If I Could Stay
もし留まれるなら
After the long sea , Haru finally reached Clara's village in the hills.
The small white houses glowed softly under the warm Andalusian sun.
Clara's grandmother, Rosa, welcomed him with a wide, gentle smile.
She fed him bread, olives, and warm soup before asking any questions.
After eating, Haru felt his tired body slowly come back to life.
In the evening, the villagers gathered outside, playing music and singing together.
Haru sat quietly, tired of running and glad to simply rest.
He was good at listening, so the old people told him many stories.
For the first time on the journey, he felt truly at peace.
He thought about staying in this warm place instead of going on.
"If I could stay, I would build a small home here," he told himself.
"If I were braver, I would face the road; if I were weaker, I would remain."
He imagined a quiet life among these kind and gentle people.
If he had a home like this, he thought, he would never feel lost again.
But his grandfather's map still lay open on the wooden table.
Rosa noticed the drawing of a lighthouse on a high .
She said the was far to the west, in Portugal, at the edge of the land.
"That is where the land ends and the sea begins," she said softly.
Haru remembered his grandfather's line: "The long way is the only way."
Before leaving the table, he decided to continue the hard journey.
If he stopped now, he thought, he would his grandfather's wish.
That night, he began packing his grandfather's old sea-bag.
While folding the map, he felt something hidden inside its .
His fingers pressed the strange shape, and his heart began to .
He knew he would open it that very night.