The Person who greeted everyone

The Person who greeted everyone

There was a young boy in an unnamed town. He had shifted to his new home on 2nd Street just a few hours ago. He was a tall and charming person who wore only casual outfits. 

Just a few hours after he moved, he realized the neighborhood was not as friendly as he would have wanted. It was a big town in a big city. People moved in and outside the town frequently. The people were too busy greeting every new neighbor or offering a farewell to those who were leaving. The men went to work in the early hours of the morning while the women did the household chores. 

It was the time of the Internet. People no longer liked to spend time with their neighbors. Men no longer talked to each other after coming home, women watched television and scrolled their phones, and children preferred playing online games. Students no longer had to be physically present for the classes as with modern technologies they can attend classes from their home. 

The air became more and more polluted each day. The Government had ordered schools to be shut down all over the state. 

People have become distant and have forgotten the basic habits that make humans unique, which is socializing. They were socializing but on Whatsapp groups and Discord servers. 

The young person was kind-hearted. He wasn't greeted by his neighbors when he moved to his new house nor was he sent sweets and welcome cards, but that didn't let him get demoralized and behave like his neighbors. He didn't just forget about everyone. He wanted to build a friendly relationship. 

Whenever he had time, he knocked on the doors of his neighbors and said a few good words or handed them a dish he had made. He greeted everyone with a simple "Good Morning" or a "Good Evening."

Initially, they found it weird as they were not used to this kind of attitude. They made fun, but they got friendly with him. They invited him for dinner whenever they made something special. 

He was a good storyteller and a great person to talk to. His charming attitude made people talk to him. Soon everyone wanted him around. Everyone except the retired principal of the only big school in the town. He didn't like changes either in the school when he ran it or in his way of living. 

He wanted things to be as they used to be. People talking to each other creates noise. Children playing in the evening destroys the peaceful view of the sunset. He never showed his interest in that young newcomer, but despite his rudeness, the young boy respected him. The young boy talked to everyone and with great enthusiasm. His chest of stories never seems to be empty of new content. 

He greeted the old man every day, each time he met him. The old man showed no interest on his face. 

Only a few months after the young man shifted, did the town change completely. People now had friends, someone to talk to, someone with whom they could share their daily lives. They can now be called humans, not humans with only a human body, but complete humans with the heart of humans. 

One day, the townspeople woke up only to find that the young man was nowhere to be found. They looked everywhere, but he was gone. He had left a letter stating that he had to shift again to join a new job. The townspeople were sad, but they never again in their life forgot the human qualities taught to them. The old man was still the same, but no one could compete with him in missing that young man. The town eventually forgot about him, but the old man never did.