At 40, Franz Kafka, who had never married and had no children, was walking through a park in Berlin when he noticed a little girl crying.
She had lost her favorite doll.
Kafka stopped and tried to comfort her.
Kafka:
“Your doll isn’t lost.”
The girl looked up at him.
Girl:
“Where is she?”
Kafka:
“She has gone on a trip.”
Girl:
“Really?”
Kafka:
“Yes. And she has even sent you a letter.”
The girl looked surprised.
Girl:
“Where is it?”
Kafka:
“I don’t have it with me today, but I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
The next day, Kafka returned with a letter.
He read it aloud to the girl.
The doll explained that she was tired of staying in one place and wanted to travel and see the world.
Over the next several days, Kafka brought more letters.
The doll told the girl about her adventures, the places she had visited, and all the interesting people she had met.
Eventually, Kafka brought one final letter.
The doll explained that she had fallen in love, gotten married, and started a new life.
The girl smiled and accepted the story.
Years later, someone asked Kafka why he had gone to so much trouble for a child he barely knew.
He simply replied:
Kafka:
“Sometimes, we need to give people a story that helps them move forward.”
The girl had lost her doll.
But thanks to Kafka, she gained something else:
A beautiful way to say goodbye.