She left the hallway
light on again.
Not because she was
afraid of the dark, but
because the dark had
started asking questions
she didn't know how to
answer. At 2 AM, the
quiet wasn't quiet — it
was a room full of
thoughts rearranging
themselves, looking for a
pattern that would make
the day feel like it had
meant something.
She lay on her back,
counting the cracks in
the ceiling she'd
memorized months ago. The
emptiness wasn't new. It
was just more honest
tonight.