The Reverse HugBy Storybird
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The Reverse Hug
By Storybird
Created on 12 Jul, 2023
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His arms opened widely, embracing the hard, cold shell of the turtle. John felt a contentment he hadn't experienced before. The quest he had embarked on was finally complete. He was hugging a turtle.
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Before the turtle, John had tried hugging other things, in his pursuit of comfort. Various items and creatures had been part of his journey, but none had brought him the satisfaction he desired.
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He had tried hugging a tree, its sturdy trunk standing firm in the ground. But the rough texture against his skin and the cold, unyielding bark left him feeling more isolated than comforted.
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Next, he hugged his pillow, soft and fluffy, yet too passive in its form. It lacked depth, it lacked soul, and John remained untouched, yearning for something more.
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Then came his attempt to embrace a dog, a golden retriever named Max. Max was warm and vibrant, but his wriggles and licks left John filled with anxiety and unrest.
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Even the ocean, vast and boundless, left John feeling empty. The water's cold and slippery touch provided no solace, only a profound emptiness that echoed within him.
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John had even tried hugging a handful of sand, hoping the tiny grains would provide the contact he yearned for. But the sand slipped through his fingers, leaving him as lost as before.
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His embrace with the wind, airy and free, was fruitless too. The invisible force dodged his grasp, leaving him grasping at nothing. It was whimsical and elusive, not what John needed.
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He had even considered hugging the darkness, during the loneliest parts of the night. But it was cold and haunting, only amplifying the void that John felt within himself.
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In despair, he started hugging random objects — a chair, a broom, a piece of bread. Nothing worked; nothing filled the aching hole inside him.
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John even hugged himself, tightly, trying to find solace within. But he realized that he felt alone even in his own embrace, and desolation swept over him.
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John's journey of hugs seemed to be leading nowhere. His heart ached with the thought of never finding the peace he sought, and he was ready to give up.
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Out of pure frustration, he hugged a cactus. Predictably, its sharp spines poked him everywhere. It hurt, yes, but it was also the first time he felt truly alive throughout his journey.
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In his agony, he hugged a statue in the park; it was hefty, substantial, welcoming in its stoic grace. But the stone surface was too cold, too indifferent to truly comfort him.
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To shake off his monotony, he tried hugging a book; tight and compact in his arms. But the hardcover was too rigid, the pages too dry, the stories too disconnected from his own emotions.
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John decided to embrace a scarecrow in a field, with its straw arms outstretched. Yet, it was empty inside, just like him. The scarecrow’s hollowness mirrored John’s own, deepening his despair.
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Continue hugging or not? In his doubt, he hugged a question mark sign. It was symbolic and metaphorical, but it didn't answer. It only echoed his silent query back at him.
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At this point, John was desperate. He hugged a mirror, hoping to find comfort in his own reflection. But the mirror's cold surface only reflected back his desolation and loneliness.
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Depressed and disheartened, John found himself at a pet shop. There was a turtle, sitting quietly in a tank. Its calm demeanor attracted him, and in a moment of impulse, he hugged it.
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In that embrace, he felt a blend of warmth, firmness, calmness, and an odd sense of companionship. Unlike the other things he had hugged, the turtle felt real, alive, and oddly comforting.
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And so, John didn't let go. He held onto the turtle, feeling grounded in a way he hadn’t felt before. In its gentle serenity and quiet strength, he found the comfort he had been seeking.
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In the embrace of the turtle, John found solace. His journey had been long and winding, filled with misadventures. But it had led him here, to this strange, yet profound satisfaction.
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And so, John learned an invaluable lesson through his misadventures. Comfort was not about hugging the right thing, but about finding the right thing to hug. For him, that thing was a turtle.
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Sometimes, it takes a seemingly futile journey to discover what we truly need. For John, that journey was about hugging, and it led him to his ultimate source of solace: a turtle.
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His tale started with a hug but ended with him hugging a turtle. It was an unusual adventure, a quest for comfort and solace. But ultimately, it was an adventure of self-discovery.
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The Reverse Hug
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