text: The Talking Door This is story of a boy named Joy. He used to live with his mother and father next to Petersberg also known as Stromberg. Stromberg is a mountain in the Siebengebrige mountain range near Bonn, Germany. They were a small and content family who were very hard-working, including Joy. Mrs. Jhonna, Joy's mother, was a production manager at a chocolate factory and his father Mr. Jacob ran a shop which was at a distance from their house. The family had a fixed routine. They were early risers. They’d wake up, get ready for work, and get Joy ready for his school, and leave the house by 8 am. They used to walk together till the main street, and from there, Jhonna would kiss Joy goodbye and hug her husband and take on her path to work. From there, Joy and his father would continue walking together, to their destination. Joy’s school was on the way to his father’s shop. While walking down the street, Jacob used to wave and greet at shop mirrors since all those shopkeepers were his friends, and he was a well-known person in the area for his ancestors were the ones who had built the very first house down the lane in Petersberg. Joy was just 10 years old, but he would notice each and every inch of his step, and was always cautious. He was a person to never question any doubt that occured to his mind. He would just think about it to himself about it, but never ask anyone. He was an introvert, and did not like to interact with people. He was always found daydreaming and would often be in his own fantasy world. He was an average student in school. While walking to school, he would notice everything that happened around him. How his father smiled through the windows, how other people on the street were busy walking, some to their jobs, some to school and some to keep themselves fit. Despite the daily ruckus around him, he would be lost in his own thoughts. One day on the way to school, Joy noticed a tiny shack that had a huge vintage lock hanging on it’s door. Just outside that shack was an old single seater bench. This shack and the bench got Joy curious. Jacob would drop Joy at the school gate, and go to work. But that day, Joy was still lost in thought about that shack. After school, Joy walked back home with his friends everyday. While walking back home from school that day, Joy’s eyes again rolled towards the shack and his gaze was hooked at the huge lock hanging on the door. Years passed by, and Joy’s journey to school was just the same. But he couldn’t muster up the courage to go closer to the shack. Joy was now in college, and his curiosity shot up. He would get terrified every time he walked past the shack. Life was good, but he would often get upset, because he wasn’t a bright student. His friends were scholars. But he was never pressurized by his parents. He’d be alone at home for hours because his parents were busy working and had no time, they even got promoted and got increments at their workplaces, which led to bigger responsibilities and more workload. They would get back late from their jobs, when Joy would be busy with his homework and assignments. One such evening, while completing his assignment, the shack struck his mind, and in that moment he felt a little helpless because he never usually shares what is on his mind. That evening, he decided to go and see what’s behind the door of that shack and why it bothered him. And he murmurs to himself, “I’ll go there after my college, tomorrow”. The rest of the day was very hard for him, he couldn’t complete his assignment because of the thoughts that caught him off guard early that evening. He was upset after college the next day and didn’t want to go home, so he aimlessly started walking and got tired by his thoughts, and sat on a bench wondering about his life. While he was in deep thought, he happened to turn around and see that shack right behind him. He was unknowingly sitting on that bench outside the shack. He was shaking and shivering and started sweating, but this time his curiosity was above his fear. He was shaking, but he continued to sit there. While his thoughts started to take a toll on him again, he heard a voice that asked, “What has happened? Why are you so quiet? What are you wondering?”. He was terrified by the voice and those questions. He stood up, and within the blink of an eye, turned around and stood facing the shack. He saw no one, got confused and sat back. Just as he settled, the same voice repeated the questions asked before. This time, he chose to reply, and even though he doesn’t open up to any other human being, he thought of talking to the voice. He whispered, “I am scared of you, but I just want to confess that I am someone who keeps pressuring myself, and often asking myself, why can’t my thoughts be subtle? Why am I like this?”. To this, the voice replied, “You always try to be what you are not. You try to compare yourself and your abilities to others.” This way, the conversation goes on and on. During the conversation, Joy didn’t care about how he was reacting, he was so indulged in the conversation that he cried, he laughed and he smiled like he had never before. He may have been a fool to the people who were walking by, but time flew and soon he realized that it was evening and the sun had gone down. He abruptly ended the joyous conversation and said, “Bye, I have to go!”. Joy started running back home. The same night, while lying in bed, he started to wonder about the heartwarming conversation, he had at the shack. Following that day, all his fears faded away, he gave his thoughts some rest, and started to understand his worth. Life was back on track. He fearlessly passed the shack everyday. Joy soon graduated, and scored more than he expected. He got a job offer from Berlin, which was a 4 hours drive from his home. He was now a confident man with a good job and wise thoughts. He lived a beautiful and content life, in a small house, but missed his parents, and could not visit them often due to work. One fine evening, when he was planning to visit home, his thoughts took him back to the shack, and to the voice that made him an independent and wise person. He thought about what was inside the shack, and if there was anyone in it. It was strange to him how he thought about the shack after years. He wondered why he never tried knocking on the door. He was curious to know if there was anyone inside. He planned to pay a visit to his parents, and took this chance to drop by at the shack as well. He applied for his leave and left from Berlin. While driving back home, he was constantly torn between, hoping for the shack to be there and asking himself, “What if the shack is not there anymore?”. He reached home and spent some precious time with his parents. Jhonna cooked his favourite dinner. Even after dinner, no one left the table. They were chatting and catching up. Time was flying, and just like that, it was midnight. Jacob said, “Come on now, let us all sleep. You must be tired after a long drive, Joy.” Joy’s parents went to their room, and Joy went to his. After about an hour, when Joy's parents were fast asleep, Joy quietly sneaked out. He chose to walk, rather than take his car. He walked briskly till he reached the main street, from where he could see the shack. A gush of excitement rushed through him as he was getting closer to it. Nothing had changed, not even the bench. The huge vintage lock was more rusted. He walked closer, his fingers getting stiff, it was freezing out there, but his body was sweating. He finally touched the door and tried to pull it, but it did not move. He pushed it, kicked it, but nothing worked. He sat down after the struggle. Just beside the bench he was sitting on, he saw a big rock. He gathered all the strength he had left in him, grabbed the rock, and threw it on the rusted lock. The lock broke and fell down, the door opened on the inside. He touched the door and pushed it slowly. What he saw next, left him astonished. He saw himself. It was nothing, but a tall mirror standing in front of him. THE END Moral of my story: The truth is that there was no one inside that shack. The voice which he talked to was the voice of his own mind. It is just that we are living in an era, where we want to hear our capabilities, our abilities, and praises from others. We don’t even try to motivate or uplift ourselves, we want someone to talk to, someone who can remind us who we are. We constantly seek validation and tend to rely on others. We start doubting our own decisions, based on how others will react. We forget about the power of our mind. If you are stuck, if you get abandoned by people, if you are lost in thoughts or questions, no one can answer them, except your own mind. The only one who can truly understand you, is you, your inner you. Try having a word with your mind. At least once. It can probably be your life changing moment! Thank you.