Katalin Szabó
Once upon a time, a boy lived in the center of New York. His name was Ezra Davis. He lived with his elderly parents in a small crowded apartment. The parents worked in a hospital, and they always had a lot of work too. They had no time for their little boy. Ezra had been a weird kid since childhood; he had no friends, no one played with him. He had no siblings either; he was lonely, but he enjoyed it.
In the block where he lived, a baby was born; he was called Louis. Ezra took care of him many times, as a teenager. This little boy was his only friend.
He always observed people, the environment, and everything. He lived at home until he was seventeen years old. Suddenly, he made a well-thought-out decision…
Two years previously, one rainy afternoon, fifteen-year-old Ezra was sitting in his room and reading different historical magazines. He realised that he wanted to try himself outside, in the adults’ world. He decided to move. He thought about it for months.
There was a very small (uninhabited) island somewhere near Hawaii. When he turned seventeen, he moved out to this island alone. He lived here for sixty-five years, in unusual conditions. He spent most of his life there, with his thoughts. At last, he was happy alone. No one was there except him. He lived in a wooden hut, ate fruit, and had a good time.
After those years, Ezra was really old, and he wanted to see his home for the last time.
When he returned to the city, he was shocked. He was very young when he left; now he was completely surprised by the changes that had taken place in the city. Although he was old, his mental health was unbroken.
Ezra’s first trip was to their old house, which had been sold. A crowded café operated in the small ground-floor apartment. He felt lost.
On the one hand, because he no longer knew anyone in that area. His family, neighbours and friends had already died.
On the other hand, because the neighborhood has changed a lot, so he did not know the area…
The night before he had left long ago, he had had an argument with his parents, because they didn’t like this idea. They did not give him permission to leave, but he didn’t care. He regretted and thought about it for years afterward, but he didn’t want to come back. He hadn’t said goodbye to his only friend Louis. He was the little boy from the block…
Then he visited him.
Louis was alive. He still lived in their old family house, with his wife. Ezra felt huge relief. He went to his old friend’s house. When Louis saw him, he couldn’t believe his eyes, and ended up in tears. They hugged each other happily.
Ezra had spent enough time alone; he moved to Louis’s for his last months or weeks (he had lost track of time). He was really old, but he started to learn new things, and he started to get to know his new life and area.
Eventually, his last years (or months or weeks) passed happily, in the new modern world.
The lesson is that, if you live alone and are lonely, even if you survive mentally and physically, you lose a lot.