(Continue...)

The next day, the doctor fulfilled his promise and opened Rin’s bandage. Rin was so happy. Both her legs were broken from the incident and she couldn’t move for weeks. She cursed Len for that.

Rin was about to try walking, the doctor told her to be slowly because she was just healed so she did. Rin lowered her legs from the bed and touched the cold floor. She got up imagining she finally could walk again thought her eyes and ears were ripped from her. The moment she concentrated her weight to her feet, she fell. Rin tried again thinking her feet must be stiffed after not being used for weeks but she fell again. Tried again, fell again. Rin got so confused. The doctor and the nurse helped her sat on her bed again and the doctor asked her to move her toes. Rin tried moving her toes but nothing happened. Tried again, still nothing happened. Rin felt panic as the doctor examined her legs and told her the worst and last thing she wanted to hear; Rin’s feet were paralyzed.

[I hope you die, Len. I wish you dead. I pray I can kill you my own.]

That night, the stranger visited her again maybe hoping Rin would greet by running toward. But Rin was crying. Rin might not realize that she was crying harder and louder than before. The moment Rin felt a pat on her head, Rin grabbed the hand and groped until she found the stranger’s neck and hugged it. She cried hard on the stranger’s shoulder while sobbing and telling her worsen condition.

Rin didn’t realize the stranger stopped patting her back and went all silent the moment she said she was now paralyzed and when she did realize, she knew the stranger was as shocked as her, she could tell from the silent movement.
That night was spent in tears and Rin cursing Len, wanting him to be dead and all. If it wasn’t because of him, she wouldn’t be in the hospital now. If it wasn’t because of him, she wouldn’t lose her sight. If it wasn’t because of him, she wouldn’t lose her hearing. If it wasn’t because of him, she wouldn’t lose her feet.

[I want to see again!]
[I want to hear again!]
[I want to walk again!]

Rin couldn’t help but to yell those three sentences over and over again between her crying. Rin wept harder while the stranger held her tight like feeling her depression too until it was dawn and Rin fell asleep.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. The wind was blowing. The flowers were blossoming. The birds were chirping. And Rin finally allowed to went back home. Her parents pushed the wheelchair in which Rin was now sitting. Rin could tell from the warm and comfortable air that it was indeed a very beautiful day. If only she could see the flowers and hear the birds.

Rin was so desperate wanting to hear the birds chirping but she heard nothing. She couldn’t hear anything that she opened her mouth and sang for herself but she couldn’t hear her own voice and dropped crying again. She could feel her parents―probably her mother―wiped her tears away and the other―probably her father―wrote on her palm that she sang beautifully just now. But just how beautiful it really was? Singing was the only thing she loves to do. Rin used to compose the music, wrote the lyric, and sang it herself. Rin buried her face on her hands and some words slipped unheard by her from her lips in front of her parents.

“… Why me? Why not just him?”

(To be continued...)