Episode 3

“I’m sorry, Mr. Brooke, but I cannot accept your work. The deadline for the submission has already passed.”

“But sir, as I said earlier, I have been terribly sick for the past few weeks and unable to perform any chores! Please reconsider it...”

“I understand, however, I cannot do that. You will be marked an F for this assignment. Please take care of yourself and try to submit within the given time.”

“Alright Professor...”

I smiled and bowed as I left the Professor’s office. It’s tiring to deal with all these nuisances. Who ever said college is fun?

It’s depressing. Nothing is going the way I want them too. I’m bored, and too tired to work. My future is uncertain, and it’s starting to become stressful. I’m sick and lonely. There will probably be no one attending my funeral, even if I died.

But you know what’s worse?

Today is my birthday, yet I feel so terrible.

“Arthur? Is that you?”

I turned around to find a very familiar face smiling weirdly at me from a distance. “Fiona?”

“Oh! You remember me! Arthur, you have no idea how much I missed you!”

Fiona was a friend from high school. We were pretty much inseparable, but drifted apart in college when she landed up with a boyfriend.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh Arthur! Have you forgotten? I’ll complete my graduation this year, and I’m getting engaged!”

Wow. Seems like everyone except me did something actually productive in life. They’ve got their futures settled, and then there's me. What a disgrace.

“I would’ve never guessed that. Good for you.”

“Well, you’re invited! I’ll message you the date and place, so make sure to attend! Alright?”

“Of course, how could I ever miss such a canon event.”

I walk around the campus for a while, debating on whether I should attend Ms. Mayer’s classes that day. Then again, there’s no point, since my scores wouldn’t improve anyway. So I decided to head home.

After reaching home, I idled around with my phone, waiting for any messages. But of course, there were none.

“Arthur Brooke, Cheer up! Everyone is busy, so they might’ve forgotten your birthday. It’s not like it’s intentional...”

My heart felt heavy. Well, I guess I’ll be fine after some food.

I locked my front door and walked around for some fresh air. The night sky was refreshing to look at.

I sat on a bench and whistled my favourite song by Simon and Garfunkel.

The Sound of Silence.

“Hello there, young man.”

An old lady approached me. Her skin was wrinkled, her hair was all grey, and her smile was so very warm and gentle.

I greeted her back as she took a seat beside me.

“Lad, you look a bit down. Is everything alright?”

She looked at me with concerned eyes.

“Oh, I'm fine, granny. It's just that...today’s my birthday. But I have no friends to enjoy it with, and it doesn't feel like much of a celebration.”

“Your birthday, you say? Well then, happy birthday, child! You should go forth and celebrate it, it’s your special day!”

I smiled wistfully. “Thank you so much, grandma. But I don’t feel like it’s anything special. I feel like I’ve lost my worth. I used to have so many dreams and plans. But lately, everything has been slipping away.”

“My dear boy, I know that feeling all too well. But you mustn't lose hope. There is still so much life left for you to live, so many possibilities. You should enjoy your days without agonizing over things you can’t control.”

Her calm tone and warm gaze made me feel like I might have been a slightly better person. She patted my back, and I couldn’t help but wish I actually had a granny like her to care about me.

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