What is the meaning of life?
Why do we exist?
What happens after we die?
Throughout my life, I've searched for the truth behind questions no one can truly answer. Some say we don't need to know to live a healthy life. Others believe it's all because of a higher power watching from above.
But I think we're meant to uncover those truths — because if not, all the suffering I've endured would feel tragically meaningless.
These thoughts haunted me as I stood on the train platform, surrounded by people yet feeling utterly alone.
My name is Estrella — it means "star" in Spanish. A guiding light for someone lost in darkness. Ironically, I'm one of the lost. I once had dreams, ambitions… but I've long forgotten them.
I wish that innocence would return to me.
But life is cruel — and filled with sorrow.
As I waited for the high-speed train to pass, my soul ached at the thought of facing another meaningless day at work. I wore a cheerful mask for those around me, but every sound — every voice — grated on my nerves.
How can they live like this? Oblivious, uncaring, selfish?
I hate them.
I hate them.
I hate them.
How can they be so cruel?
I want them to suffer the way I did.
And yet… deep down, I just want someone to notice me.
To see through the facade and ask, "Are you okay?"
But that will never happen.
Because humans… are selfish.
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
Suddenly, everything went silent.
A woman's shriek cut through the crowd, piercing the air like a dagger.
Everyone turned toward the source.
She wore a yellow sundress and a wide-brimmed hat, her phone clutched tightly in her hand, decorated in colorful beads. Her voice trembled with panic as she pointed toward the tracks.
People followed her trembling hand.
Their faces changed — horror showing on their face.
A child, no older than three, was on the rails. Crying. Struggling to stand.
"Jonathan!" she screamed, calling his name, begging for help.
"Help him! Someone help him!"
But no one moved.
Every single one of them just watched.
Frozen. Afraid.
The train's light was growing brighter by the second.
I was disgusted.
In that moment, humanity showed its true nature.
Selfishness.
They valued their lives too much to risk saving another.
And I?
I was no different.
With a heavy heart, I closed my eyes.
I was about to accept the child's fate — just like them.
"This isn't right."
If I let that child die, I'd be no better than the people I despise.
Another hollow soul… corrupted by fear and filled with greed.
I would rather die than become that kind of person.
Before I realized it, my body had already started to move.
I jumped from the platform down to the train tracks.
The train's light was blinding. Any second now, it would tear through me if I hesitated.
I reached the child and lifted him up, handing him to someone on the platform.
"Faster, please! I'm begging you!" the woman cried.
Her despair was visible to all. Her elegant sunhat was gone — likely lost in the chaos.
As I passed the child to safety, her anguish melted into relief. But she didn't even glance at me.
She only cared about her child — which made her a great mother, but also… a selfish person.
Then, a middle-aged man with strong features leaned down and offered his hand.
His face gave me hope.
"Are you okay?" he asked, voice gentle and sincere.
The words I'd been yearning to hear for so long finally reached me.
A flood of emotion surged through me. It felt as if every dormant cell inside me had come back to life.
With a smile — the first real one in ages — I reached for his hand.
In that moment, a fragile hope for humanity sparked within me.
Maybe I was wrong, I thought to myself, deep in my heart.
I was about to say, "Thank you."
But before I could utter a word…
everything went black.
---
In the blink of an eye, I was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
The man from before — the one who gave me hope — was gone.