Riding at full speed, her bike cutting through the long, empty road, Yim finally reached Talotkan's house.
But what greeted her was… silence.
A silence so heavy, it felt as though it had swallowed the entire place.
The house stood in darkness,
every corner cloaked in shadow,
as if no one had lived there for years.
Yim called out...
her voice trembling against the still air.
But no answer came.
Then, suddenly....
the entire house lit up.
The sudden brightness startled Yim,
fear seizing her heart for a fleeting second.
But soon her fear melted into relief.
Inside, she saw a few women.....
familiar faces.
They were Talotkan's old clients.
Stepping in, Yim scanned the rooms.
But there was no sign of Grandma.
No trace of Talotkan.
The women's faces were pale, drained of color,
as though they carried some heavy burden of worry.
Yim greeted them softly, respectfully,
and asked about Talotkan.
At the mention of her name,
every head lowered.
Silence pressed against the room again.
Finally, one woman, her voice faint and weighed down, spoke:
"As soon as you left… Talotkan returned from somewhere.
But she collapsed the moment she arrived.
Grandma asked us for help.....
and together, we rushed her to the hospital.
Before leaving, Grandma told us to stay here."
---
The words struck Yim like thunder.
Her world crumbled in that instant.
Hospital… Talotkan…
Her mind spun wildly,
and suddenly, Talotkan's words from earlier echoed within her head,
not gently, but like a mountain echo....
a voice that returned, louder, sharper, piercing.
"Yim… Do you know… death can be so beautiful."
The woman added softly,
"They took her to Citty Hospital."
But Yim could barely hear anymore.
Her senses drowned.
Her knees weakened, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
The women rushed to her, catching her before she fell,
calling her name, shaking her,
trying to pull her back to consciousness.
When her eyes finally opened again,
her heart was already burning with one thought.
She stood abruptly,
whispered a hurried farewell,
and without another word,
ran outside, mounted her bike,
and sped toward the city.
Behind her, the women clasped their hands together,
their whispers carrying only one prayer:
"Let everything be alright…"