Halo of Hope

s fleeting thoughts. With a heavy sigh, he took another drag, letting the bitter taste fill his mouth. It was a taste he had grown accustomed to, a companion in his moments of sol

hed from it all. In his seventeen years of existence, Gabriel has seen and felt more than most. He was not like other boys his age, and it wasn’t just his otherworldly appearance

his heart. He had tried to explain it once, to a friend who had asked why he could

ing him to perceive the intricacies of human experience, but it had also been a curse. The weight of the world's pain pressed upon him, leaving him suffocated by emotions he could barely comprehend. As he watched a group of friends laughing nearby, a bit

carrying his worries with it. Each inhale was a momentary reprieve, a fleeting escape from the turmoil withi

the park, Gabriel's internal battle continued, a silent struggle that few could see or understand. The cigarette burned down to its filter , the ember pulsating like a heartbeat. With a final, contemplative drag, Gabriel stubbed it out against the bench. The small flame fizzled into darkness, much like the sp

at the possibility of change, of journey yet to unfold. Gabriel was a boy who had yet to realize the