Frequencies of the Heart

Lina first heard his voice one summer evening, crackling softly through the ham radio her grandfather had left behind. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" the boy had asked.

"Yes," she replied, startled but eager. "I’m here."

From that moment, her nights were no longer lonely.

The boy’s name was Kai, and he lived in a small city nestled in a valley far from her mountain village. Their worlds couldn’t have been more different. Lina spoke of endless pines, the way the mist clung to the cliffs in the mornings, and how the stars seemed close enough to touch. Kai painted a picture of bustling streets, corner shops, and people who could never seem to slow down.

Over time, their conversations deepened. They laughed over shared dreams and whispered secrets into the static, their voices carrying across the airwaves like threads binding them together.

But as the months passed, Kai’s stories began to change.

The strange disasters that had been appearing sporadically across the world—people vanishing in the blink of an eye, cities waking up to find days had skipped—seemed to be driving survivors to his city. "It’s getting crowded," he said one night, his voice tinged with unease. "Too many people. Food’s running low."

Lina listened, heart heavy, as the boy she’d grown to love described how the city was fraying at the edges. "There was a fight today at the market," he said another night. "Someone tried to steal bread. They… they didn’t make it out alive."

Lina longed to comfort him, but all she could do was keep her voice steady and remind him he wasn’t alone.

One night, Kai didn’t laugh at her jokes. He didn’t talk about the sky or his favorite songs. "I saw a group of people today. They looked… wrong. Like they didn’t belong here. Their clothes were from another time," he said, his voice trembling. "They’re saying the disasters are getting worse. No one knows what’s happening."

Lina clutched the radio, wishing she could reach through the wires and find him. "Kai, please," she whispered. "Stay safe."

The next night, there was no reply. Only static.

She stayed by the radio for hours, calling his name. Days turned into weeks.

But Kai never came back.

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