Silent Feeling

As the Rehavi University wall clock struck five, the entire library suddenly fell silent. At that moment in the afternoon, everything had stopped strangely. Only time was moving forward on its own. James was sitting quietly in a corner of the library, by the window. His eyes were so indifferent that they seemed to have disappeared somewhere far away. He wondered, where could Sophia have gone? She was nowhere to be found. What should I do now? He asked himself. The sky outside was covered with thick black clouds. It started to rain with a thumping sound. The soft sound of that rain mixed with the deep silence of the library to create a strange atmosphere. All the noise of the world had disappeared somewhere far away. Here, only time and memories flowed. A book lay open on the table in front of him. The pages of the book were slowly turning in the light breeze of the ceiling fan, and the book seemed to be trying to say something in its own language by making a raspy sound. From the direction of the main road, a woman's sharp scream came. The sound was so terrifying, the quiet atmosphere of the library was shattered. James's eyes went out the window spontaneously. He was trying to understand what was happening behind the raindrops. But everything was blurry. An uncomfortable feeling with curiosity in his mind. Some invisible force was beckoning him to go out. The other students in the library could not stand still after hearing the scream. Everyone rushed towards the window together. In an instant, a crowd gathered near the window. James was almost falling under the pressure of that crowd; he controlled himself. The students were standing around, hugging each other. The smell of their bodies, the hot breath on their faces. All of it made James suffocate. He felt a kind of pressure inside his chest. It was hard to breathe. This crowd was going to kill him. He pushed through the crowd and moved towards the library door. He came out through the door and stood for a few moments. Then he took a deep breath. The strange sound of the screams from afar still rang in his ears. James took a deep breath. Now he felt a little relieved. The rain was still falling. The cold wind filled the surroundings with a strange peace. Amidst that peace, some unrest was hovering. Looking ahead, he saw. A huge crowd had gathered on the main road. The red and blue lights of the police cars were flashing. A few journalists were running around with cameras. All in all, the scene indicated some big event. James's chest began to tremble. A mixed feeling of curiosity and fear. It started to pull him in that direction. He slowly walked past the university gate towards the road. But his gaze was fixed on the old garden across the road. In the middle of the garden stood. A very old oak tree. The tree, a silent witness, had stored countless stories within itself. James had a strange relationship with this tree. He walked towards the garden. Strangely, there was a deep silence in the garden; no outside noise could penetrate here. Only the raindrops, the sound of falling leaves, the smell of wet soil, and the light breeze; all together, it was another world. James went to the tree and stood. He stared at it silently for a while. Then he slowly raised his hand and hugged the tree. He pressed his forehead against it and closed his eyes. The sounds around him, the restlessness, the questions, all slowly began to fade away. A strange stillness was spreading through his body from inside the tree. He remembered... the moments he had spent with Sophia under this tree. The first meeting, the conversation, the laughter, and the quarrel. Sophia said, "This tree remembers everything." James smiled and said, "Does the tree remember things again?" Sophia replied, "Maybe not... but we remember." The feelings that had been stored in his chest came out all at once. He could not control himself. He cried loudly. His chest was pounding. It felt like the pain of love that had been accumulating inside was tearing him apart. His tears were mixing with the raindrops and running down his cheeks. Nature seemed to be his companion in his sorrow. He wiped his eyes with trembling hands and sat at the base of the tree. Innumerable memories of his life were hidden in the shade of this tree. Laughter, tears, hope, love, everything. The rain started to fall harder. James felt that the restlessness inside him was calming down. His breathing started to slow down. The pain in his chest had subsided. Now a question was on his mind: Was Sophia really lost? Had she lost herself because of fear and hesitation? James' eyes were still closed. It felt like Sophia's voice was coming from very close. You're looking for me, James; I'm here. James opened his eyes and looked around. There was no one. Only rain and silence. His mind told him that he was not alone; Sophia was with him. The oak tree stands silently, as if hiding a thousand truths in its silence. And one of those truths is its own truth. It began on a rainy morning…