u/Connect-Selection200

The Waiting World 

Sia's Story: The Brave Thing 

— Prologue—

I have a question for you—yes, you, those reading this. Have you ever given thought to what happens after a person dies? The answer could be yes or no, depending entirely on the individual's beliefs, right?        

Think about it this way — there would be an enormous number of people who don’t care about it at all, like those who are too busy to think about death. And on the other hand, there would be those who think death… normally means the end, as there would be an endless darkness at the moment when an individual’s eyes closed off, forever. And yes, we cannot forget people's religious beliefs. A person either goes to hell or heaven. Hell — for those who committed endless crimes, like deceiving people, cheating on their partners, or any other type of scandalous thing. In short, for the sins they have committed, God punishes them after death. And heaven— for those who lived with kindness, honesty, and genuine love in their hearts. But aside from all these people, there would be one of you who would have at least fantasised. What if something like an afterlife exists? What if, after a person dies, they reach a place called an ‘IN-BETWEEN’? A place which is neither hell nor heaven. Neither darkness nor light. A place where the dead… exist. Where unfinished stories find their endings. Where unanswered questions finally get their answers. Where souls wander until they find what they were looking for. I know what you might be thinking. That sounds like a… fantasy dream, which might have been taught to all of you by a fantasy novel, perhaps, or for some people, they must have just imagined that. But what if I told you that this place does exist— and one soul is waiting in the ‘IN-BETWEEN.’ For another soul to arrive. Will anything change for him after this new soul arrives, or will the story be the same for him?

“Sia, huh, so you are the new soul who would be arriving.” A boy muttered quietly to himself, waiting for this girl to arrive in the ‘IN-BETWEEN’.

***

CHAPTER 2:

AARON SOLILOQUY

June 24, 2023.

At first, it was a completely normal day for our family.

But for us…

It was the day everything fell apart.

At that time, I was in the second year of middle school, and my big sister had just started high school.

That day also happened to be the final match of my interschool football tournament.

My family was very excited. Why wouldn’t they be? I was not only part of the team; I was also the captain.

Our morning started just like any other day.

We all sat together for breakfast, and everyone wished me good luck for the match.

Even though I was happy, I didn’t really show it outwardly.

It wasn’t that I didn’t feel emotions—I just wasn’t good at expressing them. It was one of my weaknesses.

After breakfast, as I reached the door to leave, I heard my father's voice behind me.
“Aaron, go and win this final. After that, we’ll celebrate your victory together.”
Beside him, my mother smiled warmly, as if she meant the same thing.
My sister walked up to me, hugged me, and said, “I believe in you, little brother. Go and achieve this.” After hearing those words and receiving that hug from my sister, I gave them a small smile before leaving for the match.
“Yeah… we’ll do that, it’s a promise,” I said.
If I recall correctly, that smile truly came from my heart.

My parents were both successful businesspeople. They were quite wealthy, and their work kept them busy most of the time. But even so, they always made sure to spend time with my sister and me.

In short… we were a happy family.

When I arrived at the stadium, the place was already packed with people. The crowd was loud and energetic, cheering for their teams.

Both teams eventually walked onto the field, and after a few minutes, the match began.

From the field, I quickly spotted my parents, my sister, and my three childhood friends sitting in the stands, cheering loudly for our team.

The first half ended with us leading 2–0, and I had scored both goals.

Inside, I felt happy.

But as usual, my face remained completely neutral.

No smile. No excitement.

Just a calm expression.

Because we were leading, everyone believed we would win the tournament easily.

But that day—

Fate had something completely different in store.

Especially—

As the second half began, everything started going wrong.

Our team lost its rhythm. We made mistake after mistake. Our coordination fell apart.

Compared to the first half, we looked like a completely different team.

By the time the final whistle blew…

The score had changed to 2-4.

We had lost.

I still remember the scene after the match ended.

Many of my teammates were crying. Some were sitting on the field in disbelief.

But I simply stood there.

Like a mannequin.

My face showed no emotion at all.

But that didn’t mean I felt nothing.

Inside, I was deeply hurt.

After the match ended, the crowd slowly began leaving the stadium.

My parents had already left earlier.

A little while later, my sister and my friends came over to me.

They tried to comfort me.

They told me that I had played well. I had done my best, and that winning and losing were both part of the game.

And honestly…

They were right.

Eventually, I accepted the loss.

Before leaving, my sister told me she had somewhere to go and asked me to make sure I returned home before six in the evening.

After that, my friends suggested we go to a café together.

It was their way of cheering me up after the match.

I didn’t mind the idea.

In fact, I was starting to feel a little better.

But just as we were about to reach the café…

My phone rang.

It was my sister.

When I answered the call, I heard her voice.

“Little brother, come to ward ‘104’ at the city hospital right now.”

At first, I was confused.

But something in her voice felt strange.

Heavy—

Serious—

It didn’t sound like a joke.

So, I didn’t ask any questions.

Together with my friends, I immediately headed to the hospital.

As we walked to the hospital, time felt strange. On top of that, I noticed a black cat cross our path. I didn’t believe in superstitions—I knew that—but somehow my whole body started sweating, and there was an itch in my palm that wouldn’t go. I didn’t know what was happening anymore. After 25 minutes, which felt like an eternity, we finally arrived at the city hospital.

But as we got closer to the hospital, my heart began beating faster and faster.

A strange feeling filled my chest.

When we finally arrived, the atmosphere felt strangely numb and cold.

It smelled like any hospital. Everyone—patients, doctors, nurses—seemed to be doing their jobs. But when I met someone’s gaze, even for a second, I saw pity in their eyes. I didn’t understand, so I looked away.

But I think—still—I could feel their eyes on me.
As we approached the cabin where my sister was supposed to be waiting, a faint sound reached my ears.
Someone was crying.

I tried to convince myself.
No… it can’t be. My sister can’t be crying like that… can she?
It’s just my imagination… nothing more.

But somewhere deep inside my heart, I knew the words I was telling myself were hollow.
They were nothing more than a desperate lie.

As we reached ward ‘104’, I didn’t peek through the transparent

glass first. I took a long sigh, and when my hands reached the door

knob, they shook a little and were sweaty too. Then, my eyes on the floor, I opened the door rather slowly.

 

As the door finally opened, my gaze stayed on the floor —

But I heard it. A small sob. Ryan’s. which he tried to hold back.

Then —a thud behind me — Ethan had fallen, clutching the chair tightly. His tears hit the floor —I could hear each one —but he was

Holding back the sobs. My chest caved in.

The lie I’d been telling myself? It shattered at that moment.

But my brain —it wouldn’t let me accept it.

Then I finally looked up —with numbness in my heart —

I saw—

My sister was clinging to two bodies, which were covered with a white Blanket. Blood soaked through it.

And there I saw Dad’s hand. The ring still on his left. Skin pale—cold.

I could tell—without touching.

And Mom’s right hand—limp—lifeless.

And it was the first time I saw her hands so loose.

My hand slipped from the knob.

She looked so small, face buried —eyes swollen red.

And I—

Couldn’t breathe.

The air just… stopped.

  That room— suddenly, it wasn’t just cold—it felt alive with some absence.

  Our parents— they are—dead. Any hope I thought could be there, but after seeing them like that, it completely disappeared.

Without realising it, my hands curled into fists.

Then, as I was not able to move or go near her, I felt…

Someone hugged me from behind. It was Lucas, my friend.

Then I finally came back to the cruel reality. In that moment, the only thing I could feel was regret—the only emotion I could name.

Regret that I will never see them again.

Regret that we will never speak to each other again.

Regret that I would never get to call out—‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ ever again.

Regret that our promise of celebrating the win… together would never be fulfilled again, my sister and I. We are left alone.

They were gone—

Forever, because of a car accident.

But I was not able to move from the spot. I wanted to run.

Towards my sister and—confront her.

There was a storm of words raging inside me — things

I wanted to say, wanted to scream — but my feet stayed frozen.

One step. That’s all it would have taken. But I felt hopeless.

I couldn’t move.

When my sister finally noticed me standing there, frozen in place, she slowly stood up and walked toward me.

Then she— hugged me.

As tightly as she possibly could.

That hug felt desperate.

As if she was saying—

"I don’t want to lose you, too." That was what her embrace told me.

I couldn’t bring myself to look into her eyes or wipe away her tears.
But… gathering my courage, I slowly looked at her and said,

“Sis… I know I don’t really have the right to say this. It’s natural to cry, and I won’t stop you.” Then, while wiping her tears, I added,
“I’ll be there for you, no matter what.”

The words I said were meant to reassure her.
After hearing them, she hugged me again and said,

“Yeah… and I’ll be there for you, too, little brother. No matter what happens, I’ll support you in every way I can.”

We had already lost our parents.

My friends tried their best to calm my sister down.

And me as well.

But at that moment…

Something inside my heart quietly closed.

A void.

Before that day, I could still feel my emotions.

But after that moment, it felt like those emotions had disappeared. I asked myself only one question: why?

Why was I feeling like this?
Shouldn’t a tragedy like this make my emotions come out even more?
Then wh—why did it feel like everything inside me had closed off?

When I received no answer from my own conscience, I gave up and accepted what I had become.
Something I had never wanted to become.

I once believed this would never happen—that my second personality would become my reality now.
But reality doesn’t follow a person’s wishes, does it now?

After all, we are only mortals.

We can control the things that can be controlled, and I tried to.

But in the end, I failed, so I simply learned to accept the way I had become.

I accepted the personality and the traits I once hated—
the ones I never wished to possess.

Because in real life, you can’t simply control such things.
Even if you try—

You will fail. As time passed, I noticed something strange about myself.

I didn’t really feel emotions anymore.

Instead…

I realised I was simply mimicking the emotions of others, rather than truly feeling them myself.

Smiling when people smiled.

Reacting the way people normally would in certain situations.

But none of it truly came from inside.

After that day, one question kept repeating in my mind.

What’s the point of getting close to someone— when you know they will eventually leave you behind? Due to any reason.

I know there are many answers to that question.

But for me—

It felt like I would never find the answer—

Three years have passed since that day.

Now I’m about to start my second year of high school, and my sister will soon begin her college.

But no matter how much time passes—

I still remember that day clearly.

Every single year—

Whenever a new school term is about to begin…

That memory returns. But still, maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all. Because there are some memories in life—that we shouldn’t forget—right?

 

---------------

Well it's the end of this chapter, i know it is quite a long chapter for a SOLILOQUY but i hope you could tell your honest feedback, and to be specific it's just my first draft for this chapter though!

I have a question for you—yes, you, those reading this. Have you ever given thought to what happens after a person dies? The answer could be yes or no, depending entirely on the individual's beliefs, right?        

Think about it this way — there would be an enormous number of people who don’t care about it at all, like those who are too busy to think about death. And on the other hand, there would be those who think death… normally means the end, as there would be an endless darkness at the moment when an individual’s eyes closed off, forever. And yes, we cannot forget people's religious beliefs. A person either goes to hell or heaven. Hell — for those who committed endless crimes, like deceiving people, cheating on their partners, or any other type of scandalous thing. In short, for the sins they have committed, God punishes them after death. And heaven— for those who lived with kindness, honesty, and genuine love in their hearts. But aside from all these people, there would be one of you who would have at least fantasised. What if something like an afterlife exists? What if, after a person dies, they reach a place called an ‘IN-BETWEEN’? A place which is neither hell nor heaven. Neither darkness nor light. A place where the dead… exist. Where unfinished stories find their endings. Where unanswered questions finally get their answers. Where souls wander until they find what they were looking for. I know what you might be thinking. That sounds like a… fantasy dream, which might have been taught to all of you by a fantasy novel, perhaps, or for some people, they must have just imagined that. But what if I told you that this place does exist— and one soul is waiting in the ‘IN-BETWEEN.’ For another soul to arrive. Will anything change for him after this new soul arrives, or will the story be the same for him?

“Sia, huh, so you are the new soul who would be arriving.” A boy muttered quietly to himself, waiting for this girl to arrive in the ‘IN-BETWEEN’.

***

Postscript

Thank you for reading The Waiting World.

This is my very first short story, and I’m still learning as a writer, but I truly wanted to create a world that feels quiet, meaningful, and memorable in its own way, so if you enjoyed the beginning of Sia and Aryan’s journey, I hope to get your support

Author: Akenoir

See you again in the next chapter. And yeah, 'Akenoir' is just a pen-name though.