Late at night, a young man was coming back from the graveyard, trudging along a path in the riverbank. He had his eyes on the ground and his steps were made heavier by the burden of his grief. After a minute or so of forlorn walking in the piercingly cold breeze, he heard from far away the sounds of a weeping guitar that had just started to be played.
Lifting his head, he saw an older man sitting on a bench in the walkway by a streetlamp. The man had his attention on his guitar and did not notice the young man approaching and standing close by. When he finally noticed the other, he nodded with a faint smile and then kept playing his melancholy tune.
The guitarist began to sing. It was of a slow tempo and his voice was full of feeling; he was singing away his own sorrows to the night. The young man closed his eyes and took in the song, letting himself be moved by it. He began to think of his loss:
By my empty promises I’ve made her wait for me in vain. I’ve made her waste precious years of her life, promising her of my return. I should’ve never relied on time; time is cruel and doesn’t wait for us. I should’ve never made her hopeful of my own uncertain plans; fortune wouldn’t always be by our side.
On that day of my departure, she said we should keep writing to each other. And I promised I would. I took all my care to keep this promise. Sometimes life stood in the way and I broke it. But I made sure to write whenever I could. But why should I’ve promised to her, “I’ll come back in one year!” Why? Then one year came and I didn’t. My life far away was keeping me from it.
Then I wrote to her, apologizing and saying that in due time I’d be back, thinking naively that time and luck would always be by our side. I made her wait in vain, I made her waste precious time of her life. I wish I could express to her all my guilt and ask for a last forgiveness. But she’s vanished from the world…
The old man stopped singing and began to play the interlude. The young man wiped the tears of grief and regret with his sleeve, making it wet again. He lifted his eyes, weary and reddened, and gazed up at the sky. The full moon travelling amidst the stars, shining down its pale and cold light. Saddened even more by wistful memories of the past, years long gone, he was about to be lost in reverie when he felt the presence of others around him.
Turning, he was startled to see two other people standing besides him, a woman and another man much younger than him, listening in silence to the music, each with a clouded-over expression. The woman was holding a candle. How did he not hear or notice their coming? He timidly greeted them, nodding.
The woman spoke, “I too was walking about and heard this sad, beautiful song. I felt it spoke to me in the state I’m in. Today I was told my dear father isn’t long for the world; an ailment he’s been suffering from for some time.” She then sighed and dropped her eyes.
Then the younger man spoke. “I was walking by, going home from work. I was very tired. Since my father left us I've had to work long hours to help my mom. She can't work from an illness. From desperation, my elder brother had been caught stealing, and he’s now in jail.”
The old man began to sing the last part. More than the first it was soulful, even more intense in feeling. The three strangers stood there listening in silence. The younger man lost in thought, worried about the future; the young man pitied him for his predicament, being born into an ill-fated family. The woman was shedding tears, thinking of the short time that remained; the young man felt sympathy for her, her father with only a short time left, like the flickering candle she held.
Three strangers with their own misfortunes. Brought together by this song, to share with each other the weight of their sorrows.
The song was becoming slower and lower; it was nearing the end. The last line was sung and the guitarist struck the final note. It became fainter and fainter, until it disappeared in the autumn wind.
The strangers thanked the singer for the performance and each gave him money. The group dispersed, going on their ways to confront fate with a new acceptance and resignation.