Arthur, the mailman, had walked his route each day, happy-go-lucky with a spring in his step.

Passing folk greeted him with a "Morning" or a friendly nod. For thirty years, this stalwart of the community had brought letters from loved ones, exam results, Valentine's Day cards, and parcels containing gifts for children.

Now, times had changed. Everything was online, and his role as the messenger of news, good or bad, had faded. This saddened Arthur.

Disillusioned with his job and no longer even recognized as he went about his deliveries, a sense of melancholy began to set in.

One day, he spotted an Amazon driver throwing a parcel from the roadside into the garden of one of the long-standing addresses on his round.

"Hey! Take that to the front door and ring the bell. That's no way to behave," he shouted at the ignorant, uninterested man.

His efforts to educate fell on deaf ears, and the unmarked van, in which the man hurriedly jumped, sped off.

Arthur paused, closed his eyes, and shook his head.

That night, sitting at home with his loving wife, Delores, Arthur made a decision.

"Sweetheart, I think it's time to retire."

No one even noticed he had gone.