Pale Hymn

Amid the clash of loud voices and restless laughter, a silent boy sat apart, eyes lowered to the letter resting in his hands. He read it carefully, as though afraid the words might vanish if he rushed. A faint smile curved his lips-small, delicate, almost misplaced-carrying a meaning no one else could see.
Later, in the darkness of a closed room, someone lay curled into themselves, knees pulled tight, arms locked around a trembling body. No sound escaped their mouth, yet their shoulders shook as if holding back something too large to survive. Tears soaked into fabric, hidden, unacknowledged.
Outside the door, voices continued-loud, careless, unbroken-seeping through the walls like a reminder. Whoever was inside did not answer them.