THE STRANGE BEHIND THE SCREEN
366 Words
Chapter 2:
Amara could not stop thinking about the message.
It was strange how a simple “Hi Amara” could stay in her mind longer than all the rejection emails she had received in weeks. She told herself it was nothing, just another random internet stranger looking for attention. But something about Ethan’s message felt different. It wasn’t loud or demanding. It felt calm, almost too calm, like someone who had time to observe her life from a distance.
She checked her phone more often than usual that day. Each time she tried to focus on something else, her mind drifted back to the unknown contact. She even found herself opening the chat again, staring at his name like it would change into something more familiar if she looked long enough.
By evening, she finally replied.
Amara: You still didn’t answer my question. Who are you?
Minutes passed. Then an hour. She almost convinced herself it was just a prank or a mistake.
Then the message came.
Ethan: I’m Ethan. I came across your profile on a professional network. You looked… different from most people there.
Amara frowned slightly at the screen. Different. That word again.
She typed slowly.
Amara: Different how?
The reply was not immediate this time. It felt like he was thinking before responding, not rushing like most people online did.
Ethan: Honest. Tired but still trying. People usually hide that. You don’t.
Amara paused. That sentence hit closer than she expected. She did not know whether to feel exposed or understood. She closed her phone for a moment and took a breath. Nobody usually spoke to her like that. Nobody noticed her tiredness without her saying it.
Later that night, Ethan continued the conversation. He asked small questions. About her life, her city, her dreams. Amara answered cautiously at first, but something about the way he listened made her open up slowly. Not everything. Just small pieces of herself.
For the first time in a long while, Amara did not feel like she was speaking into emptiness.
But somewhere deep inside her, a quiet thought began to form.
Why would a stranger care so much about someone he had never met?
- Writer
