---
He couldn't speak.
Not since the first moment he woke up in this world—white, quiet, and with no clear way back.
Everything he thought circled inside his mind but never crossed his lips.
The room was so silent, even the ticking of the clock sounded like thunder.
---
Rane sat in a wheelchair each day, facing the hospital's large window. Outside, the world moved.
People came and went. Cars passed. Leaves fell.
But only one figure always stopped.
The little girl.
---
Her name was Aria. Hair tied in twin tails, always wearing yellow shoes.
She never came alone—sometimes with her father, sometimes her mother, or a nurse—but she always walked ahead, always paused at his window.
" You can't talk, right? " she asked the first time.
" That's okay. I lost my voice once too. I had a sore throat. Felt like being a ghost "
From that day on, Aria always brought something. Sometimes a book, sometimes a small treat, sometimes just stories.
---
" Today I brought a monster story, but don't worry... the monster's nice! "
" If you get scared, just close your eyes. But you can't close your ears, right? So… just listen "
She read aloud with dramatic tones—whispers, laughs, rising and falling like a tiny theater.
Rane watched her, unable to answer. But his eyes grew warm.
Aria didn't wait for a response. She knew. And she didn't mind.
" If you could talk, I bet your voice would sound nice. Deep and slow, maybe? "
---
Another day, Aria came holding two candies.
" One for me, one for you "
" But… you just hold yours, okay? Let's pretend we're eating together "
She placed the candy gently in Rane's palm, then sat on a small stool and leaned against his knee.
" I like being quiet too sometimes. But if I stay quiet too long, Mama says I'll turn into stone "
She looked up at Rane.
" Are you a stone yet? "
---
Sometimes, after reading, Aria would trace little shapes with her finger on Rane's hand.
Lines. Stars. Smiley faces.
" That's your name. But the secret version "
" Only I know what it means "
---
One afternoon, Aria didn't come.
He waited. From morning until dusk.
Then night.
Then another day.
Silence.
---
A few days later, a nurse handed him a small envelope.
Written on the front: For Mister Quiet.
Inside, a single drawing: a man in a wheelchair, a funny little monster beside him, and a girl holding an open book.
On the back, messy handwriting:
"I can't come anymore.But don't forget me,okay??Because I'll remember you,always!! "
" If you ever speak someday,whisper it to the wind.ill hear it,promise >< "
— Aria
---
Rane held the note gently.
He couldn't cry.
But his chest felt full… like a cup that was never filled, suddenly overflowing.
---
He still didn't know who he was.
But now, he knew what it meant to be heard.
What it meant to become part of someone's story… even without a voice.
Even without a name.