I didn’t know how long I stayed on the floor.
When I finally opened my eyes, the sky outside had already turned dark. The air inside the house felt heavier, colder… like it had soaked up everything I cried out and decided to hold it forever. My body ached everywhere—my neck, my back, even my fingers felt stiff, as if they didn’t belong to me anymore. My head throbbed like I had been hit with something blunt, but there was no mark, no bruise, nothing to show how broken I felt.
I forced my hand against the floor and pushed myself upright. It didn’t happen smoothly. My arms trembled, my knees wobbled, and for a moment it felt like gravity wanted me more than anything else did. I finally managed to sit up, but my chest tightened as the room slowly sharpened into focus.
Silence.
Not the pea
