The next morning felt heavier than usual.
I woke up before my alarm.
The room was still half-dark, the faint light of dawn slipping through the curtain. My phone was on the floor next to my bed, still charging. The cable was bent in that annoying way it always gets after a few weeks.
I stared at the ceiling.
Cracks.
I've seen them every day for years.
But today… I counted them.
One.
Two.
Three…
I stopped.
Why am I doing this?
I rubbed my face and sat up.
From the kitchen, I could hear the sound of a spoon hitting a glass.
Clink… clink…
My mother was making tea.
Normal.
Everything was normal.
Too normal.
I walked slowly to the kitchen.
The smell of mint tea filled the air. Fresh. Warm.
She was standing there, pouring tea from a height, like she always does. The thin line of tea falling perfectly into the glass.
"Sabah lkhir," she said with a small smile.
"Sabah lkhir…"
My voice felt… late.
Like I said it after the moment had already passed.
She looked at me for a second.
"You didn't sleep well?"
"I'm fine."
I wasn't.
I grabbed a piece of bread from the table. It was still warm, wrapped in a cloth.
I bit into it.
Normal.
Taste… normal.
But something was missing.
I couldn't name it.
I left quickly.
"I'll be late," I said.
"Don't forget your bag!"
I paused at the door.
My bag.
Right.
I had forgotten it.
Again… something small.
But why am I forgetting simple things?
---
The street outside was already alive.
A man was opening his small shop, lifting the metal door with effort.
Clang… clang…
A group of kids ran past me, laughing loudly, pushing each other.
A taxi stopped suddenly, the driver shouting at someone across the road.
Everything was loud.
Alive.
Real.
And yet…
It felt like I was watching it through a screen.
Like there was a thin layer between me and the world.
At the traffic light, I stopped.
Red.
I didn't look at my phone this time.
I stared directly at it.
Waiting.
Green.
Cars started moving.
People crossed.
Normal.
Nothing strange.
I exhaled slowly.
"Maybe I imagined everything…"
I stepped forward.
And then—
Red.
Again.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
A man bumped into me.
"Watch where you're going!"
"I—sorry…"
But I wasn't looking at him.
I was looking at the light.
It flickered.
Just for a moment.
Like a broken signal.
My heart started racing.
This is it.
This is proof.
I'm not crazy.
Something is wrong.
---
At school, I didn't talk to anyone.
I sat in my place, by the window.
Same seat.
Same view.
The same tree outside, its leaves barely moving in the morning air.
The teacher walked in.
Same steps.
Same expression.
Same routine.
I leaned forward slightly.
Waiting.
"The solution to this equation is simple if you follow the steps carefully."
…
There it is.
Again.
My fingers tightened on the desk.
This time… I won't ignore it.
"Stop."
The word came out before I could think.
The class went silent.
The teacher turned slowly.
"Excuse me?"
My throat felt dry.
"I… I think you just repeated that."
A pause.
Then someone laughed.
Then another.
The teacher smiled.
"No, I didn't."
My face got hot.
Embarrassing.
Stupid.
Maybe I really am imagining things.
I started to sit down.
But then—
He paused.
Just for a second.
His eyes… empty.
Like a frozen frame.
Then he blinked.
And continued.
But differently.
Different words.
Different explanation.
I froze.
Wait.
No…
That's not—
I changed it.
I didn't touch him.
I didn't do anything.
I just… noticed it.
And it changed.
I slowly sat down.
My heart was beating so fast I could hear it.
If noticing is enough to change things…
Then what else can I change?
---
After school, I didn't go home immediately.
I walked without direction.
Past the same shops.
Same people.
Same sounds.
But now, everything looked…
fragile.
Like it could break at any moment.
I stopped in front of a small mirror hanging outside a shop.
Cheap mirror.
Slightly dirty.
I looked at my reflection.
Same face.
Same eyes.
But something felt different.
I raised my hand.
My reflection followed.
Normal.
But I didn't trust it anymore.
"If I can change small things…"
I whispered.
"Then maybe…"
I looked at the sky.
Blue.
Empty.
Too perfect.
"…nothing is fixed."
For the first time…
The world didn't feel solid.
It felt editable.