Broken Dreams “Where dreams break… hearts learn to survive.”

“Some wounds stay hidden behind quiet smiles.” Morning light slowly came into Mirha’s room. Outside, the sky was cloudy, and a cold wind was moving the curtains. The room was completely silent. Only the ticking of the wall clock could be heard. On the table, there were heavy science books. Biology notes, chemistry formulas, entrance exam files… everything was neatly placed. But in the middle of all this, one thing looked different. A black sketchbook. Half open. On it was a drawing of a girl with sad eyes. Mirha was sitting near the window. Her knees were close to her chest, and she was looking at the sky. Sometimes a person gets so tired… that they don’t even know if they are sad or just empty inside. And Mirha was maybe both. “Broken dreams hurt when nobody knows they ever existed.” Downstairs, voices were coming from the kitchen. “Mrs. Farah, tell her to come down quickly,” Mr. Saeed said in a strict voice. “Today is result day, and she is still in her room.” Mrs. Farah turned off the stove and sighed softly. “She is under pressure…” “Pressure makes people strong,” Mr. Saeed said while folding the newspaper. “I already told everyone my daughter will top.” At the dining table, Hassan was quietly listening. He usually didn’t speak about family matters. “Abbu, relax,” he said softly. “Mirha has studied well.” Mr. Saeed looked at him. “Do you people ever take life seriously?” Upstairs, Mirha closed her eyes. She was used to it. Expectations. Pressure. And words that slowly take away a person’s identity. She picked up her sketchbook and turned the pages. Each page had feelings. Rain drawings… sad eyes… a girl lost in a crowd… Art was her peace. Her world. Her truth. But in this house, dreams were only called a “hobby”… not a future. “She was studying science, but her heart belonged to art.” “Mirha api?” A soft knock came. Her younger sister Areeba peeked inside. “Ammi is calling you.” Mirha gave a small fake smile. “I’m coming.” Areeba looked at her for a moment. “Api… are you okay?” This simple question touched Mirha’s heart. Because no one in this house really asked her that. She just smiled. “Yes, I am fine.” But Areeba knew… that “fine” was not true. Downstairs, everyone was eating breakfast in silence. Only the sound of plates could be heard. Mrs. Farah was serving food quietly. Mr. Saeed was reading the newspaper. Hassan was on his phone. “After the test, next preparation will start,” Mr. Saeed said without looking up. “Medical field is not easy.” Mirha nodded. “Yes, Abbu.” “Focus only on studies.” She had heard this line so many times… she didn’t even remember the first time. Inside, she wanted to say: “I don’t want to be a doctor…” But some dreams get buried under family expectations. And Mirha’s dream was one of them. “Not every obedient child is happy.” After breakfast, she went back to her room. Outside, light rain had started. She put on headphones and sat on the bed with her sketchbook. Pencil in hand… but her mind was blank. It felt like the colors inside her were slowly dying. Suddenly her phone vibrated. Unknown number. She frowned. Normally, she would ignore it. But this time, she picked it up. A message was on the screen. “Sometimes dreams don’t break… They wait for the right person to rebuild them.” Mirha stared at the screen. Her heart started beating fast. These were not just normal words. It felt like someone understood her without knowing her. “Who is this…?” she whispered. Her finger went to reply… but stopped. She felt scared. Confused. And something else… hope. “Maybe some strangers come into our lives to heal what we hide.” She read the message again. Then again. And she held the phone close to her chest. She had no idea… That in another part of the city, someone else was alone as well. Someone who was also quiet inside. Someone who was going to change her life. “And this is how two broken souls quietly started their story…”