In one poor village a boy was born. He spent his days meaninglessly, mechanically and monotonously, just like the rest of the inhabitants of this dying village, having no idea what to do with his own life. And one fine night he dreamed of the sea. None of the villagers had ever seen the sea, so no one could confirm that such endless water existed somewhere in the world.
And when the young man announced that he was going to go in search of the sea from his dream, everyone twisted their finger at their temple and called him a madman. But, in spite of everything, he set out on a journey and wandered for a long time until he found himself at a fork in the road. Here he chose the road that led straight, and a few days later he reached a village whose inhabitants led a calm, prosperous life. When the young man told them that he was traveling, dreaming of finding the sea, they began to convince him that he was wasting his time and it would be better for him to stay in this village and live as happily as everyone else.
For several years the young man lived in abundance. But one night he dreamed of the sea again, and he remembered his unfulfilled dream. The young man decided to leave the village and hit the road again. After saying goodbye to everyone, he returned to the fork and this time went in a different direction. He walked for a long time until he reached a big city. I admired its hubbub and diversity and decided to stay there. I studied, worked, had fun and over time completely forgot about the purpose of my journey.
However, a few years later he again saw the sea in a dream and thought that if he did not fulfill the dream of his youth, he would waste his life. Therefore, he again returned to the fork and chose the third road, which led him into the forest. In a small clearing, the man saw a hut, and next to it, a not too young, but beautiful woman who was hanging out the washed laundry. She invited him to stay with her, since her husband went to war and did not return. The man agreed.
They lived happily for many years, raised children, but one day our hero, who was already old, again had a dream about the sea. And he left everything with which he had been associated for many years, returned to the fork and set off along the last path, hitherto unknown to him, very steep and rocky. He walked with difficulty and began to fear that he would soon be completely exhausted.
Finding himself at the foot of a large mountain, the old man decided to climb it in the hope of seeing the sea from his dreams at least from afar. A few hours later, at the end of his strength, he reached the top of the mountain. Vast expanses stretched out before him: the old man saw a fork in the road and a village in which the inhabitants led a prosperous life, and a big city, and the hut of a woman with whom he spent many happy years. And in the distance, on the horizon, I saw the blue, endless sea.
And before his tormented heart stopped, the touched old man, through tears of regret, also noticed that all the roads along which he walked led to the sea, but he did not go through any of them to the end.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru