As those days dragged on, he grew increasingly withdrawn.
He became reluctant to interact with others, his communication skills deteriorated, and his hostility toward the world deepened.
In the end, it was his older sister who noticed something was wrong. She and their mother spent time with him, comforted him, taught him to speak, and helped him recognize a few simple characters. Only then did he recover somewhat.
He never expected that not long afterward, something like that would happen.
It was a Sunday, his birthday. His mother and older sister had originally promised to secretly take him—the boy who had never been to an amusement park—to one for a day of fun.
But his mother was suddenly called in to work overtime by the owner of the shop where she worked, while his older sister was invited out by a classmate, so the trip fell through.
After waiting for it for so long, he was furious. In a fit of anger, he took some money and secretly ran out by himself.
As far as he could remember, it was his first time leaving home. The world was filled with wonders, and he even found the ornamental stones by the roadside fascinating.
As he watched and played, he soon got lost.
But he was not too worried at the time.
He believed his mother and older sister would definitely come looking for him.
So he walked a long way, saw many places, and even spent a long time playing at the amusement park.
He did not start back until the amusement park closed and the sky was almost dark.
But having lost his way, he walked for a long time without finding the road home.
Exhausted from walking, he eventually fell asleep beside a small grove in a little park.