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Often, people's way of life depends on their circumstances, and some simply lament their fate. They believe that if circumstances were better, they would surely achieve something significant in the world. Their lives are like trains that always run on the same track. When they become obsolete, they are simply sold as scrap to a junk dealer.

Such people are rare who, disregarding their circumstances, take control of their lives. Monty was one such person. He took an unusual step to change his life. But since his destination was unknown, it was difficult to predict his success.

I had heard a lot about his eccentricity. Initially, people said he was a recluse, but I somehow persuade him to tell me his life story, as I didn't trust the veracity of other people's accounts.

Let me begin from the beginning, I went to a health resort for a few days, and it was there that I met him. I was standing by the river with my host when he suddenly exclaimed, "Monty!"

I asked, "Where is he?"

My host replied, "Oh, that's him! The one sitting on the river bank with his back to us, wearing a blue shirt."

I looked in that direction and saw a head with white hair and a blue shirt. I greatly wished he would turn around so we could invite him to join us for a stroll.

At that moment, the sun's reflection was sinking into the river. The people strolling around were chatting merrily. I was so captivated by the enchanting beauty of nature at that moment that I didn't notice Monty approaching. When he passed by, my friend stopped him and introduced him to me.

Although his teeth weren't particularly attractive, his smile was charming. He was wearing a blue shirt and jeans, which were somewhat dirty. His clothes didn't quite suit his physique.

He had a long face, thin lips, and brown eyes. His facial features were okay, suggesting that he must have been handsome in his youth. We strolled along, reached a restaurant, and sat down in the adjoining garden, asking the waiter to bring us coffee.

The three of us sat there, chatting about this and that. Since the topics weren't very interesting, Monty excused himself after a while and left.

On the way, my friend said about Monty, "He seems like an ordinary man to me, who has retired from business with a few secure investments."

"That's what you think, fine."

The next day, we saw Monty again by the river. He was standing there, dressed in brown shirt, with a pipe between his teeth. It seemed as if youth was still radiating from his wrinkled face and graying hair.

We took off our clothes and went into the water. When I came out after my bath, Monty was lying face down on the ground, reading a book. I lit a cigarette and went over to him.

He looked up from his book and asked, "Finished your swim?"

I replied, "Yes, I really enjoyed it today. There can't be a better place in the world to take a bath. How long have you been here?"

He replied, "Fifteen years."

Saying this, he looked towards the river, a gentle smile playing on his thin lips. "The first time I came here, I fell in love with this place.

I wanted him to continue his conversation. Just then, my friend, dripping wet, came towards us. As soon as he arrived, the topic of our conversation changed, and the story remained unfinished.

After that, I met Monty several times as his conversations were very interesting. He was familiar with every place of this island.

One day, after enjoying the moonlight, my friend and I decided to go for a walk in the hills. I said to Monty, "Come on, join us."

Monty accepted my invitation, but my friend excused himself, saying he wasn't feeling well. Anyway, the two of us set off towards the hill and thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Dinner had already been arranged and proved to be delicious.

Source

We were sitting in the garden under a tree. A cool breeze was blowing in the quiet night air. After a short pause, Monty addressed me, "We still have plenty of time before we need to leave. The moon won't be above the hill for at least another hour."

I said, "We have all the time in the world... No one can even think about rushing when they're here."

Monty smiled, "Leisure? I wish people understood it. It's something everyone can have for free. But people are such fools that they don't even try to attain it. Work? The poor wretches don't even understand that the purpose of working is simply to gain leisure."

Monty's point was valid, but it wasn't anything new or profound. He lit a cigarette and continued, "When I first came here, it was a moonlit night. The same moon will be in the sky tonight."

I smiled, "You'll definitely see it."

He said, "Friend, don't make fun of me... When I look back at the last fifteen years of my life, this long period seems like a hazy month-long interval. Ah, that night, when for the first time, I sat on the platform and gazed at the moon.

The rays were casting silver sheets on the surface of the river.

His lips were becoming dry, and he continued, "The next day I bathed by the river and wandered around the island; it was very lively.

I asked him, "Were you a manager in a company?"

"Yes, I was... That night was the last night of my stay because I had to be at the office on Monday morning. But when I saw the moon, the river, and the boats, I was so captivated that the thought of going back slipped from my mind."

After this, he recounted his past experiences in detail and said that he had been living on the island for fifteen years and was now forty-nine years old.

When he first came here, he thought that he should get rid of the burden of his job and spend the rest of his life in the enchanting atmosphere of this place.

The atmosphere of the island and the moonlight had such a profound effect on Wilson's mind that he quit his job at the company. If he had stayed there for a few more years, he would have received a decent pension. But he didn't care about that at all. Monty sold his house and headed for the island. According to his calculations, he could live there for twenty-five years.
I had several meetings with him.

During this time, I learned that he was a very moderate person. He couldn't tolerate anything that interfered with his freedom; he was simply a worshipper of nature's beauty. The sole purpose of his life was to find happiness for himself, and he had found this rare thing. Very few people know how to find happiness; I can't say whether he was wise or foolish. One thing is certain: he was intimately acquainted with every aspect of his own being.

After our last meeting, I took my leave of my host and friend and returned home. Thirteen years later, when I arrived on the island, my friend was in a very bad state. I rented a room in a hotel, and at dinner, I spoke to my friend about Monty.

He remained silent. His silence was deeply melancholic. Anxiously, I asked, "Did he commit suicide?"

My friend sighed, "How can I tell you this painful story?"

Monty's plan was reasonable; he could live comfortably for twenty-five years. But he didn't know that along with those twenty-five years of comfort, his willpower would be extinguished.

His creditors began to harass him. Finally, one day, in the room of his hut where he slept, he lit a large amount of charcoal and closed the door.

When his maid came to prepare breakfast in the morning, she found him unconscious. People took him to the hospital. He survived, but his mind was almost completely impaired. I went to see him, but he looked at me with such a bewildered expression, as if he didn't recognize me.

I asked my friend, "Where does he live now?" “His house and property have been auctioned off... he wanders around aimlessly in the hills. I called out to him once or twice, but as soon as he saw my face, he ran away, leaping like a wild deer.”

Two or three days later, as my friend and I were strolling, my friend called out loudly, “Monty!”

I saw him hiding behind an Banyan tree. When we got closer, he didn't move, just stood there motionless. Then, all of a sudden, he started running away frantically, like a young man.

After that, I never saw him again.