, forgotten
its purpose, complete
maybe mom has a point
i really think too much about things.