REALM OF SENTIMENTS
— Chiela Angeles, author of Fly Away and Meet me at the Terminal
LETTERS I WROTE UNDER THE MOONLIGHT
Monsters don’t crawl
under your bed,
they are demons living
inside your head
you said, you also wished
But you have to tame
them with your leash
THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE
Ashley needs a reason to live.
Years of juggling the weight of maintaining a scholarship, and support for her
ailing mother, in a bustling daily routine, she finds solace in two things: the
songs and melodies of a band named Eternal Slumber and her writing. Though she
wishes that her reason to hope was as strong as her connection to her
readers—even if it’s through a pen name. Music allows Alex to breathe in his
suffocating reality. It gives him the strength to smile through the days. It is
the mask he wears, to hide the ache that sings beneath the surface. Not even
his bandmates in Eternal Slumber know of his terminal condition—which has
forced him to find ways to cope, either by brewing coffee for customers,
performing their music, or reading through Astraea’s poems or blogs.
Amidst shared ice creams and afflictions, Ashley and Alex find sanctuary in each other’s presence. A deep bond blooms amidst the complexities of their lives. But with time ticking away, Ashley must decide if she is willing to embrace the heartache that comes with loving someone she cannot keep, while Alex struggles to come to terms with the fact that he’s found someone to love too late.
SOLACE IN MELANCHOLIA
At first, I despised myself for finding comfort in my sadness. Eventually, I began to see its beauty and I felt the serenity it brought, despite my pessimistic soul. I never intended to seek solace in it. Was that a bad thing? Perhaps it's just something I constantly have within me—gloom, and the feeling of anguish—ever since I can remember. I know my sadness won't last forever, but it seems to stay longer within me than in others. Still, maybe that's just who I am. I envy those who don't dwell in melancholy. For me, it's the sole emotion I'm deeply familiar with. So, please bear with me. I might seem gloomy all the time, but I appreciate people asking if I'm fine. Please don't worry about me. Maybe this is just who I am.


