Fresh from sports practice, Kian checked his phone and felt his breath catch. Ariana's message was terse, frantic. He immediately tried to call her, but the phone rang into a hollow silence before going to voicemail. 'She must be on the train,' he reasoned, a knot of worry tightening in his chest. 'Her phone is probably dead.' He was left with only the echo of her words and the unsettling feeling of being unable to reach her when she needed him most. 🏀
Meanwhile, Ariana's journey was a passage through a ghostly version of her past. Returning to the town she had left a year and a half ago felt like stepping into a dream where all the landmarks had subtly shifted. Uncle Chang's restaurant, once a modest spot on the city's edge, had expanded into a bustling establishment. The old oak tree that had anchored the town center was now a fallen giant, its decay a stark reminder of time's relentless march. The walls of her first school were webbed with cracks and draped in moss, memories fading under a green patina.
The taxi finally pulled up to the hospital, a place that now held the fragile thread of her uncle's life. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she moved through the sterile, antiseptic-scented corridors. After getting his details from the receptionist, she hurried to the waiting area. 🙌
From a distance, her aunt saw her. A strangled cry escaped her lips before she rushed forward, collapsing into Ariana's arms. The weight of her aunt's grief was immense, and Ariana felt the hot tears soak through her shirt. "Oh, my daughter," her aunt sobbed, her body trembling. "The doctors said... it's very difficult. I'm so scared."
"Auntie, we are together. Everything will be fine," Ariana whispered, the words feeling hollow even as she said them. Her cousin, six years younger, stood nearby. He wasn't crying, but the terror in his wide, glassy eyes was a silent scream.
When the doctors emerged, their somber expressions delivered the verdict before they even spoke. "We're sorry. We did everything we could. Mr. Harris has passed away." 😭
The world seemed to fracture. Her aunt's scream was a sound of pure, unadulterated anguish. Ariana watched as the stoic facade on her cousin's face crumbled, tears tracing clean paths down his cheeks. Her own heart felt like a stone in her chest. This man had been her anchor for nine years, the one who had welcomed a broken, orphaned girl into his home and treated her as his own from the very first day.
Later, they were led to a quiet room. The body that lay there was both familiar and foreign. The kind smile that had always greeted her was still etched on his face, a final, peaceful mask. His graying hair clung to his balding head, and his cheeks held a strange, waxy puffiness. This was the shell that remained of the man who had been her father in all but blood.
In a daze, Ariana helped her aunt and cousin. They rented a vehicle and began the somber, silent journey home, the weight of the coffin in the back a tangible representation of the loss that now filled their hearts and their home. 🏷