Listening to Shadows
The echoes of that citywide explosion still rang in Ling's ears. Sound had always been his only tether to the world. Back at the orphanage, he drifted through days in silence—withdrawn, humming quiet melodies only he could hear. That all changed the day another boy his age at the orphanage reached out. For the first time, Ling's inner tune found harmony outside himself. But that harmony would be short-lived. Just as the two began to dream of a life beyond the orphanage—BOOM! A blast went off nearby. Ling survived, but his friend vanished in the aftermath, and was swiftly pinned as the alleged culprit of the bombing and branded a fugitive. The thundering boom. The shrieking sirens. The endless interrogations and accusations. The wails of grieving families.... Each sound collided in brutal