When he was around 40 years old, he was walking in a park in Berlin one day. He saw a little girl crying because she had lost her beloved doll. Together, the girl and Kafka searched extensively for the lost doll, but it was nowhere to be found.
Kafka told the girl to return to the same spot the next day, intending for them to look for the doll again together.
However, the doll was not found the next day either. Kafka then handed the little girl a letter and said, "This letter was written by your lost doll."
The letter read—
"Please do not cry. I have set out to see the world. I will regularly write to you and share stories of my exciting journey."
Thus began a story that continued until Kafka's death.
Kafka met the little girl regularly. Whenever they met, he would give her a letter, saying, "This letter was written by your lost doll." He would then lovingly read out exciting tales of the doll's world travels, bringing great joy to the girl.
Some time later, Kafka bought a new doll and gave it to the girl. He said—
"Here, this is your lost doll."
The girl remarked—
"This doll doesn't look anything like my lost doll."
Kafka then handed her another letter, in which her beloved doll had written—
"I have changed a great deal while traveling the world."
The little girl then hugged the new doll to her chest, filled with happiness.
A year later, Kafka passed away. Years later, when that little girl had grown up, she found a small letter inside the doll. That letter, signed by Kafka, read—
“Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way.”
Meaning—
“Everything you love will likely be lost one day; but in the end, love will return in one form or another.”