Heka Anderson was fast asleep. He did not know when he would wake up. It was a rare sight-one he hadn't experienced before. For him, it was for the first time after a few days he spent some days without enduring his sleepless night.
What happened to Heka was almost unreal. Because it was impossible for ordinary humans who were able to withstand, even not sleep at all, to prolong wakefulness and to overwhelming drowsiness.
Yet one day, he found the answer to some irregularities that made him be curious about himself. He began to find the way to unsettling it all.
Fatal insomnia had tormented Heka Anderson for 6 years. The disease did not look like a deadly disease nor recurred. It did strike him continuously. Probably, it occurred twice a month. But it lasted about 3 days each episode.
During this time, Heka Anderson could not sleep at all. Strangely, he didn't feel sleepy or tired either. His eyes didn't seem to refuse to be closed and kept wide open. As it defies his natural body that needs to rest.
This time was different, after Heka was grueling a week without any rest. Finally, he managed to fall asleep. It was the nicest dream ever. Before, he couldn't sleep at all in the day. But he put it in a strange thing. It overshadowed and burdened his mind.
Many might dismiss that this was just an ordinary insomnia. Something would be cured for a moment by taking sleeping pills. This did not work for fatal insomnia at all. Even taking tens to hundreds of sleeping pills that he drank at once. It was not easy to close his eyes for a long time.
For six years from now on, it was a tough experience that Heka had at all. The disease slowly eroded his strength. His body organs were getting weakened day by day. Especially the heart, it seemed as if you were tired of beating relentlessly. Even breathing became a laborious task.
During his episodes, Heka suffered hyperventilation, which made him easy to sweat excessively cold. Nowadays, he felt that his heart was not able to endure the breaking point under the strain of hyperventilation.
Hence, he was exhausted, stressed, and drove to madness. That afternoon, Heka sought solace for entertainment. He chose to visit the mall and watch a movie. The title was Spider-Man : No Way Home movie. The duration of the movie was quite long, about two and a half hours.
But it was not longer than Zack Snyder: Justice League, which lasted about four hours. Possibly, it was the record for the longest film ever. Usually, the long duration movie would be divided into two parts.
He went alone and refused to be accompanied by anyone. Despite this, he had many friends to accompany him, so it was not too boring. However, he preferred solitude, drowning in loneliness.
He seemed like a lost person alone in the crowd. He just wanted to enjoy the movie without any distraction and was being bothered by anyone. He needed some time to forget his suffering.
Not only that, he also hoped after he looked for entertainment for himself, he could make his heart and mind more relaxed. Then, it allowed him to rest easily and sleep well.
Three hours later, he emerged from the cinema. He felt his heart and mind becoming more relaxed. Perhaps, this was a good sign tonight. He really hoped to be able to sleep.
Because he was alone, he could only lose his own thoughts. He felt hopeless, despaired and crept in.
"I don't know how long I will continue life like this. Is it possible for the rest of my life until I die, my insomnia doesn't go away at all? All of this makes me feel overwhelmed, and it seems I can't take it anymore. One day, will I find a way to be free from all my suffering?"
Heka has indeed tried various kinds of treatment for the sake of being able to sleep. He visited countless hospitals and swallowed various kinds of medicine. He also took some therapies, consulted to a psychologist, even alternative treatment. However, it could not cure him at all.
Hence, he decided to give up any treatment. For him, it was all a waste of time and money. He had no intention of trying another therapy anymore.
Day by day, his insomnia was getting worse. Like this time, he hadn't been able to sleep at all for six straight days. Normally, he did not sleep for two or three days. And it just happens three to four times a month.
"For all the things happening to me now, is it the result of stopping all existing treatments?" He wondered, while he was pulling out the sleeping pills he hadn't taken in a long time. Deep down, it was impossible and real. Probably, it was because he had been addicted and had been too dependent on drugs.
Despite his desire, a small spark flicked his mind. In his little heart, he still had a hope that one day he could be completely cured of insomnia.
"Will I find something or someone who can heal me someday? If there is a way, where should I look for it? Who can help me? How much do I pay for that? I'm sure that it's definitely not with medical treatment or the alternative that I have already tried before.
The price will definitely be very expensive, but is it enough for a lot of money or something rare? Probably the price will be more than that.
Indeed, nothing is more important than making money in this world. Because money is a source of livelihood. It is not a prehistoric period. I do not live in the wilderness."
Nowadays, that was all Heka thought. The most important thing was that he might have enough money. So, someday he would meet someone that could heal him.
While he was lost in his thoughts, he got off the escalator. There was something strange happening to him. It happened too fast. Even he couldn't remember what exactly happened.
Suddenly, there was someone who seemed to be deliberately pushing him and making him almost fall down. Of course, it surprised him. He looked back to see who had done it.
But, he didn't find anyone behind him. He also looked around to find out who had just pushed him. It was so weird, so he thought it didn't happen and let it be.
"Maybe this is just my hallucination."
After he reassured himself, his gaze turned to the front. He was startled because there was someone standing in front of him, a man in a black coat. He was sure when he descended the escalator, he was alone. No one was in front or behind him.
Actually, he was so curious why the man was suddenly in front of him. Therefore, the person kept his head down. He didn't want to start a fight or draw attention. Instead, he decided to get rid of his curiosity swallowing in quietly. After all, he would act as if nothing had happened.
As he reached the bottom of the escalator, the man suddenly stopped. Without any words, he turned around. They faced each other and looked at each other. He got frozen in place when they met eyes. He felt chill run down his spine.
The person's gaze was blank, unreadable. Unexpectedly, there was a dim light that began emerged from that person. It started small. Slowly, the light grew bigger and dazzled. Until it dazzled Heka's eyes.
Reacting instinctively, Heka quickly closed his eyes with both his hands. His eyes couldn't stand the dazzling light. The brilliance was overwhelming, too intense to bear.
A few moments later, the light began to dim slowly. Cautiously, he began to remove the hand that was covering his eyes. He opened his eyes slowly. The dazzling light transforms into a simple lamp in the room, casting a warm, steady glow.
Heka blinked. He tried to comprehend what had just happened. The mystery lingered in the air. It would be the moment that was unanswered but undeniably real.