Silent Witness

This is a story of soul-crushing helplessness - of standing frozen in silence, watching another’s pain unfold, with nothing to offer but the weight of your own empathy.

I offer nothing but my stillness. Unable to bridge the chasm of suffering that isn’t mine, yet feels unbearable. The world around me is deafening - empty, heartless comments echoing like the clatter of hollow voices. I stand motionless, trapped in the suffocating grip of helplessness, as it presses me into the ground, heavy and unforgiving. It feels as though someone has sealed my chest, sewn my mouth shut to keep the desperate cry from escaping. Is it the invisible hand behind me, squeezing my throat with cold indifference? 

Perhaps this is all we share - the silent scream and the silent witness, locked in a wordless, agonizing understanding.