Grandpa's Ticket

Last spring, my grandfather passed away in our small town.

He was a quiet man, but he loved trains very much.

After the funeral, I cleaned his old wooden room.

In a dusty box, I found an old train ticket and a map.

The ticket was yellow, and the date was empty.

On the map, someone drew a red line to a town in the far north.

Next to the line, my grandfather wrote three words: "Wait for me."

I also found a short letter under the ticket.

The letter said, "Someone is waiting at the end of the map."

I did not understand, but my heart beat fast.

My grandfather never talked about the north when he was alive.

That night, I could not sleep because I thought about the map.

In the morning, I decided something important.

I am going to follow the red line to the end.

I packed a small bag with clothes, the map, and the old ticket.

My mother was worried, but she did not stop me.

"Be careful, Sora," she said softly at the door.

I walked to the station and bought a ticket to the first town.

The old station was quiet, and the morning air was cold.

I looked at my grandfather's ticket one more time.

Soon, the train is going to leave from platform two.

I am going to find the person at the end of the line.

When the train arrived, I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

My long journey to the north finally began.