The year was 2001. Simon had turned fifteen, and for his birthday his family gave him a toy raven. He was happy to receive it because he didn't get gifts every birthday. His family was trying to raise him well. Every Sunday, they would go to a church about two kilometers away from their home and pray. Simon would usually say this prayer:
"God, please bless me and my family, grant us long lives, and keep our path open."
This prayer brought him great peace, because he loved his family very much.
His family was not well-off; they struggled to make ends meet. Despite these hardships, they were trying to educate Simon, hoping he would succeed and not end up in the same situation in the future. Simon was successful in his classes except for Mathematics, because he liked making his family proud. However, he did not really like school, and there were only a few subjects he enjoyed. His favorite subject was History, and his least favorite was Physical Education, because he did not like talking to people or participating in group activities.
He did not have many friends; in fact, he didn't think he needed them, because for him, being alone was better.
That day, when school ended, as usual, Simon started walking straight home. He always did the same thing—walking through the same streets, seeing the same shops and houses, and encountering the same people. If someone approached him and said something like:
"Excuse me, I was on my way to the book fair, but I'm new here. Do you know where it is?"
he would feel shy and, swallowing nervously, reply:
"Y- yes, go fifty meters ahead and t- turn right, it will be right in front of you."
Simon arrived home, went to his room as usual, turned on his old, worn-out computer, put on his headphones, and started listening to music. His favorite type of music was depressive songs, because they gave him peace and somehow made him forget that he was alone. This was how his days passed. Even though he seemed happy with this, whenever he took off his headphones, silence would come—a hollow, echo-less silence. Each time it came, he would fall into deep thought:
"Will it be like this again tomorrow?"
The next day, Simon woke up to the same voice:
"Come on, Simon, you'll be late for school!"
And Simon replied, "Okay, I'll get up in five minutes!"