Today, on my way to the pool, I saw a woman handing something out. She looked to be in her thirties. She was wearing plain clothes and a face mask, almost as if she was trying to hide any impression of herself. At first glance, she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would naturally be handing out flyers. Partly because I was curious about what she was giving away, I walked close enough to accept one. But at that moment, her attention was on someone else, and I missed my chance. I couldn’t stop thinking about her while I was swimming. I found myself hoping she would still be there when I left the gym. When I came out, she was. “This time, I’ll get one,” I thought. I walked toward her slowly, but just before I reached her, she tried to hand one to a young man walking on the opposite side. He didn’t take it. Even though I slowed down, I still missed the timing. From the brief glimpse I caught, it didn’t look like a flyer. It looked more like a small message card. I thought about turning around several times and walking back to her, but I couldn’t. I just didn’t have the courage. After I got home, I kept wondering. What was she trying to hand out? How many people actually accepted one? Then an image came to me. She had come from the future. Eight years into the future. By then, the world had fallen into endless war—or perhaps something even worse: a state where people had become consumed by hatred. Everyone had lost something essential in their hearts, and no one even tried to stop it anymore. She had traveled back in time in search of someone from an era when people still had the courage to say “No.” Maybe what she was handing out wasn’t a card at all. Maybe it was a test of courage. She only needed to find one person. Just one person willing to say, “Enough. Let’s stop this.” Maybe that’s why she came. Tomorrow is Thursday, and the gym will be closed for its weekly day off.

The paper gives off a pleasant scent. By keeping the paper in my pocket, I’m surrounded by its wonderful scent all day. Sorry. I tried several times to fix the video’s orientation, but for some reason it wouldn’t stay the right way, so I eventually gave up.