THE SILENT BATTLES OF A LONELY SOUL

EPISODE 1: THE SMILE NOBODY UNDERSTOOD Faysal stood beside his bedroom window, staring at the busy streets below. People were walking, laughing, talking and living their lives as if everything was perfectly fine. But inside him, something felt different. At twenty-four, he had already experienced disappointments that made him question his worth. His dreams were big, but his opportunities were small. Every morning, he woke up hoping things would change, yet every night he went to bed with the same unanswered questions. He had no stable job, little money and nobody he could comfortably tell everything he was going through. Whenever people asked how he was doing, he simply smiled and replied, “I’m fine.” But he wasn’t fine. Sometimes, he wanted someone to notice the sadness behind his smile. Someone who would ask him how he was really feeling and stay long enough to hear the answer. His phone vibrated on the small table beside his bed. It was a message from an old friend. “Bro, how far? Hope you’re doing well.” Faysal stared at the message for a moment before typing, “I’m good, just trying my best.” He put the phone down and sighed. His mother came into his thoughts. He wanted to make her proud, give her a comfortable life and become someone his family could depend on. But how could he achieve those dreams when he could barely figure out his next step? He closed his eyes and whispered, “Allah, please give me strength. I don’t want to give up.” For a moment, the room became silent. Then he stood up, washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. His problems had not disappeared. His circumstances had not changed. But somewhere deep inside, a small voice reminded him that his story was not over. Maybe he was struggling today, but that didn’t mean he would struggle forever. And for the first time in a long while, Faysal decided to keep going.