The night was quiet.
His room hadn't changed… yet it no longer felt warm.
Kalin sat at the edge of the bed.
He was no longer a child,
and not yet a full young man.
He took Kocchi out of the small box.
The creature was very small.
Kocchi moved slowly,
jumped lightly onto the bed,
then stopped.
It was waiting… for a word, or a question.
Kalin didn't reach out.
He only watched, a silent smile on his face.
Their eyes met.
Memories didn't need words.
The creature came closer
and touched his chest…
the same place it used to sleep.
Kalin tensed for a moment.
Not pain…
just memory.
Their first laugh together.
The day by the sea.
The new house.
The promise: "I'll stay with you."
Kalin lowered his gaze.
He gently placed the creature back into the box to rest.
It was still breathing.
He stood.
Turned off the light.
The creature remained in the darkness.
In silence…
Eight years passed.
No dramatic event.
No screaming.
No collapse.
Just…
days stacking over days.
And childhood?
It ended quietly
and terrifyingly.
The alarm rang.
Once.
Kalin's eyes opened immediately.
No panic.
No hesitation.
He stood.
Turned off the alarm.
Got dressed.
Quick movements.
Precise.
Clean.
No glance at the mirror.
No need to see his face to know it.
Hood up.
Jacket on.
Shoes tied.
He passed through the kitchen and sat.
A quiet meal with his family.
Polite smile.
Few words.
Everything in place.
A perfectly normal young man.
Outside
cold air.
Gray sky.
Morning or evening… undecided.
He pulled his hood tighter.
A habit when walking.
Head forward.
Eyes scanning everything.
The city moved around him.
Students.
Noise.
Life.
And him?
Part of it.
Nothing more.
Step by step.
No one knew…
that inside this calm, neat young man
lived a child
who once suffered injustice
now just a memory
he was trying to move past.
He entered the high school gate,
bag over his shoulder,
steady steps.
Morning scents mixed with student noise.
Laughter. Shouts. Echoing shoes.
But Kalin didn't look left or right.
He scanned the space quickly,
as if walking through a map he already knew.
Then he noticed a familiar movement.
A hand waving.
A small smile.
"Kalin! I'm here!"
He recognized her instantly.
A friend for two years.
Someone who knew him despite everything.
He smiled slightly.
Calm. Controlled. Polite.
They walked side by side in silence.
Just quiet eyes.
A sense of safety with her.
The world around them blurred.
Their small world existed here.
They exchanged brief glances.
Her light laugh stirred something inside him.
All the pain and memories
translated into this simple moment.
They sat on a bench before class.
Kalin checked the small creature in his pocket
Kocchi.
He picked up his pen.
Wrote something simple.
But his thoughts wandered:
files, names, surveillance, the past.
All still there.
But here and now…
he could breathe.
Sunlight slipped through the window
and touched their desk.
Warmth.
A silent smile formed on his lips.
For the first time in a long time,
he felt capable of living normally.
Learning.
Laughing.
Feeling.
Without looking back
for now.
Maybe later.