veiled_whispers01

Silent Testimonies tells the story of Ryle, a young boy dealing with the quiet weight of his emotions and a past that won’t let him go. He’s haunted by memories of Faith, a girl he once cared about, and the feeling that something important was left unsaid. As he faces his own fears and desires, Ryle finds himself questioning what’s real and what’s just a dream. This is a story about the silent struggles we all face, the connections we lose, and the courage it takes to finally speak up when the silence becomes too loud.

Silent testimonies

Ryle layex stretched across the old park bench, staring up at the darkening sky. The benches creaking as he shifted slightly, but he didn't care. Above him, the stars began to emerge, their faint light scattered across the darkness.

The chill of the evening wrapped around him, but he didn't move. He let his head rest against the armrest and his legs dangling, letting the quiet of the park seep into him. The day had been long, and his thoughts weighed heavier than ever.

Faith's face lingered in his mind, as vivid as if she'd been sitting beside him. Her smile, the way her hair framed her face, and the way she looked at the world with a quiet kind of wonder—it all felt so close yet impossibly far. He closed his eyes and exhaled, trying to push the memories away. But they clung to him, refusing to fade.

The park was almost empty now, except for the occasional distant laughter of children heading home. It was the kind of stillness Ryle both craved and feared. It gave his mind too much room to wander.

He thought about the classroom earlier, about the way it had felt like stepping into another life. The desk, the board, the empty halls—they all reminded him of what used to be. He could almost see her sitting there, sketching in her notebook, her brow furrowed in concentration. He had wanted to talk to her so many times back then, but the words always caught in his throat.

The stars above twinkled faintly, catching his attention again. He traced patterns in them imagining they formed some kind of map—one that might lead him to the answers he'd been searching for.

He shifted on the bench, the cool wood pressing against his back. A stray leaf drifted down, landing softly on his chest. He picked it up twirling it between his fingers, seemingly lost in yet another thought.

Why does it feel like the past is haunting me? he thought. It wasn't just Faith—it was everything. The choices he didn't make, the words he didn't say, the paths he didn't take.

For a moment, he let his guard down and whispered into the stillness, "Faith... where are you now?"

The words barely past his lips, but saying them felt like a release. He stared up at the sky, half-hoping for an answer, but none came. Only the quiet rustling of the wind.

He stayed like that for a long time, letting the night drown him. The stars seemed to shimmer more brightly now, their distant light offering a faint sense of comfort.

And as he lay there, staring into the infinte above, a thought lingered in his mind:

Maybe, just maybe, the answers aren't in the stars or the memories. Maybe they're in the quiet moments like this, when the world feels big and small all at once.

Beneath the open sky