HER PAIN
904 Words
Chapter 14
Two weeks passed quietly in the small mountain village.
Life returned to a gentle rhythm.
Morning sunlight filtered through the tall trees surrounding the old couple’s home, touching the small courtyard with soft warmth. The air smelled of damp earth and wild grass, and distant birdsong echoed from the hills.
Inside the house, Lin Yue had slowly begun to recover.
Her strength was still not fully restored, but she could now move around without feeling dizzy. The deep exhaustion that once weighed down her body had gradually faded.
Yet something else remained.
The strange pain in her chest.
It came without warning.
Sometimes it was only a faint ache. Other times it felt like a deep pressure that made her breath slow and uneven.
And each time it happened…
Fragments of unfamiliar memories flickered through her mind.
Pieces that disappeared before she could grasp them.
That morning, Lin Yue stood quietly beside the small wooden table in the courtyard, helping the old woman sort vegetables for lunch.
Her movements were careful and gentle.
“You’re getting better,” the old woman said with a warm smile.
Lin Yue nodded lightly.
“I feel much stronger now.”
But the old woman’s gaze remained thoughtful.
“You still get those pains sometimes, don’t you?”
Lin Yue hesitated.
Then she gave a small nod.
“Sometimes.”
The old woman sighed softly.
“You should really see a doctor in the city. This village clinic can’t check everything.”
Lin Yue lowered her gaze.
The thought of leaving the quiet village made her feel uneasy for reasons she could not explain.
But she knew the old woman was right.
For the past two weeks, the old couple had continued making quiet inquiries about her identity.
The old man had visited the town police station again.
They had also left notices online.
For a brief moment, someone from the city had called asking about the girl in the photo.
But after that…
Nothing.
The calls stopped.
No one contacted them again.
It was as if whoever had shown interest had suddenly vanished.
That afternoon, the old man returned from town earlier than usual.
His expression was serious.
The old woman immediately noticed.
“What happened?”
The old man placed his hat down slowly.
“I spoke with the officer again today,” he said.
“And?”
The old woman waited.
The old man shook his head.
“No new information.”
Lin Yue remained silent beside them.
She had grown used to hearing the same answer.
No records.
No missing person report.
No family searching for someone named Lin Yue.
It felt strange.
Almost impossible.
How could someone exist in this world without leaving even the smallest trace?
Evening came slowly.
The sky turned golden as the sun disappeared behind the mountains.
The old couple sat outside on the wooden bench in front of the house.
Lin Yue joined them quietly.
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
The peaceful silence was broken only by the rustling wind.
Finally, the old man spoke.
“I’ve been thinking about something.”
The old woman looked at him.
“What is it?”
“We should take Lin Yue to the city hospital,” he said.
“The one in the capital.”
Lin Yue looked up in surprise.
“The capital?”
The old man nodded.
“This village is too small. If there is something unusual about your condition, the doctors there will be able to find it.”
The old woman agreed immediately.
“That’s a good idea.”
Lin Yue felt a mixture of gratitude and hesitation.
“You’ve already done so much for me,” she said softly.
The old woman reached out and gently patted her hand.
“Nonsense. A young girl shouldn’t be living with constant pain.”
The old man added with a thoughtful tone,
“Besides… if we want to find out who you are, the city might give us more answers.”
Lin Yue fell silent.
Somewhere deep inside her chest…
A strange feeling stirred.
The capital city.
For reasons she could not understand, the thought made her heart beat slightly faster.
Night soon settled over the quiet village.
Inside her room, Lin Yue sat by the window, watching the distant mountains under the pale moonlight.
Her fingers rested on the small pendant hanging from her neck.
The metal felt cool beneath her touch.
She still did not know where it came from.
But she had begun to notice something strange.
Whenever the pain in her chest appeared…
The pendant always felt slightly warm.
Almost as if it were reacting to something unseen.
Lin Yue frowned faintly.
“Who did this belong to?” she murmured softly.
The question remained unanswered.
Outside, the wind moved gently through the trees.
Far away, beyond the mountains and the quiet village…
In a distant city filled with towering buildings and bright lights…
Someone else was standing silently beside a window.
For a brief moment, he suddenly paused.
A strange, fleeting discomfort passed through his chest.
So faint it almost felt imaginary.
He frowned slightly.
“…Strange.”
But the feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.
After a moment, he simply returned to his work.
Unaware that far away…
In a quiet mountain village…
Someone had unknowingly stirred a small ripple in his otherwise calm world.
- Writer
