Echoes of a Forgotten Voice

Ren was walking down the street, completely lost in his own thoughts, when a speeding private car rushed toward him. A collision seemed certain. But just in the nick of time, someone shoved him hard from behind, sending him rolling to the side of the road.When Ren opened his eyes, he realized he was lying upside down. He quickly sat up and began brushing the dirt off his clothes. As he glanced to his side, his eyes went wide. He gasped in utter shock at the strange creature sitting right next to him.Before Ren could even utter a word, the creature spoke up. "Hey, Ren, listen to me. I am a Creative Writing Shadow.""What?" Ren stammered, deeply confused. "Who are you? And why are you here?""I come from 'The Kingdom of Shadows'," the Creative Writing Shadow explained. "It is a realm where every human dream lives on as a colorful, vibrant shadow."Ren squinted at the creature. Its body looked faded and completely washed out. Pointing a finger at it, Ren asked, "If what you are saying is true, then why is your own color so dull and gloomy?""Exactly! That is why I need your help," the Shadow replied with an intense look. "There was a girl named Hitomori. She wrote theShe wrote the most extraordinary story, but she passed away before she could finish it. It was Hitomori's biggest dream to publish that book and become a great story writer."The Shadow’s shoulders slumped, its tone turning deeply melancholic. "If only she had finished it, my colors would be bright and shining right now."Ren stood there, completely bewildered. He had no idea who this girl, Hitomori, was or what he was even supposed to do about it. "But why did you come to me?" Ren asked. "How did you even find me?""I saw your dream shadow long ago when you wanted to become a famous writer," the Creative Writing Shadow replied. "That is how I tracked you down."Ren's confusion only grew. "My dream shadow? What on earth is that?"The Creative Writing Shadow sighed in frustration. "Ugh, I told you already! I am from The Kingdom of Shadows. In our world, the goals and ambitions you humans dream of take the shape of shadows. But your dream shadow has completely faded away... because you don't dream anymor. It seems you no longer have any goals left in your life."Hearing the brutal truth about himself, Ren fell completely silent. He lowered his head and whispered softly, "Yeah... you're right. I really don't have any dreams left."The Creative Writing Shadow stood frozen under the flickering glow of the streetlamp as Ren’s footsteps faded down the quiet pavement. The chilly night air swirled around them, but the Shadow felt a different kind of cold. It looked down at its hands; the edges were blurring, slowly turning into a dull, lifeless gray.Ren’s parting words still echoed in the empty street: "Where Hitomori no longer exists, what good is your grayness anyway?"The Shadow watched Ren turn the corner, disappearing into the dark neighborhood. It felt completely lost. How could it make Ren understand? Ren’s grief was like a brick wall, and every time the Shadow tried to bring up Hitomori’s dream, it only made Ren angrier and more defensive. Standing alone on the concrete sidewalk, the Shadow realized that words weren't working. It couldn't just tell Ren what to do—it had to show him what was at stake.Meanwhile, Ren walked down the street with his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets. His chest felt tight, a mix of pure anger and suffocating guilt. How dare that thing confront me out here in the open? he thought, his boots clicking sharply against the ground. He felt like finishing the story was a betrayal, a fake way to patch up a tragedy that couldn't be fixed.Ren was walking away. The Creative Writing Shadow stands in front of him and says, "Ren, if you don't help me, my shadow will remain dhushor (gray)."Ren says, "Where Hitomori has no existence, what will happen with your grayness?"The Creative Writing Shadow says, "Ren, do you know it was Hitomori's dream to be a famous story writer? But he couldn't become one."Ren says, "But what can I do? Hitomori could not even stay alive here, how will I write his story there and keep it published?"Ren walks away and does not listen to any more words. The Creative Writing Shadow cannot understand how it will actually make him understand.When Ren returned home, he saw his little sister, Hana, still watching TV. Unlacing his shoes, Ren asked, "Hana, why haven't you gone to sleep yet?"

Yawning deeply, Hana replied, "My cartoon isn't finished yet."

Ren picked up the remote, turned off the TV, and said, "Go to sleep."

Ren went into his room. As he took off his jacket and brushed off the dirt before hanging it up, the words of the Creative Writing Shadow kept echoing in his mind. The strange encounter on the street, the Shadow’s warning about remaining gray, and Hitomori's unfulfilled dream—he couldn't shake any of it off.

Just then, Hana walked into his room and said, "Bhaiya, tell me a story. I can't sleep."

Ren countered, "Weren't you just watching cartoons and yawning out of sleepiness a moment ago? Where did your sleep go now?"

Hana started throwing a huge tantrum, insisting that he tell her a story, specifically demanding something like a cartoon storyline. Ren stood there, completely stuck, unable to figure out what kind of story he could possibly tell her.

One day, as a cat was walking down the street, an ant suddenly bit its paw. The cat cried out, "Ouch! You tiny ant, why did you bite me?" The ant replied, "Oh, brother cat, there was a stone right there and you were about to trip, so I bit you to warn you." Hearing this, the cat said, "Oh, thank you!" and went on its way.

A few days later, the cat met the ant again. The cat noticed that the ant looked very weak and sick. The cat asked, "Hey, tiny ant, what happened to you?" The ant replied, "Don't even ask, brother cat. I haven't found any food for the past few days, and I've become very sick." The cat immediately said, "Oh, is that all? Come with me, I am taking you along." The tiny ant asked, "Where?" The cat replied, "Just come with me."

The cat told the ant to climb onto its body and head. The ant climbed up, but after a while, it started moving around a lot. The cat said, "Hey, tiny ant, don't move so much! It tickles!" The ant replied, "Oh, brother cat, it tickles for me too!" The cat then said, "Alright, climb down from my head to my hand." The tiny ant did as it was told and crawled down to the cat's hand.

The cat took the tiny ant to a human house to find some food. The cat snuck inside the room through an open window. However, as the cat was quietly trying to get the food, it accidentally made a loud noise. A woman inside the house heard the noise, walked into her kitchen, and saw the cat trying to take her food.

To scare the cat away, the woman grabbed a nearby plate and started waving it around. As the cat began frantically running around to escape, the ant accidentally slipped off its hand and flew through the air. In the middle of all the chaos, as the woman kept swinging the plate to chase the cat, she accidentally struck the exact spot where the ant had landed, crushing it. Witnessing the sudden death of the tiny ant, the cat stood frozen in absolute shock and deep heartbreak.

Hana was deeply hurt by the death of the ant at the end of the story. She complained, "You just chased away whatever sleep I had left!!!!!"

Ren asked, surprised, "Why????"

Hana sighed emotionally, "Because of the ant!!"

Ren burst into a soft laugh upon hearing Hana's dramatic response. He smiled gently and said, "Alright, that's enough. Now go to sleep, Hana."