2026.19.FEB Wood Grain. Uncharted Territory. Stork | Short Short

Title: The Uncharted Territory Deep Within the Wood Grain


The classroom desks were wood-grained, and although they all had similar patterns,
for some reason, only her desk looked like a map.

The winding growth rings were rivers,
and the round shadows of the knots were lakes.
At the center of it all was an uncharted territory that no one had ever stepped foot in.

It felt just like her heart.

At the end of spring, I leaned my elbows on that desk and asked,

"Hey, where do you want to go in the future?"

She looked out the window and replied only,
"Somewhere far away."

Not a specific place name.
Somewhere far away.

That ambiguity pierced my chest strangely.

One day, she said,
"Storks bring babies, they say. Did you believe that?"

"Until elementary school," I laughed.

"Then,"
she traced the wood-grain lake with her finger.
"I wonder if love is brought from somewhere, too."

It sounded like a joke,
but her eyes were straight.

That was when I realized for the first time.
That I wanted to step into her uncharted territory.

On the day of graduation,
the gymnasium floor was also wood-grained.

We were going to different cities.
Somewhere far away.

"Take care," she said.
In a voice as light as a stork.

I could only nod.
The words I couldn't say fluttered deep in my chest.

Love isn't something that gets brought to you.
It's an uncharted territory you walk into yourself.

But that day,
I felt like a single white feather had indeed fallen.

Youth, like a map hidden deep within the wood grain,
is still unreadable to anyone.

The End

☆Romance/Youth (Emotions, Relationships, Daily Life) NEXT↓↓↓

Girls Band Chika 1↓↓↓

Romance/Youth (Emotions, Relationships, Daily Life) 1↓↓↓

Thank you for reading until the end😊 Suzu