FIRSTKHAO

Silver Lining

Khaotung has been told off so many times for how weird he is in the eyes of others.

Other would sometimes see him talking by himself. And when they asked him who did he talk to, he showed a conflicting expression on his face, as if he was also confuse. And he'll always answer with uncertainty.

"A friend, i guess?" He said while rubbing his nape awkwardly.

Honestly, Khaotung also have no idea. He will hear voices. It was as if someone was talking next to him, the voice was also quite familiar. Yes, familiar. Because he used to listen to the same voices for years.

At first it terrifies him, he thought he could hear ghosts. Even so, after years he never saw a ghost even once. He ended up thinking that something is wrong in his head, which also what others thought of him.

It was all started when he just turned 12 years old. A solar eclipse happened that year. Its not that big of a deal for others, but to twelve-years-old Khaotung who havent seen the world, it was like a must-see event.

All the children were told by their parent to stay at home when the eclipse happen. They also said not to look directly at the sun. They were told that it was dangerous to see the sun directly when the eclipse occur.

But the young Khaotung didnt believe this. He thought;  Whats gonna happen? There's no way such phenomenon could harm someone, right?

So that day, he sneaked to his house's rooftop alone. His parents were still working at a textile factory, not too far from their residence. His older brother were busy gaming in his room.

Based on the news he saw on tv a few days ago, this year's solar eclipse would happen around 1 or 2 p.m.

Khaotung brought with him a folded chair, a bag of snack and a binocular which was dangling on his neck.

He put down the chair and soon sat on it. He leaned back as he focused his sight on the sky. He opened a bag of snack in his hand and starts to munch it. Only 15 minutes left before the solar eclipse happen. Khaotung was trembling with anticipation as minutes pass by.

And finally, the eclipse happens.

At first, Khaotung noticed a little shadow appear at the corner of the sun which he saw with his squinted eyes. The shadow slowly covers the sun entirely and the sky turned slightly dark. Its process fascinates the young Khaotung. That he even forgot to use his binocular.

He was so immerse at the scene when all of a sudden, a speck of light appear. The light appeared like a dot that suddenly enlarged, become a streak of silver line. It only happens for a second, but so dazzling in Khaotung's eyes.

Suddenly, there was a burning sensation in Khaotung's eyes. With it comes a feeling of something pricking his eyes with countless needles. The pain makes him scream and cried, that it startled his brother. Soon, he could hear someone barge into the rooftop.

"Khao! Khao! What happen?" Khaotung knew it was his brother's voice.

"Phi! It hurt so bad! My eyes! Am i going to go blind? Phi!" Khaotung can only wailed. His brother got panicked seeing Khaotung like this. So, without thinking he brought the young Khaotung to a nearby hospital.

Only after Khaotung was handled by a team of doctor and nurses that his brother remember to call his parents.

**
Khaotung was traumatized by the event that he swore in his heart that he would avoid anything related to eclipse, even if its just lunar eclipse.

He stayed for about a month after that incident. The doctor didnt find anything wrong with his eyes though. But the pain still lingered for that long. Khaotung cant even opened his eyes due to the pain. So, out of worry his parent decided to keep Khaotung hospitalized for that amount of time.

Once he made a full recovery, they brought him home and he began to go to school as usual, or so he thought. Because after that, he began to hear voices. He was sure its a boy's voice.

One day, for the first time he heard someone said "Hey!" But when he turned his head, all people around him have their head lowered. It was in a library where everyone's eyes was on their book.

The voice was almost like a shouting, so there's no way the librarian didnt notice, right?

Khaotung turned his head again, his sight fell onto the librarian who seems to be busy with papers, as if nothing happen. It was weird. That librarian usually would scold those who makes noises. But she didnt today?

Khaotung shrugs. He chose to ignored it. But as the time passed by, he heard the voices more often. It was like someone talk to him, but also, not quite like it. He was beyond confuse. For years, he have no idea what this voices means.

But at the age of 16, when he was in his 1st year of highschool, something changed. This time, he felt that the voice was really trying to talk to him.

He was eating in the cafetaria when he suddenly heard:

"Hey! Do you hear my voice there?" It was the same voices he heard for years, but what caught him offguard was the question.

The spoon was already halfway to his mouth when he suddenly stopped. Too stunned to eat. He went silent for a while before he swept through his plate clean and leaving the cafeteria right away. He was freaked out. He chose to ignore it at first, like he used to. But how could he possibly be ignoring this forever, right?

**

It was weekend but no one was home. Khaotung laid on his bed, his eyes on the ceiling when the voice could be heard again.

"Hey! Talk to me." The voice said. Not too long after, Khaotung heard that voice chuckling.

"I think i'm insane. I keep hearing this voices, but now i'm trying to talk to it. I must be wrong in the head." He said. When Khaotung heard this, he cant help but relate to it. So after taking a deep breath, he answered.

"Do you hear my voice?" Khaotung said.

"Hey!" The voice seems surprised.

"I do hear your voice! What a surprise. I thought i was crazy! I didnt expect this voice i always heard could really talk to me!" He sounds so happy, which Khaotung didnt understand as he was still kind of confuse.

"Yea- i thought i was crazy too since i keep hearing your voice." Khaotung answered.

"Strange, right? But since we've been through this exact same thing together, is it okay if i consider you as my friend?" The voice asked. Khaotung was troubled but soon agreed to it.

"Sure!" Khaotung said. He could hear the voice laughing happily.

"Since we're friends now, can i ask you something?" Khaotung could still sense a bit of hesitation in the voice.

"Mm, go ahead. What do you wanna ask?" Khaotung said.

"What is your name?" The voice asked.

"I'm Thanawat, Khaotung Thanawat. What about you?" It was Khaotung's turn to ask then.

"Kanaphan. First Kanaphan."

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(((This will have part 2. Stay tune!)))