It was the first day in a new country.

The country was surrounded by mist and had a creepy feel to it, which only drew you in.

The routine was the same: you checked in at the inn and went out for a walk since you still didn't feel tired.

As you're walking, you see that most of this country is just graveyards. Paying too much attention to the graves around you, you accidentally bump into a person.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you say, and walk off.

The man turned around and said "Sorry" too.

He looked refined, like a businessman. He even had a badge on his suit with his name: Keith Linzman.

While walking, you notice a bar. It looked old, and it was silent, but you noticed that the lights were still on, so you decided to go inside.

Inside, it was silent; nobody even looked at you. You just quietly sat at the counter.

The person working there wouldn't ask for your drink choice—you had to speak first.

"Excuse me, can I have a glass of orange juice?"

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Without answering, he just poured it. You looked at the people around, but they were just staring into the distance and occasionally taking a sip of their drink.

[This is uncomfortable...]

The man next to you at the counter just stood up and left without paying. The person working there still didn’t seem to care.

You quickly finished your drink and decided to leave too, without paying.

On your way back to the inn, you paid attention to the graves and noticed that one of them had the name "Keith Linzman" on it.

You were confused, but not thinking much about it, you went back to the inn and fell asleep.

The next day, you woke up and looked through your window. The sun was shining, but barely any sunlight could break through the mist.

You got dressed and left the inn. Outside, you heard a man whistling.

He was walking next to the graveyard. He was old, had a beard, wore a worn-out coat, and had a poor look to him; it seemed like he was drunk.

You walked up to him and asked, "Why does everyone in this country seem so down?"

He stopped and said, "Because they fear death. Some people just can't face the fact that they will die someday, so they all try to escape death. Eventually, they all arrive in this country."

"Why are you not sad then?"

"Because I can't escape death," he said and walked off.

To many, this man could've appeared as a lunatic, but to some, he could've appeared as a ray of hope.

You spend the rest of your day walking, but nothing interesting happens. Most people in this country are invested only in their own lives and are worried about death catching up to them with each heartbeat.

The next day, as you're riding your motorcycle toward the gates of the country, you see that drunk old man.

He waves at you, and you wave back.

"Remember that you too will die," he says.

[I know,] you think to yourself and smile