The stranger's gaze drifted back to the river, her eyes glazing over as if lost in thoughts. The girl's words hung in the air, a gentle breeze rustling the leaf of nearby trees.

"You know, we all dream of something," the girl spoke, her voice softening. "But, sometimes, life has other plans for us. We end up doing something else, and that's okay."

The stranger's expressions turned skeptical, her voice laced with doubts. "But, what if I'm not good at anything else?"

The girl's smile was warm and encouraging. "Well, you can't say until you try, and you don't have to know if you are good at something or not. You just have to be willing to try, to discover, to explore. And, who knows, you might find something even more satisfying than being a doctor."

The stranger's eyes searched the girl's face. "How can you be so calm? How can you tell me to move on that easily when you yourself have failed four times in this exam? Don't you fear failure, people's taunts, and the way relatives look so down on you?"

The girl's expressions turned introspective, her eyes gazing into the distance. "I'm no one to tell you to move on from your dream, I just want you to move on from this loop of grief and self-doubt. It's on you. If you want to continue, carry on. This is your life. You have all rights to decide about your career, your future. Take your time, think about it, and then decide."

She paused to collect her thoughts and then continued, "And about fear? I do. Everybody does. I've felt it grip my heart, making it hard to breathe. It tells you that you are not enough, that you'll never be enough."

She turned back to the stranger, her voice filled with conviction. "But, you have to tell yourself that I'm enough, strong, capable, and resilient."

The stranger's eyebrows furrowed, her voice laced with skepticism. "But, what about people's taunts, their mocking glances? How do you deal with that?"

The girl's gentle smile and sparkling eyes hinted at a quiet confidence. She reached out and lifted the stranger's chin, her gaze locking onto hers. "Their opinions don't define me," she said, her voice steady. "They see only the surface, not the depth. I know my own worth, and that's all that matters."

The stranger's eyes clouded, her jaw set in defiance. She couldn't bring herself to forgive her past mistakes.

The girl watched her, then gazed up at the sky, as if weighing her thoughts. "I wanted to become a doctor for more than just helping others," she said, her voice measured. "I wanted to heal myself, too."

Her voice was laced with a mix of sadness and longing. "I wanted to escape—my family, the constant fights, and the toxic environment. I wanted a peaceful life, free from all the drama and pain."

She paused, her gaze drifting back to the glittery sky. "I used to study late into the nights, skipping meals, just to distract myself from the chaos at home." The stars twinkled like diamonds against the dark canvas, a stark contrast to the turmoil that had once consumed her.

"My parents were so caught up in their own battles that they forgot I existed." Her laughter was tinged with sadness, her voice heavy with the lump in her throat. "There were times when I felt like ending it all, but I was too scared. I worried about what others would think and how my family would cope with the aftermath." She swallowed hard, her eyes glistening, but no tears fell.

She inhaled deeply before continuing, "Ironical, isn't it? I was more concerned about what others would think than my well-being. But that's the thing - we often prioritise other's opinions over our own happiness."

She turned to the stranger, her eyes locking onto hers. "But I realised that running away isn't the solution. Facing our problems, our fears, our insecurities - that's the only way to truly find peace."

The stranger's voice splintered, her words barely above a whisper. "No, you don't understand... I failed five times." Tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice cracked again. "Maybe my life wasn't as chaotic as yours, but I tried everything. I studied until my eyes burned, I attended every class... and still, I'm not eligible." She paused, her chest heaving with suppressed sobs. "It's hard to accept that it's just not meant to be. That all my efforts, all my dreams... were for nothing."

The stranger's eyes, red-rimmed from crying, locked onto the girl's. "Are you enrolled in any college?" The girl nodded slowly, taken aback by the unexpected question. The stranger's smile faltered, her eyes welling up with tears again. "You have a college degree to fall back on... you'll be graduating next year. But me?" Her voice cracked. "I've invested everything in this one dream. Now it's gone. I'm left with nothing. No backup plan, no safety net. I've never thought of anything else except this."

Her voice broke, and she covered her face with her hands, her body shaking with her sobs. "What do I do now? Where do I go from here?"

These words of the stranger made the girl's earlier words of encouragement seemed to fade into the background as the stranger's despair took over.

The girl's expressions turned somber, her voice filled with compassion. "I understand that it's hard, but please know you are not alone. Many people have been in your shoes and have come out stronger on the other sides."

The stranger's body shook with sobs, her voice barely audible. "But, what about my parents? They'll be so ashamed of me..."

The girl's hands enveloped the stranger's, her grip warm and reassuring. She shook her head, her eyes filled with compassion. "They won't turn their backs on you. They're your parents. They love you." Her voice was calm and measured. "Be honest with them. Explain your situation, and take responsibility for your actions. Show them you're willing to learn from your mistakes and move forward."

The stranger's eyes widened, fear creeping into her voice. "But, what if they don't understand? What if they are disappointed in me?"

The girl's grip on her hand tightened. "Then that's something they need to work through. You can't carry the weight of their expectations on your shoulders. You have got to focus on your own healing and your own growth."

She paused, her gaze locked into the stranger. "And, hey! Even if they don't forgive you right away, that doesn't mean they won't eventually. People can surprise you. Regardless, you need to focus on your own growth. You can't control how they react, but you can control how you approach the situation."

The stranger sniffled, wiping away tears off her cheeks with the back of her left palms and stood up, walking a distance away, gazing at the moon and the stars. "Do you believe in destiny? Do you think it's all pre-scripted that our future has already written?"

The girl followed the stranger, standing beside her as they gazed up in the night sky. "I... I don't really know, but... I will say our choices and actions shape our path in this or that way."

The stranger locked her eyes at her for a moment, then turned back to the sky. "They say everyone's time will come someday, but it's hard to believe. I've seen people living a life full of misery and then dying without seeing their time. Doesn't that mean that not everyone gets the opportunity? Some people are born in dirt and die in dirt?"

The girl sighed and replied, still gazing at the sky, "You are right. Life is unfair, and sometimes, people are born into the circumstances that are beyond their control. They live in misery and die without ever experiencing joy or fulfillment. It's heartbreaking, and it's not fair. But, I don't think it's because they are not worthy or deserving of happiness. I think it's because life is complex, and sometimes, bad things happen to good people."

She turned to face the stranger, her voice filled with conviction. "But, here's the thing - even in the midst of suffering, there is beauty. There is hope. There are people who care, who want to help, and who want to make a difference. We can't change the circumstances of our birth or the hand we are dealt, but we can change how we respond. We can choose to find the beauty, hold onto hope, and make most of the time we have."

The stranger's gaze turned sharp, her words laced with sarcasm. "You are being philosophical. Reality has always been worse than imagination, Girl. In my opinion, people should teach their children from the beginning, not to hope too much, not to have too many dreams, just to see them all shattered one day."

The girl's brows furrowed, her eyes filled with compassion. She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts before speaking. "I understand that reality can be harsh, but that's exactly why we need hope." Her voice was gentle but firm. "We need to believe that things can get better, that we can make a difference. If not, we're just existing, not truly living." She paused, her gaze locked on the stranger's, willing her to understand.

The stranger's gaze dropped to the dusty ground, her eyes tracing the patterns of forgotten footprints. A dry, mirthless chuckle escaped her lips, and she smiled bitterly. "Hope," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Such a small word, but it can cripple the powerful in a fraction of a second." She paused, her eyes locking onto the girl's. "We always hope that things will be better, that one more try will be enough."

Her laughter became venomous with each passing second, voice tinged with despair. "But you know what, that better day never comes for many. They just hope and hope and hope, then one day, when they lose the strength to hope anymore, they leave, they choose death. Because after that, they don't need to hope anymore."

The girl's expressions turned sorrowful, but she tried to reason the stranger's feelings. "I understand your pain, your frustration. It's true. Hope can be a double-edged sword. It can give us strength , but it can also lead us to disappointment."

She paused, her eyes locked onto the stranger's. "But, what if hope isn't about just achieving something. What if it's about the journey, the small moments, the beauty in the brokenness? What if hope is about finding meaning in the midst of chaos?"

The stranger looked at her skeptically. "Meaning in the midst of chaos? Do you really believe that?"

The girl nodded, her eyes sparkling with hope. "Yes, I think that's where hope truly lies. Not in some grand, perfect future, but in the small, imperfect moments we have now."

She took a step closer, her voice filled with conviction. "Hope is not about ignoring the darkness. It's about finding light in the midst of it. It's about choosing to see beauty, even if it's hard to find."

The stranger's gaze slowly softened, her eyes searching the girl's face. For a moment, they just looked at each other, the only sound, the distant hum of the town and flowing of the water. The stranger's expressions faltered, her voice barely above whisper. "I want to believe you. I really do."

The girl didn't say anything, just engulfed her in a warm and tight hug. The stranger's body shook with sobs, her tears soaking into the girl's shoulder. The girl held her tight, wishpering softly. "Let it all out. You are not alone."

As the stranger cried, the girl stroked her hair, her touch gentle and comforting.
She didn't try to offer words of wisdom or solutions. She simply held the stranger, allowing her to release the weight of her emotions.

Slowly, the stranger's sobs began to subside, replaced by sniffles and deep breaths. The girl handed her the handkerchief, and she blew her nose, her eyes red and puffy. The stranger looked at girl, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice hoarse from crying.

The girl smiled. "You are welcome. Sometimes, we just need someone to hold us, to let us know we are not alone."

The stranger nodded, her body still shaking with occasional sobs. The girl continued to hold her, offering a comforting presence, a reminder that hope and kindness still existed in this world.

The girl looked at the moon falling deep in the sky and asked, "Where do you live? It's almost 1 in the morning."

The stranger's gaze darted across the ground, her eyes blinking rapidly as she struggled to contain her emotions. The girl watched her, an eyebrow furrowed in concern, her head leaning to the side fixed at the stranger.

"I'm not from this area." The stranger whispered.

The girl shrugged , her tone laced with sarcasm. "Of course. Otherwise, you wouldn't have tried to commit suicide here."

The stranger's gaze turned icy, but the girl's expressions softened as she sniffled. "Hey, I was just carried away with all those emotions, okay."

The girl's tone turned sarcastic. She raised her eyebrows and her lips formed into a thin line before she continued, "Yeah, that you think to end your life. This generation, oh my god!"

The stranger narrowed her eyes, one corner of her lips tuged upward in annoyance, and she shook her head while gesturing with hand, moving it left and right. "Don't act like you are from the nineteenth century. You are of my generation too. Even one year younger than me, if I'm not wrong."

The girl chuckled, her eyes filled with amusement. "You're smart."

A/N: Ohho! So, the girl finally succeeded in knocking some sense into the stranger's mind.

By the way, how are you guys feeling? If you are going through any problem, guys, know this that life is full of problems. If you solve one, the other one would be standing at your doorstep, smiling. So, you have to learn to deal with it, hoping that there is light at the end of the tunnel.