Hope

Excellence Award in the 'Just Keep Writing 2019' competition

The wind howled once again, through the faded glass.

Busy footsteps jostled through the hallway outside the door, never ceasing. Fast words became blurred in the low tones that people which they came from were speaking in, so she couldn’t hear any whole sentence.

Well, there was one voice that was louder than all of the others, the one closest to her. Panicked, but demanding, every syllable was articulated.

“I want to know what happened to her!”

Another voice became audible as it drew closer to the door.

“Ma’am, it is best if you have no involvement in this. Leave your daughter to us, an--”

“She is my daughter! I have the right to know every single detail of what is going on, and I don’t believe that in any way you- or any other person here- can not allow that!”

“Ma’am, please keep your voice down.”

“Then you will tell me.”

The lower tone sighed. It seemed that that person had been trying to avoid this all along, to keep the full truth from…..the…

The child couldn’t think. Well, it happened every time she tried, didn’t it? Not one word would come up.

“Your daughter can understand every word we are saying. However, she cannot interpret it in a way so that she can mimic and express herself in the same manner as us. She can feel pain, feel emotions, but not use the gestures of humans which have been created and only used by us.”

“What?”

Silence followed the word. As the doctor explained, the child understood every single word, her…. The person’s anger, fear, worry.

Her voice was louder than before, and sounded as if tears were streaming down her cheeks as she spoke.

“But...how?!...What did you do to her?!”

Her outburst was clear now…

“Ma’am, we are trying our best to figure it out, and we promi--”

“Trying to figure it out. Yes, of course you are. Trying. Promising, aren’t you? What did you say when I first took her here when she didn’t feel well? You said that you ‘promise that she will be well soon’! I believed you, and what is her state now?!”

“Ma’am, we can never be sure that everything will work out as we wish. Never before have we seen any person with the same case as her.”

“You….”

“Ma’am, I believe you need some time..”

Silence.

The doctor stepped away..

“Lily, you hear me?”

Yes, Lily thought. I hear you!

No words came out.

“You are there, right?”

Her tone was a semitone lighter, as if she was smiling.

“Lily, you’ll be alright. We’re gonna go home soon, and we’ll eat, joke, and live..like we always did.”

We will... we will!

“We..will fight this together, ok? We have.. Hope.”

Something rang in that word, as if it were a bell chimed. She had heard that word uncountable times, but this..seemed somewhat different.

Lily opened her mouth.

“H….Hope.”

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