This is the solitary confinement cell.
It is a space that is isolated from all light, sound and breath.
Absolute darkness and silence shut out all once vibrant life.
The door was opened only a handful of times.
As the only conscious being here.
Trapped in the solitary confinement room, I could only silently count the passing time alone in the darkness.
“1, 13, 169…”
Time seems to have lost all meaning here; even a second is stretched out infinitely.
Confined alone in the solitary confinement room, I felt as if I had lost all sense of time.
Perhaps a day has passed, or perhaps only a second has passed.
“Squeaky—”
A teeth-grinding scraping sound rang in my ears.
A sound that would be jarring and unpleasant to almost any living being, when it rang in my ears, I felt only immense pleasure.
I looked up and saw a small patch of rare and precious light shining through the open doorway in the pitch-black space.
I sat on the ground, with my hands on my knees and my head between my legs.
My long, black hair, like seaweed, cascaded down my head, as if to drown me completely.
But the moment I saw that light, I immediately lifted my head from between my arms.
The sudden burst of light almost brought tears to my eyes.
In fact, even if I were trapped here, I wouldn't crave to leave; I would just hope for the appearance of a companion.
At that moment, I trembled as I opened my fingers and reached out to touch that patch of light.
But my outstretched, pale arm seemed out of place in the darkness of the entire space.
Strands of black hair seeped from the wall and clung to my hands, seemingly trying to stop my outstretched arm and my forward movement.
“Hiss—”
However, after trying her best to escape the restraint of the black hair.
Just as I was about to touch the light in front of me, the dazzling light burned my fingers.
The excessive heat made me realize once again that it was not a place I could reach or set foot in.
I said that to myself once again.
But they will repeat the same mistake the next time the light appears.
I am the mud that clings to darkness, a light-fearer who cannot touch the light.
But soon, the loneliness of being alone in the solitary confinement room was broken.
Even though my attempt to touch the light failed again, my little wish has already been fulfilled.
When the door to the solitary confinement cell was briefly opened just now, I saw someone being brought in.
The person who was sent to the solitary confinement cell had a unique face that was different from mine.
It also piqued my curiosity, as I had always lived in solitary confinement.
So I tried calling his name, trying to get his attention and have a conversation with him.
However, he immediately rushed forward and pounded on the door that had just been closed from the outside, ignoring my calls.
Naturally, while I received no response from him, he also received no response from the people outside the confinement room.
But perhaps it's because the sound absorption and insulation capabilities of the confinement cell are excessively strong.
I guess that's why he just ignored me because he didn't hear me calling him.
As someone who is also trapped in solitary confinement, I am always exceptionally tolerant of those who have just entered solitary confinement.
Because they will soon become like me, gradually getting used to the darkness and quiet around them.
Then I began to become numb and mechanical, just like I am now, looking forward to the arrival of new companions.
Until finally, I became completely myself.
So now, after seeing that he ignored my calls, I wasn't overly angry.
She tried reaching out and patting his arm, attempting to get his attention again.
“Aa ...
However, after feeling the touch of my slap, he just let out an extremely loud scream.
Then I realized that I was hallucinating because I had been in darkness for a long time.
Despite my two previous attempts to hint at my presence, he remained oblivious to my existence.
I am very dissatisfied with the behavior of this new person who has entered the solitary confinement cell.
So I chose to ignore him and distance myself from him in a huff.
He, who could have shared the fear with me, now has to endure loneliness and darkness alone.
Not long after that, he, who mistook my touch for a hallucination, soon began to experience a real hallucination.
In the absolute silence of the space, he could almost hear the sound of his own blood flowing through his veins.
In the darkness, he saw what appeared to be a monster lurking in a corner of the solitary confinement cell, ready to pounce on him at any moment.
Humanity's rich imagination was constantly tormenting him at this moment.
He had to patiently prick up his ears at all times, trying to hear if there were any unusual noises coming from the solitary confinement cell.
But his body was collapsing at the same time as his mind.
I could hear his heartbeat getting faster and faster; it seemed like his heart was about to completely overload and stop beating at any moment.
Seeing the cold sweat pouring down his body, it was as if the monster he had seen in his hallucinations was now standing right in front of him.
Although he had just almost completely ignored my presence.
But seeing his pained expression, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity and compassion for him.
So I patted him again and extended my hand to him.
"Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to hold my hand?"
Join us, become one of us, and it won't be scary anymore.
Humans have always attributed many beautiful meanings to the act of holding hands.
A testament to close relationships, a bridge to warmth, a remedy to dispel fear...
And this is also the thought I want to convey to him right now.
For him, my existence might indeed be the only piece of driftwood he can grab onto before he drowns.
It is a unique source of warmth in the current darkness.
At this moment, he finally stopped ignoring my presence and took my hand without hesitation.
Compared to his healthy wheat-colored skin, the color of my hands, which had been confined in solitary confinement for years, appeared excessively pale.
And at the moment our hands clasped together, he finally became me.
Countless pale arms swayed gently in the dark confinement room, like seaweed swaying slowly on the equally dark seabed.
I am not myself, I am them, I am each and every one of them.
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