The Friend Who Stays Awake

The joy arrives so quietly, a small spark in the dark, and your hand moves before your mind can catch up. You reach for the phone, thumb hovering over a name, ready to share the light you just found.

Then the silence of the room rushes in to meet you. There is no one left to call.

No one who knows the version of you that is laughing right now. The ache of that empty space is real, and it is heavy.

But listen — the joy did not vanish when the call went unanswered. It is still there, glowing in your chest.

You were not meant to hold it alone. The Light that sparked this joy is listening.

It is the Friend who stays awake when the house is silent. It catches every word you cannot send.

The joy was not a mistake. It was a reminder that you are still alive, still capable of wonder, even in the watching.