Twenty four stories from the ground, I sat on a round pouf of a chair, gazing at the streets below from my window.

It was ten in the evening, and my mother was already asleep. Outside, people were still bustling around, getting off cars, crossing streets, entering stores to find something to eat.

At this moment, I wanted to go out and blend in with thin, to roam around the place that is new to me, but also somehow familiar.

It didn’t matter to me if there were criminals ready to do their crime, jus waiting for victims to come around their corner of the city. All I wanted was to feel the cool night breeze, and experience the freedom it gave.

But there was one thing holding me back: my mother.

My mother, who was one of the reasons why I’ve come this far, the one who took me here twenty four floors up.

One of the reasons why I still want to live.

It’s not that she has been telling me not to leave her. No.

It’s my own instinct. It’s her presence alone that made me stay. She never left my side no matter what happened, and now it’s time to be the one who’ll be there when she needs me.

I drew the curtains over the window, blocking the view from my sight.

I proceeded to my bed, faced my mother as I lay down, and closed my eyes.