Kenji walked through the crowded Tokyo street. Cars honked and people chattered. The noise swirled around him like a giant storm.
Kenji closed his eyes and covered his ears with both hands. He turned into a quiet alley and pushed aside a hanging vine.
Behind the vine, the wooden gate creaked open. A patch of green hid from the city. The scent of damp earth and jasmine drifted out.
Kenji sat cross-legged on a stone path and held his breath. But a distant siren still wailed. He frowned and tapped his foot.
The elderly gardener knelt beside him. "Listen close," he said, pointing to a single red leaf trembling on a bamboo stalk.
Kenji watched the leaf shiver, and his foot stopped tapping. He sat perfectly still, listening.
Kenji's shoulders dropped and a small smile appeared. The city hummed beyond the gate, but inside, everything felt soft and slow.
Kenji waved at the gardener and stepped back into the street. A red leaf drifted past his shoe. He smiled and kept walking.
