The Weight of Burdens

In a rural city like New Orleans, there lived a man named Brandon. His thoughts were like ink stains on a rough draft paper, seeping into every corner of his existence. Brandon had mastered the art of being negative—the way a spider weaves its web, ensnaring not only himself but anyone who he comes in contact with.


His mornings began with a sigh, and a few curse words at the alarm clock. The sun peeked through the blinds, but Brandon saw only the harsh glare, not the promise of a new day. He complained about the weather, the coffee not being hot enough, and the morning traffic outside. His coworkers tiptoed around him, avoiding eye contact thinking that negative vibe would rub off on them. 


Man say No, The Weight of Burdens

At work, Brandon's desk was a black hole in the middle of nowhere. He shut down every project, pointing out the flaws to the point that any kind of progress was possible. His colleagues exchanged sympathetic glances, whispering about the "Brandon effect." Meetings became battlegrounds, where negativity became part of the equation.


Lunch breaks were solitary affairs. Brandon would go sat on a bench in the park, feeding breadcrumbs to pigeons. But even the pigeons sensed the negativity. They flew away, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He wondered why friendships eluded him, why conversations always veered toward complaints and despair.


One day, as Brandon came across, a bookstore that was tucked in between two of the shopping centers busiest stores. The sign read, "Get Lost In The Pages." Intrigued, he stepped inside. The air smelled of ancient parchment and forgotten dreams. The shopkeeper, an ageless woman with silver hair, greeted him.


"Welcome," she said, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I sense you carrying a lot of burden on your shoulders."


Brandon scoffed. "A lifetime's worth."


The woman handed him a leather-bound journal. "Write down your thoughts, but with a twist. For every negative, find a positive in each thought you wrote down."


He accepted the journal, skeptical yet desperate for change. That night, he sat at his kitchen table, pen in hand. The words flowed—complaints, grievances, disappointments. But then he paused. What positive could he find in his less interesting routines?


Brandon thought of the rain that had soaked his shoes. Instead of cursing it, he wrote about how the rain cleansed the city, washing away grime and weariness. He marveled at the resilience of dandelions pushing through cracks in the pavement. Slowly, the pages filled with dual narratives—the darkness and its counterpart.


Days turned into weeks. Brandon noticed subtle shifts. The coffee attendant at the coffee shop smiled at him. A coworker invited him for lunch. The sun felt warmer on his face. The shadows didn't vanish, but they no longer consumed him.


One evening, Brandon returned to the park bench. To his surprise, the pigeons gathered around him, cooing softly. He laughed—a genuine, unforced laugh—for the first time in years. The pigeons didn't mind his negativity; they reveled in his newfound balance.


Word spread about Brandon and his path to be more responsible and a better person. People sought him out, hoping to learn his secret. He shared his wisdom, urging them to see both sides—the storm and the rainbow.


And so, the man who once repelled everyone became a person of interest. Get Lost In The Pages had rewritten his story, turning negativity into possibility. Brandon learned that life wasn't about erasing shadows but learning to dance with them.


And in that forgotten bookstore, the ageless woman smiled, knowing she'd nudged the world toward something positive—one journal entry at a time.

Wellington 3 Publishing

Wellington 3 Publishing presents Wellington’s Short Story Collection and Wellington Best Stories Writing is truly a labor of love for us at Wellington 3 Publishing where we take great pleasure in being able to create meaningful stories and to have them published. Wellington 3 Publishing is looking forward to sharing more of our works with the world in the coming years.

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