Change was exciting.
But it also came with goodbyes.
As the days leading to her departure drew closer, Akutu found herself caught between two emotions—thrill for the unknown and a quiet sadness for what she was leaving behind.
She had spent four years here.
This campus had been more than just a place of learning.
It had been home.
Her first goodbye was to her favorite spot—the old mango tree near the library.
She sat there one last time, running her fingers over the rough bark, remembering all the times she had scribbled her thoughts in her notebook, lost in her own world.
She left a small note tucked between the tree's roots.
"For the next dreamer who sits here—life is a series of pulleys. Keep moving forward."
Then came the harder goodbyes.
She met Nathan at the cafeteria, the same place they had spent countless afternoons debating over food choices and making fun of their lecturers.
"Didn't think you'd actually leave us," he teased, forcing a smile.
She chuckled. "Neither did I."
A pause.
Then, Nathan held out his hand.
"No hard feelings?"
Akutu smiled, shaking it firmly. "No hard feelings."
And then, there was Kojo.
He arrived at her hostel the night before her departure.
They didn't say much—just sat on the balcony, staring at the city lights in the distance.
"I'm proud of you," he finally said.
Akutu swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm going to miss this."
"Me too," he admitted. "But hey, it's not goodbye forever. Just a new chapter."
She nodded, her heart full.
Kojo reached into his pocket and handed her a small, folded paper.
"Open it when you get there," he said with a wink.
She took it, gripping it tightly.
The next morning, as the bus pulled away from campus, Akutu let out a deep breath.
Goodbyes were never easy.
But they were necessary.
Because every goodbye was just a step toward a new beginning.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.