The Last Border
最後の国境を越えて
The bus climbed toward the between Spain and Portugal.
Haru sat by the window with the old photograph in his hand.
He was so close now, but he felt more than ever.
Although he had crossed a sea and many towns, this last step frightened him most.
So many doubts crowded into his mind.
What if the village had changed and no one remembered his grandfather?
What if Amalia had died long ago?
What if there was nothing left to find at the end of the map?
He told himself that he must go on.
He knew he should not give up after coming so far.
Although he was tired and , he kept his eyes on the road.
The driver, a kind man named Joao, noticed the boy's face.
"You look like someone carrying a heavy story," Joao said .
Haru nodded and showed him the photograph and the lighthouse.
"Unless you try, you will never know," Joao told him with a warm smile.
"You should find these people, and you must not turn back now."
His words settled something deep inside Haru's chest.
Although the village might be gone, he had to see the place for himself.
He remembered his grandfather's line: the long way is the only way.
The bus slowed at the , and a simple sign welcomed them into Portugal.
Soon another sign appeared, pointing west toward the and its lighthouse.
The afternoon sun was already beginning to over the hills.
Tomorrow, at sunset, he would finally stand where the land ends and the sea begins.
He would stand where his grandfather once stood, many years before.