On the Way to College

Samiullah tightened the strap of his bag and stepped out of his home just like any other morning. The sun was gentle, the streets alive with rickshaws and bicycles, the voices of shopkeepers calling out as usual. To him, the road to college was always the same—familiar turns, same old tea stalls, and the same faces rushing by.

But today, something was different.

As he turned onto the main road, the air felt oddly heavy. He looked around, and for a second, it seemed like the shops were closed, their shutters rusted, as if they hadn’t opened in years. A chill ran down his spine, but then he blinked—and everything appeared normal again. The fruit seller shouted about fresh guavas, and the mechanic wiped grease from his hands. Maybe he was just tired.

He shrugged and kept walking.

Halfway down the street, he noticed people moving strangely. A man pedaled his bicycle at such a slow pace, Samiullah could swear the wheels barely turned. A rickshaw driver yawned mid-stretch, his arms frozen in the air for several seconds. It was as if time had slowed down for everyone except him.

“Strange…” he whispered, clutching the strap of his bag tighter.

Then he saw her.

A girl about his age stood by the corner tea stall. She wasn’t moving in slow motion like the others. She stared at him with calm, knowing eyes. When Samiullah walked closer, she smiled softly.

“You’re on the right path,” she said.

Samiullah froze. “What do you mean? Do I… know you?”

She shook her head. “Not yet. But I know you. You’re about to face a choice. This road isn’t just leading to college today—it’s leading to your future.”

The world around them seemed to blur. The noise of the street faded, and suddenly they were standing in silence. The shops disappeared, the road stretched endlessly, and only the two of them remained.

Samiullah’s heart pounded. “What’s happening? Where am I?”

The girl raised her hand, and suddenly two paths appeared before him.

On the left: a road filled with comfort. A life of safety, no risks, predictable days. He saw himself years later, working quietly, living simply, never failing—but never daring either.

On the right: a road filled with storms. Struggles, setbacks, even heartbreaks. But on that path, he also saw himself growing, leading, inspiring others, his name remembered far beyond his small town.

“Which one will you choose?” the girl asked. “Every morning you walk to college, but today is different. Today, you decide who you will become.”

Samiullah’s throat tightened. His whole body trembled. Both paths pulled at him. Safety or struggle. Comfort or courage.

He whispered, “What if I fail?”

The girl stepped closer, her eyes soft. “Then you try again. Failing is only the beginning of real living. The question is—are you brave enough to take the step?”

Samiullah closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stormy path.

The world around him spun violently. Wind howled, dust rose, the earth shook—and then, just as suddenly, everything was normal again. The tea stalls were back, people walked at their usual pace, and the fruit seller shouted about guavas as if nothing had happened.

Samiullah looked around. The girl was gone. But something inside him had changed.

He reached college, but the walk wasn’t just a walk anymore. It was a reminder: every step he took mattered. Each morning wasn’t just routine—it was a chance to choose courage, to embrace the unknown, to write a future worth remembering.

From that day forward, whenever life gave him a choice, Samiullah remembered the strange girl and the two roads. He no longer feared failure. He feared only not trying.

And so, every single day, on his way to college, he walked not just toward a building of classrooms, but toward the man he was destined to become.