The voice echoed through my head, fading like mist in the morning air.

My eyes opened — my pillow was still damp, the sheets cold. I had cried in my sleep again.

The room that had felt so warm just a few days ago now seemed haunted.

The sunlight slipping through the curtains felt pale, weak, as if even the morning was afraid to touch me.

It had been stuck in my house for days now ever since that nightmare.

I sat there for a long time, listening to the silence. Every sound — the clock, the wind, even my own breath — reminded me of her.

Tsukiko’s smile. Her voice.

The blood on my hands.

My chest tightened. My body felt heavier than ever, like grief itself was holding me down.

“Why, Tsukiko…” I whispered. “Why did you have to leave me?”

I started crying like a child again, desperate.

I forced myself to stand. My hands trembled as I finally started getting ready for school. Every movement felt meaningless, every object in the room a reminder of her touch — the notebook she returned, the ribbon she once dropped, the faint scent of her perfume still clinging to my sleeve.

But I couldn’t let her memory fade. I couldn't just let her memories die with me in this house.

Not like I let everything else fade before.

I remembered the day my grandfather died.

I never had my parents long enough to even know what a normal childhood was.

They were gone too early — and every day after that felt like living in someone else’s shadow.

Then came my grandfather — a strict old army man with a soft voice.

He never said “I love you,” but I could feel it in how he spoke, how he watched me, how he made sure I ate before he did.

He trained me. Taught me discipline, courage, and how to stand even when the world fell apart.

We used to visit my parents’ graves every Sunday. He’d salute silently. I’d just stand there, unsure what to say. I was just a lost child.

Over time, I began to rely on him. I hid it well, but I really did love him so much.

And then... he left too. He also left me alone in this cruel world. Actually the world wasn't cruel it was the loneliness.

After that, I stopped expecting anything from life. I stopped hoping. I started accepting this as my reality that I am alone and unloved.

Until Tsukiko appeared.

She changed everything — the way I smiled, the way I breathed, the way I lived.

I never understood why, but every time I saw her, something broken inside me began to heal. Her smile alone was enough to make me smile.

And before I knew it, I’d started to live again.

But just when I finally reached out to hold that fragile thing called love — it slipped away.

____

Now I walk the same path to school, but it’s not the same anymore.

The air feels heavier, the world colder.

The streets that were warm just yesterday seem endless now, haunted by memories.

As I was lost in my haunting darkness I felt something rushing towards me from behind.

A dog suddenly darted past me, its leash dragging on the ground.

And then — a voice.

My body moved on its own.

Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed the leash like a last lifeline— my hand trembling as I held on.

The dog barked, tugging hard. I steadied myself, breath ragged.

And then I heard it again — that voice.

Soft. Familiar. A voice that made my heart race faster than a train.

Like a memory calling from beyond a dream.

Slowly, I turned around.

Time froze.

The air stilled. Even the leaves in the wind seemed to stop mid-fall.

The world had gone silent — except for the sound of my heartbeat.

And there she was.

Alive.

Is this a Dream or a Second Chance ?

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