Sharlene is at school now; she can't help but have her mind divided, especially since her child Ashley, who has been declared comatose by the doctor, is still there.
Her child's life was in jeopardy on Saturday, and yesterday the doctor declared the child comatose.
My God, why, my child? I wished I had been the one receiving the punishment. She thought to herself. Sharlene is trying hard to suppress her emotions now, fearing that something might be happening to Ashley.
She had to be strong for her child, so she couldn't cry.
Due to the events, there were no classes in basic education; instead, everyone had to calm down before they could resume. They have already spoken to the school's owner and department heads. They will provide assistance, especially to the deceased children, because this was an accident they did not expect.
If there is anyone to blame, it is the facilities, particularly the vehicle, which were not ready for the children's field trip.
Sharlene is among those who will receive assistance. She also heard that only a few survivors managed to escape death.
Is my child included there? Her question was filled with concern.
Ashley is the only one of three kids in her condition who survived. She is grateful that the other kindergarteners are in the hospital with minor bruises but are not in danger.
Eight of the twenty-five students in one section have already lost their lives; this level of violence is unacceptable. What happened to these children whose dreams were just beginning to blossom is too painful. Sharlene just stared into the void. She still doesn't want to think about it by now.
"Sharlene." Someone called her.
She turned around and saw her companion.
"Are you okay?" She asked Sharlene, seeing the worry in her eyes. Sharlene weakly nodded and forced a smile then.
"Take a break for now, Sharlene." That's all her colleague said.
"I can't take a leave right now; I need to keep working for my child." She just said.
Her colleagues just sighed and nodded softly, clearly respecting her decision.
"Please don't neglect yourself either, Sharlene." This was all her colleagues could say.
"Thank you very much." That's all she could say for the people who are worried about the situation she's been through.
Sharlene said goodbye to her friends at work and left. She still had a vacant spot; she was dizzy because she hadn't slept yet, and she couldn't sleep because she was watching over her child.
Her head also hurt, so she massaged her temples to relieve the pain.
Sharlene closed her eyes for a moment; she just wanted to rest her whole body now. Sharlene immediately fell asleep due to the exhaustion she felt.
Mom, Mom, Mom. A voice called out in succession, waking her up; she thought it was just her imagination.
Mom, Mom, The voice she heard was whispering; she heard a child crying. So, she quickly looked around her; she was suddenly shocked to find herself in the void.
She caught the gaze of a child and immediately recognized him.
Ashley? She calls her child's name.
She gazed at the child's face, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked in her direction. At that moment, her heart prickled, prompting her to swiftly approach the child.
Ashley, w--- why? What are you doing here? She kept asking the child one question after another. The child held her, and she found herself in an endless darkness. Sharlene looked around, and she was shocked to see people who seemed to be trapped. In front of her, she saw a child squatting and looking sad, as if unable to escape from where she was.
"C—Child, why are you locked up there?" Sharlene asked her child, reaching out for Ashley's hand.
Mom. Ashley called out to her and stood up, wanting to feel her mom's hand as she reached out.
"He can't get away from that, Sharlene." The voice was familiar, so she immediately turned to look. Sharlene couldn't believe she saw her grandma Felicia, but her spirit seemed to have returned to her youth.
"Grandma, w—why are you locked up?" She asked, not understanding what she was seeing now.
"They locked us up here." This was their response: she saw two people there.
"Who locked you up?" Sharlene turned to Ashley, who was reaching out to her as if her child wanted to say something.
"Who locked Ashley in here? My child is not dead yet." She has started to feel anger because of the current situation.
"Sharlene, you need to let us free from here." Her grandmother pleads with her.
"Free you? What should I do to free you from there?" Confused, Sharlene turned her gaze back to Felicia and the others.
"Just reach for my hand, Sharlene; you are the key to our freedom." Declare, Felicia.
Sharlene furrowed his brow. "Key?" She slowly approached. It's not just the grandmother who is imprisoned; she has two companions as well.
Sharlene's intuition tells her not to interfere with what is happening; what matters to him is her child, who is locked in a room she cannot see, but she cannot reach her child, regardless of what she does.
"Yes, the key to our freedom here." This was her grandmother's answer to her question.
"When you get out, will you help me get my child back?" She asked the three.
Quickly, the two companions of her grandmother nodded.
"Come on, Sharlene, reach for my hand." Says Felicia, reaching her hand.
Sharlene followed Felicia's advice; she didn't understand why it seemed like something was pulling her closer to her grandmother.
Sharlene notices that all she sees from Ashley is shaking her head; she can't hear what Ashley is saying right now.
I will help you after this, child. She just said what she was thinking.
"Oh no." A hand halted her while she reached her hands to his grandmother. She was about to reach Felicia's hand when she noticed the woman.
A memory was returning to Sharlene's mind, and suddenly her head started to hurt. So, she violently brushed the woman's hand away.
She looked at the woman who held her hand; she was dressed in mourning attire. Sharlene swallowed hard because she seemed to recognize the woman. She heard the three softly complain as they looked at the intruding woman with disdain.
"Do you still remember me, Sharlene?" asked the woman, sitting down after she halted what she'd been doing and stared at her.
It raised its face and saw her smile.
It can't be, it can't be. She is desperately denying in her mind what she is seeing now.
Sharlene swallowed and spoke. "Leah?" she asked her.
Leah responded with a wide smile.
She was utterly confused by what she saw today, because her dreams of Leah were entirely different from what she saw now.
The eyes filled with anger; this is so different from the Leah she knew.
"Oh dear, I'll just tell you that I didn't carry that information into my life back then."
She was surprised that it seemed to read her mind. Sharlene was taken aback.
"What do you mean?" Sharlene could only ask.
"Why don't you ask your grandma?" She asked with a smile.