I shouldn't have insisted.
But I did.
Again. One more time. One too many, perhaps.
I tightened my throat. As if forcing the breath would return its density, its impact. I exhaled harder, until I felt my chest strain, my muscles vibrate under the useless effort. And this time… I whispered.
— I'm here.
A simple phrase. Absurd adornment in this mute world. But it wasn't to be heard.
It was for me.
To try to convince myself that I still existed. That my voice, somewhere, was vibrating. That these words, even muffled, even dissolved, were real.
I wanted to believe that this breath carried something. Even something tiny. Even for nothing.
Still no sound.
Nothing vibrated. Nothing responded. The world remained deaf. But this time… to my great surprise, it was enough.
Enough for something to react.
Not suddenly. Not violently. Not like an alert or a sanction. But… living.
