Shadow (a black version of himself, whispering):
"just do it . you know you want too"
"Don't think. Just do it. It's what you always do."
(his hand moves — screen flashing)
"…yeah…just like that"
"Good boy…"
(...pause)
(He finishes. Heavy breathing. Stillness.)
"…"
[No more voice. He stares at the screen. Then at his hand.]
"...fuck."
"Every time."
"It's disgusting. I'm disgusting."
[He wipes quickly. Shuts the monitor . throw's the Paper towel to the trash ,gets up, shaky.]
"Why do I keep doing this...?"
[He lies on the bed, face down.]
"It's not even fun anymore."
[He grabs his phone. Opens social media. Swiping.]
"Every time I see someone, there's a black line across their eyes."
(swipe... swipe...)
"...another ass."
"Another fake smile."
"...all the same."
"Why do they all look... dead?"
[He notices their eyes. A black line across every face.]
(scroll again... one more swipe...)
"...huh?"
[A character, A catgirl . yellow . Bright eyes. No black line.]
"Wait— She's… different. What is this feeling?"
"Her eyes… They are so… beautiful. ."
"There are no black lines in her eyes. They're looking straight into me."
"That soft fur on her ears… her calm smile…"
"I...I want to know more about her"
[He taps. Saves. Scrolls through comments.]
"Lemon..."
"...that's her name?"
(He stares. Doesn't blink. Doesn't breathe.)
"...what are you doing to me?"
[He's still staring at Lemon's picture. Time passes.]
"I can't stop looking at her."
"Her hair…is tied with a blue ribbon…its beautiful.
" Her tail… it's swaying like she's right here."
"She's glowing… everything about her feels real."
"I've never seen something so beautiful in my life."
[He holds the phone close to his chest.]
"what is this feeling?... is … is this Love ?"
"but … she's not ... real "
"am I … in love with a fictional character?"
"…so what now?"
"…sure, maybe I love her. But… so what?"
"I'm nothing. Just a loser. I'm sure even if she was real… she'd never love someone
like me."
"but…maybe she's not real."
"But I don't care. I don't care if she's just a drawing."
"If it's her… I'll do anything."
"I'll quit that disgusting shit. I swear."
"For her… I'll change."
"…"
[He stands. Puts on his shoes. It's past midnight. The world outside is silent,
almost dead. He hasn't stepped outside in months … he just goes out for school.]
[He goes out. opens the door. The wind blows his hair . put he's earphones on and
starts walking]
[Streetlights flicker. His shadow stretches long behind him. He walks further into
the night, music drowning out his thoughts — but his heart keeps whispering her
name.]
[he stops. Look at the sky . the stars made shape like her . he smiles I bit]
"hmm…"
"surely I can say … im in love now "
[He walks further. The night is silent except for the music in his ears.]
[The beat grows louder, drowning everything else. His eyes slowly close as he
walks.]
[ — his body fades away. he's sinking, slowly, like falling into a void. endless
space. Dark, weightless, infinite. His clothes ripple as if underwater. ]
[He looks ahead. A soft glow appears in the dark. His chest tightens. His eyes
widen.]
"...Is …Is that her?"
[She's there. Standing in front of him, calm, beautiful. Her ears twitch slightly. Her
eyes shine in the darkness. She says nothing. Just smiles — gently, warmly.]
[He reaches out, trembling, desperate. His hand almost touches hers—]
(—FLASH—)
[His eyes snap open. He's lying in bed, drenched in sweat, gasping. The music is
still playing faintly from his earphones.]
"what… what was that ?... was that a dream?"