Kafka was once taking a walk in a garden. There, he encountered a little girl sitting by herself, and weeping. Moved, he went over to her and asked, ‘What is the matter little girl?’
The girl said, through her tears, ‘ I lost my doll! I can’t find her anywhere.’ and went back to her sobbing.
Kafka said, ‘Ah but the doll is not lost at all! You see, I met her only a few days ago. She has simply gone away to visit some faraway places.’
‘She told you so?’ she asked, wiping the tears off her face.
‘Yes indeed she did!’ he said. ‘She even gave me a letter to give you. But I haven’t brought it here with me, as I didn’t know I’d meet you today. So, tomorrow, meet me here and I will give it to you.’
And surely enough Kafka turned up at the garden with a letter from the doll, telling the girl about her travel plans and how she had been bored staying at one place all the time. The girl was delighted. Little did she know, that this was only the beginning of a series of letters from her doll, telling her about all the adventures she was having. Several letters later, Kafka finally gifted the girl with a new doll. And this time, the letter said, ‘My travels have changed me…’
The girl was of course thrilled to have her doll back. The letters remained a life-long cherished memory for her. Years later, the now grown girl found a note in the pocket of the doll’s dress. It said, ‘Everything you love, you will eventually loose, but in the end, love will return in a different form.’
This little anecdotal story about Kafka has often been quoted in various forms and shapes through various publishing platforms. Some claim it to be a true account, some aren’t so sure. Nevertheless, Kafka’s letters are a truly beautiful reminder of love’s gentle ways. Even though sometimes, we may seem to have lost it all, love always finds its way back into our lives. Perhaps while we are lost in the spiral of loss, love is actually trying to send us letters filled with life’s adventures. And we need to willingly accept those love-letters and let them help us cope and recover. Ultimately, love comes back to us.