The Second Whisper
406 Words
Allyah couldn’t sleep.
The ceiling fan above her bed turned slowly, pushing warm Bukidnon air around the small room she had grown up in.
Everything looked exactly the same as she remembered—the wooden bookshelf filled with old school notebooks, the faded posters on the wall, the soft yellow lamp beside her bed.
Yet somehow, everything felt different.
She stared at the ceiling, replaying the evening in her mind.
Luke’s face when she mentioned the whisper.
The way he had said it so calmly.
“The stars… they whisper sometimes.”
She groaned softly and rolled over, pulling the pillow over her head.
“Great,” she muttered.
“First day back home and I’m already losing my mind.”
But curiosity tugged at her.
Slowly, she pushed the pillow aside and sat up.
Through her bedroom window, the sky stretched endlessly above the quiet town.
The mountains were dark silhouettes against the horizon, and the stars glittered brightly in the clear night.
Bukidnon skies had always been beautiful.
But tonight, they felt… alive.
Allyah walked toward the window and leaned against the frame.
“Okay,” she whispered to the sky, half-joking.
“If you really do whisper… say something.”
For a moment, nothing happened.
Only the soft chirping of crickets filled the night.
Allyah laughed quietly.
“Yeah. Definitely crazy.”
She turned away—
Then froze.
A soft voice brushed against her ear.
"You found him."
Her breath caught in her throat.
Slowly, she turned back toward the sky.
The stars twinkled peacefully, as if nothing unusual had happened.
But Allyah’s heart was pounding.
“That… that was real,” she whispered.
Her phone buzzed suddenly on the bedside table, making her jump.
She rushed over and picked it up.
Luke: "Are you awake?"
Her stomach flipped.
It felt strange seeing his name again after all these years. Once upon a time, they used to message every night after school.
She typed quickly.
Allyah: "Yeah. Why?"
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Finally—
Luke: "Did you hear it again?"
Allyah’s breath hitched.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Allyah:"You heard it too?"
A few seconds passed before his reply came.
Luke: "Yeah."
Then another message.
Luke: "Looks like the stars found you."
Allyah stared at the screen.
Outside her window, the stars glittered brighter than ever.
And for the first time that night, she felt something other than fear.
Excitement.
- Writer
