The Hands That Keep Reaching
As she walked through the dense forest, memories of Minjoo resurfaced.
She recalled the words Minjoo had practiced over and over.
‘Arbre.’
The tree.
What was that word again?
How had Minjoo pronounced it?
“Ah....”
But when she tried to say it—
Something was wrong.
No sound came out. Not a single word.
“...!”
Heesoo stopped dead in her tracks, pounding her chest, sticking her fingers down her throat.
But nothing changed.
‘Why can't I speak?’
The realization hit her like a collapsing wall.
The shock of being unable to make a single sound was staggering.
Her steps grew sluggish.
She spent hours trying, failing, crying, then forcing herself forward again.
Finally, she concluded:
‘Is this some kind of aphasia?’
The things she had been through were beyond traumatic.
Minjoo's death still haunted her dreams.
She hadn't truly slept in days.
She was drowning in fear.
Losing her voice made sense.
Still, it was a cruel misfortune.