Her unique approach was not only engaging but also quite comforting. I played along, appreciating her efforts to make the medical process less intimidating. As she continued her whimsical routine, wrapping my arm with the cuff and placing the clip on my finger, the atmosphere in the room felt unnerving.

However, unexpectedly, everything around me started to fade into darkness. My eyes began to close, and the last thing I saw was the nurse looking at the readings on the gauge. She glanced at me, offering a smile, but as she looked back at the gauge, her expression changed dramatically. The smile quickly transformed into a look of alarm and concern. She promptly set aside the gauge and knelt in front of me.

"Houston! We have a problem. Sammy! Stay with me..."

Despite her calls, I felt overwhelmingly tired and sleepy, struggling to keep my eyes open. It was as if a heavy blanket of fatigue had suddenly enveloped me, making it impossible to resist the pull of drowsiness. Then, quite unexpectedly, my surroundings seemed to change. I found myself standing, not in the hospital room, but over a surface of dark water.

Surrounded by an expanse of nothingness, I found myself in a place where the only discernible features were the dark water beneath my feet and the infinite stretch of clouds above. The sight was both mesmerizing and unsettling.

The ripples my feet made seemed to form a pattern, expanding outward in concentric circles. Intrigued, I decided to follow this pattern, hoping it might lead me somewhere or reveal something.

I observed the ripples emanating from where my feet touched the water, yet curiously, I didn't sink into it. These ripples seemed to form a pattern, expanding outwards in concentric circles. Compelled by curiosity and the lack of any other direction, I decided to follow these ripples.

I walked, seemingly for hours, tracing the path of the ripples across the water's surface. Despite my efforts, there was no change in the scenery, no landmark or destination in sight. When I paused to look around, it felt as though I hadn't moved at all from my original spot.

Overwhelmed by desperation in this endless, surreal landscape, I mustered all my strength and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Hello?" My voice echoed back to me, reverberating through the vast emptiness with varying intensities as if the very air itself was responding to my call.

I paced in circles, walking back and forth, searching for any sign of change or a way out. But there was no end in sight to the expanse of water that stretched infinitely around me, nor to the oppressive silence that dominated this place. There was no sun, no discernible source of light, just the ever-present, gloomy clouds that shifted directionless above.

My thoughts drifted back to the nurse. Reflecting on the nurse's kindness, I felt a spark of hope. With that thought, I decided to call out her name into the vast, strange void.

"Angela!"

My voice echoed far and wide, diminishing into silence as it traveled across the endless expanse. I stood motionless, watching the ripples in the water, when I noticed something peculiar – the ripples were moving in an unexpected direction beneath the surface.

Curious, I began to move around, trying to understand this anomaly. After several attempts, I knelt, peering intently into the murky depths. What I saw next was startling and unexpected: a hand emerged from beneath the water, reaching towards where I stood. The hand seemed to be grasping for something, for me, perhaps, before it sank back into the dark waters.

As I watched, another hand appeared, this time moving away from me. Intrigued, I followed its direction, only to see it vanish into the darkness. Soon after, another hand surfaced, followed by yet another. Within moments, a multitude of hands were emerging from the murky depths, each one reaching towards me.

Within seconds, numerous hands were reaching up towards me, as if trying to make contact. Yet, there seemed to be an invisible barrier between my feet and the water, preventing any actual touch. This barrier kept us separated, the hands grasping for something they could never reach.

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Kneeling down, I pounded on the invisible barrier that separated me from the hands in the water, driven by a sense of desperation. "Can you help me?"

Suddenly, I felt a small droplet of ice-cold water leap up and land on my foot. Startled by the unexpected sensation, I instinctively pulled my feet up and quickly moved away from the area where the hands were reaching out.

Standing at a distance from the hands, I watched cautiously, only to notice that they seemed to follow me. The number of hands reaching towards me had doubled, creating a more intense and unnerving scene.

Then, another drop of water landed on my skin, colder and more tangible than before. To my surprise, I saw a single finger momentarily breach the invisible barrier that had kept me separated from these hands.

Feeling uneasy about the interaction, I decided to move away once again.

"Stop following me!" I yelled, my voice echoing across the vast, murky expanse. Despite my efforts to distance myself, the hands persisted, continuing to follow my every move.

Exhausted and overwhelmed, I slowed down and spoke in a softer tone, almost pleading, "Stop, please."

As I tried to cope with the situation, I suddenly realized that I was walking again, moving freely in this strange, murky world. This moment of awareness, however, was short-lived. Fear and uncertainty quickly took over as I saw countless hands reaching out towards me, their number seeming to multiply into millions.

In a chilling moment, one of the hands managed to grasp my toes. The touch was icy, sending a jolt of alarm through me. Reacting instinctively, I jerked my foot away as quickly as possible, but in doing so, I lost my balance and fell backward into the water. As I fell, the hands surged forward, now seemingly able to climb over the barrier that had previously separated us.

I stood up and tried to walk away, but it felt like there was nowhere left to go. Though there was nothing tangible blocking my path, an overwhelming sense of being cornered took hold of me.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed with all the strength I had left, directing my plea at the countless hands that continued to amass before me.

Engulfed by a sense of despair, I felt utterly lost and unsure of what to do next. My thoughts turned to my parents, imagining them searching for me with relentless determination.

In a moment of desperation, I mustered all the strength I had left and screamed out for help. "Help!" The cry echoed through the vast, murky expanse, fading away until it was swallowed by the silence that surrounded me.

The sound of water splashing grew louder and more frantic as the hands drew closer, each one striving to touch me. With every inch they gained, my heart raced faster in panic. I desperately tried to kick them away, but it was futile; their cold, relentless reach seemed inescapable.

The chilling sensation as they brushed against me was overwhelming. I could hear the pounding of my own heart in my ears, a rapid, thunderous rhythm fueled by fear. The scent of fear seemed almost tangible, filling my senses and amplifying the terror of the moment.

I instinctively closed my eyes, seeking refuge in the thought of my mother. I pictured her caring, warm smile, which had always been a source of comfort and strength against all odds. Her presence in my life had instilled a deep-seated will to persevere, a thirst for survival that resonated within my soul.

Yet, in that moment, I was painfully aware of her absence. Lost in an unknown, terrifying place, I felt an acute sense of loneliness. The sensation of the hands climbing up my legs, each touch cold and unsettling, sent shivers straight to my heart.

As the hands continued their relentless advance, a profound question surfaced in my mind: "Is this how I die?"

The sensation of cold water enveloping me became more pronounced as the hands pulled me deeper into its depths. They had now reached my shoulders, and the intense cold penetrated my skin, sending a wave of exhaustion through my body.

At that moment, overwhelmed by the inescapable grip of the hands, I found myself succumbing to their force. A part of me accepted the notion that this might be the end. Yet, as I faced this possibility, my thoughts turned again to my mother. The guilt of leaving her behind after all her efforts to save and protect me now rendered futile.

"Mother, forgive me."

Then my thoughts shifted to my father, who had always been a pillar of strength and support in my life. He was the one who had been there through all my struggles, always ready to pick me up after each fall.

"Father, forgive me for being weak."

I hoped, in some way, that my parents would hear these final thoughts, that they would somehow understand the depth of my feelings. There was a sense of being at odds with the world from the moment of my birth, a feeling of rejection and struggle that had invaded my existence. In this moment of surrender, I longed for my parents to know that I had fought as hard as I could and that my spirit, despite its challenges, had remained resilient.

I hope they hear me. I hope they understand, I was rejected by this world the moment I was born.