I woke up in a white room.
It took me a moment to realize where I was. The air was too clean, the silence too sharp. My limbs felt heavy, like I hadn't moved in days.
Then the door opened.
Noah entered, looking more furious than relieved. "You awake? Good. Now tell me what the hell is going on!"
I blinked at him.
He started pacing. "You went to the festival alone, Mustafa. My colleague saw you. You were talking to yourself, laughing, dancing with no one. People were concerned. I even tried to call you, but you didn't pick up."
He turned to face me.
"I tried to follow, but by the time I reached the road, you were just lying there. No crash. No car. Nothing. The car passed by, but it didn't hit you. You just collapsed on the road like your body gave up on you."
My head ached. Bits and pieces came back—the lights, the warmth of her hand, her eyes lit with festival glow. Her voice laughing in my ears. Then… darkness.
"You've been unconscious for two weeks," he said, softer now. "What happened to you out there?"
I tried to speak, but he kept going.
"You were crying in your sleep," he said. "Murmuring that name again. Sofia."
I shut my eyes. "She saved me."
---
Far away, at the old shrine, the wind whispered through the sacred trees. The old monk stood alone, his hands behind his back, eyes closed.
"If the boy leaves this town," he whispered, "the spirit will fade. She cannot exist beyond this place. And if he goes… even he will forget her."
Behind him, Sofia stood quietly, listening.
She said nothing. She didn't protest.
She simply closed her eyes—and let herself dissolve into the wind.
---
When I opened my eyes again, she was there.
"Sofia…"
She smiled softly. "You're awake."
"I'll explain everything to Noah," I said, desperate. "I'll make him understand. You don't have to go."
But she only tilted her head, like she always did. "It's alright. Don't worry about me. Go with him."
"No!" I snapped. "Don't say that. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you. I'd rather stay in this town forever than live without you."
She looked down, her voice barely a whisper. "If you stay, you'll keep living in a world no one understands. If you leave, maybe you'll heal. Maybe you'll be free."
"I don't care."
"But I do," she said gently. "Even if it means I disappear… I want you to live."
---
The door opened again. Noah stepped in cautiously.
"Mustafa," he said. "Who are you talking to?"
I didn't even look at him. "Just give me a minute."
"There's no one here."
I turned to him, anger flashing in my voice. "Shut off the cameras. The mics too. Please."
He hesitated. Then, without a word, flipped the switches off.
I looked him dead in the eyes. "I can see spirits. And I fell in love with one. Her name is Sofia. She lives—or lived—in the abandoned house. She's real to me."
Noah stared at me like I was unraveling before his eyes. "What are you saying, Mustafa?"
"I didn't imagine her."
He sat down slowly. "You need help. This isn't healthy. You've locked yourself in your head for too long."
I sighed. "Ask the monk at the old shrine. He knows."
Noah shook his head. "That old man? He talks to the trees. Everyone in town thinks he's insane."
"Then maybe that's what I am," I muttered.
He stood up. "I already called a doctor. We'll leave for the city tomorrow."
When he walked out of the room, I finally let my shoulders fall.
"I was never this disappointed in Noah," I whispered to no one.
"But maybe it's not his fault."
A breeze passed through the cracks of the window, brushing my cheek like a ghost of her fingers.
"I did fall… for the wind."