Ariel's words echoed in Anwen's ears. Her gaze went unfocused for a moment, and the figure before her imprinted itself deep in her eyes.
Anwen was lost in thought when, all of a sudden, the young man in front of her staggered. He dropped to one knee, one hand bracing against the ground, his head bowing. In that instant, Anwen was yanked back to reality. Her face tightened; she took a step forward. What was wrong with him? Had something started hurting all of a sudden? He had seemed perfectly fine just moments ago. Before her questions could find answers, he suddenly collapsed face-first onto the ground, eyes shut tight apparently unconscious.
The cat beside him was startled and leapt onto the nearby roof to hide.
Anwen's face went pale. She looked around frantically, but the alley was empty; the surrounding houses had turned off their lights and gone to sleep. What now? She couldn't just leave him there and wait for someone to come. The ground was cold, and the temperature dropped as night deepened. She didn't know what was wrong with him, if she didn't get him to a hospital in time, what if he died? Panic burned in Anwen's chest. Right now, only she could save him. Only she was here, no one else. Gritting her teeth, Anwen decided to break her spell.
She appeared.
She felt the weight of herself, felt her feet touch the ground, her shadow stretching long behind her. She glanced at it in unfamiliar surprise, but there was no time to linger. She rushed to the young man and lifted him.
"Hey... hey... are you okay…?" It was the first time Anwen's hands touched his skin. The sensation was wondrous strange feelings surged from her fingertips. His skin was warm, yet for some reason her fingers prickled, as if she didn't dare touch him too hard. It was like the first touch of something deeply precious, as though one careless movement might make him vanish. Her heart raced, again that feeling, as if she could hear her own heartbeat pounding.
But… she still didn't know his name.
Yet that no longer seemed important. Anwen was frantic, worried to the point of tears. She called to him again and again, but he didn't respond. She knew she had to get him to a hospital.
...
After getting him to the hospital, Anwen disappeared again.
She returned to his house turned off the lights, locked the doors, counted the dogs and cats one more time, then went back to the hospital.
She wanted to know what was wrong with him.
She remembered the days he painted tirelessly for clients, then taught classes. Could it be exhaustion that made him faint? Or perhaps just a bout of illness? Whatever the reason, she hoped he would recover quickly.
Before long, she arrived at the hospital. It was quite late; only a few family members slept on benches in the hallway, along with a handful of night-shift doctors and nurses. Following her memory, Anwen found his bed. He still hadn't woken up. She wondered when he would, tonight, or tomorrow morning?
She didn't know. Feeling sleepy herself, she leaned against his bed and dozed off.
…
The next morning, Anwen was awakened by loud voices.
She opened her eyes wide to see the corridor bustling patients' families, patients, doctors and nurses moving back and forth. The noise jolted her fully awake. She hadn't expected the hospital to stir so early. Then she suddenly remembered him. Turning her head, she was shocked to see the bed empty.
Her eyes widened in panic. She stood and scanned the sea of people, dizzy with confusion. Where had he gone so early? Had he gone home already? She decided to go back to his place to check. She didn't think she'd lose him for long. She turned to leave the ward, stepping toward the corridor, when she heard a soft "meow."
Because she was so familiar with the sound, she turned instantly.
Behind her, half-hidden by a trash bin, was a black cat. She recognized it at once, the cat he had fed the night before. Before she could understand anything, the cat turned and ran.
Anwen stood frozen, questions flooding her mind. What was the cat doing here? How had it gotten in? Why? Looking for food? But what could it eat here? As the thought ended, the cat ran a short distance, turned back, and meowed again. Anwen startled was it calling her to follow?
What was the meaning of this? She didn't need an answer. A sudden intuition surged within her, urging her to chase after the cat urgent, insistent, as if she would miss something important if she stayed.
She followed.
Weaving through crowds, climbing a staircase, she arrived at a corridor lined with rooms. Signs read Endocrinology, Dermatology, Respiratory, and more. People sat waiting on benches. The cat slowed, and so did Anwen. She scanned the surroundings, searching for meaning, when a sharp shout startled her:
"Where did this stray cat come from?!"
A fierce nurse glared at the cat, grabbing a mop to chase it. The cat dodged swiftly, leapt through a window, and vanished.
"A stray again today, honestly," the nurse muttered, and the corridor returned to quiet. So did Anwen's heart.
The cat was gone. Now what?
Wait for it?But she sensed it wouldn't return.
Had her intuition been wrong? Or had it just been a random act of a cat, and she was overthinking? Yet its eyes had clearly told her to follow.
She sighed, deciding to treat it as a morning walk. Turning to leave for his house, her gaze caught a sign beside her...
Neurology Department.
She looked through the door's narrow opening and saw a familiar silhouette inside.
Him?
Anwen froze. Why was he here, neurology? Had something serious happened? Was last night's collapse not just a simple illness but something neurological?
Her heart pounding, Anwen passed through the door.
Inside, a brain scan glowed on the monitor. A doctor pointed at it and said,"Based on the CT scan and blood tests, we've found a tumor in your brain. It's located in the right hemisphere, a primary malignant tumor that has begun to metastasize. We strongly recommend hospitalization as soon as possible; otherwise it will continue to grow and compress other nerves..."
"So… it's brain cancer, right?"
What…?
Anwen echoed the question silently in her mind. Her eyes went blank. Her ears rang.
Malignant tumor. Metastasis. Brain cancer.
The doctor was cut off by him. And the words planted a vast terror in Anwen's heart. She stood rooted to the spot, then felt her legs give way. Her body sank to the floor as her spirit crumbled. She clutched her head, overwhelmed by what she'd heard. She wished it weren't true, that it was all a mistake.
But... No.
Now she understood why the cat had led her here. It wanted her to find him and to know.
How could this be? She frantically searched her memories. He had been healthy normal. How could brain cancer appear so suddenly? She stared at the scan, doubting it, maybe the results were wrong. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding. How could everything turn so abruptly? One faint had sent both of them down an entirely different path. She couldn't believe it.
If she felt like this as an outsider, how must he feel?
She looked up at him, his face pale, waiting for the doctor's answer. The doctor hesitated, then said softly,"Yes, but..."
"Thank you, doctor. I understand."He thanked the doctor again, picked up his medical file, stood, and left.
The doctor was left stunned."Remember, you need to be admitted."
But the door had already closed.
Anwen scrambled up and chased after him.
She watched him walk ahead, head lowered, gripping the file. His back seemed etched with sorrow. She followed, slower than usual, heavy with grief. The distance between them grew. He took the stairs instead of the elevator. At a turn, Anwen stopped, leaned against the wall, and tears welled up.
Cancer meant he would die. His time was limited.
Why, why must someone so kind face such cruel fate?
She couldn't understand heaven's injustice. Someone like him deserved happiness.
Why?
She wanted to scream. But the sky was vast and high; humans were small and voiceless. Heaven was only fair when people died.
But what use was fairness then?
Anwen sobbed quietly, sorrow pooling heavy in her chest. She hadn't known him long, yet she didn't want him to die. If he died, the world would lose a kind heart and the animals would lose their refuge.
Everything had been so good. But what lasts forever?
All writing ends in a period; everything has an end.
For those with cancer, time is counted in days, in hours. No one knows when they'll leave especially with metastasis.
His time was short. Which meant the time Anwen could be with him was short too.
She didn't know why she felt such grief, not sharp, but suffocating, like countless tiny needles pressing into her heart. A dull ache. A sense of loss she couldn't name. She stood there a long time, until a thought struck her:
What if she appeared before him?
She had always followed silently, invisible. She had assumed he'd be around for a long time, she had infinite time, and thought he did too. But now his time was measured in months.
She couldn't let those days slip by in regret.
She would appear simply so he would know her, know her name. So this memory would become part of her, so she wouldn't remain forever invisible in his world. She wouldn't change his fate, wouldn't interfere with destiny. His fate would remain unchanged. That wouldn't break heavenly law, would it? Even if it did, she wouldn't regret it. She was willing to bear the punishment.
Her life had been too dim, too full of sorrow. She wanted to seek joy, to find meaning. Even if it were just a brief flare before fading better that than a hundred years of dimness.
What meaning was there in infinite time?
Her life's meaning had always been her mission. Now she wanted another, one not rooted in helpless pain or anger at cruelty.
Anwen straightened, ready to break her invisibility spell, then paused.
If she became an ordinary human, how would she approach him? She wasn't outspoken or bold. She had never interacted with humans only Ariel, animals, and angels. Starting from zero terrified her. Just imagining standing before him made her picture herself stammering, blushing. And now that he was ill, he'd spend much time in the hospital. If she were human, what excuse would she have to stay by his side?
Hospital…
An idea suddenly sparked in Anwen's mind.