A Witness

Written by Ashalina Ghina

Illustrated by Kurroooii

My attention was caught by the sudden silence I heard after a few laughs and a shut door. A young boy just stood there as if… he was waiting. He gripped on to the sleeves of his t-shirt, tightly holding onto his body for warmth. What could he be doing on a night as cold as this without a jacket?

We met again while passing by each other on my way home. His hand locked in hers while the other carried her purse. He noticed me staring and gave me a little bow with his head. My cheeks went red as I rushed into my home and continued to watch from the small slit on my gates, and there it was again. The moment they said their goodbyes, silence met the cold air and the corner of his lips dropped into an emotionless empty canvas.

The moment I heard his voice I couldn’t stop looking. He was there, in the cafe with, who I assume were his friends. He looked the usual but something about him was different. There was never a moment of uncomfortable silence. Or so I thought. I couldn’t hear everything clearly but the elephant in the room got bigger and bigger until it felt like a woolly mammoth was rubbing its fur against me, itching for me to leave. 

 This young boy was standing in front of her door again, his hand hesitantly stretched out to ring the doorbell. The sirens ringing from afar made me notice this glow in his eyes. They looked like a confession. His clothes clung to his body, from what I could see with the flickering street lamp above him. His head faced down, he had a backpack in his grip. Today’s him scared me a little. I went back into my home and locked the gates behind me. I thought my curiosity had reached its peak until I heard a DING DONG.