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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Friends / Friendship
- Published: 10/10/2021
Heartless
F, from Laputa, GermanyEver since I was born I had no heart, meaning I couldn’t feel emotion, neither positve nor negative ones. This was part of the reason why I had to see doctors all day ever since I could remember. Despite not being able to feel emotions and my eyes being dim as a result, everything else was fine physically and mentally. I just lacked something other normal people possessed at my age. Even though several scientists couldn’t find out why I didn’t possess any emotions, they were still trying by making me go through various experiments.
Some tried to make me analyze emotions and mimic them in hopes I could learn while others tried to make me feel something but failed miserably when they wanted to make me laugh or cry, only embarassing themselves. I was told that I didn’t even cry when I was born.
Today was once again one of the countless days where they would try to make me react to something. Usually, by doing something that I analyzed should be funny and make me, a mere 6-year old laugh. Failure seemed to be highly likely like any other time.
They put me in a white room with a table in the middle. Around the table were two brown chairs that were opposite of one another, so that I would have face the doctor I would be talking to. The wind made the white curtains flutter, revealing the clear blue sky for a brief moment. As I heard the sound of a door opening, I turned my head to see the first doctor enter the room. He was bald and was dressed in a white coat that doctors usually wore. In his hands was a clipboard that included a pen to take notes and write my answers down. Calmly, he sat in front of me and smiled:
“Hello Blaze. As usual, I will ask you some questions and you will answer truthfully.“
“Yes sir.“, I replied, nodding as I watched how he pulled out his cell phone.
It seemed like he was going to show me something since he swiped around. Some seconds later, he found what he was looking for. He continued:
“I want you to look at this video and tell me what first comes to your mind.“
As soon as I nodded, he pressed the play button on the phone and showed me a video of some kids having a snowball fight in a yard. I could see one girl who held a white plush bunny in her hand and two boys that were laughing because the light haired blonde male had hit the black haired kid with a snowball – right in the face. Yet, upon seeing them, I didn’t feel anything.
“And? What first comes to your mind when you see them?“, the doctor asked me, ready to take my answers as a note.
“They seem to be having fun.“, I stated the obvious.
“And did you feel anything? For example, did you want to play with them? Did you have the urge to go and get to know them?“
Thinking for a moment, I just shook my head before replying sincerely:
“No, I didn’t feel anything. It does not interest me.“
Sighing, the doctor accepted my answer. I was asked and shown several questions and videos – to no avail. Some of them were meant to be funny. Others had the intention to make me feel angry. My truthful answer remained the very same every time. The doctor even pulled out a syringe to make me feel scared. I assumed most of the kids were scared of them, I wasn’t. I didn’t feel anything. My eyes didn’t even flinch. After an hour of questioning and experimenting, we were done.
“This concludes our therapy for today. Just wait here for a second. I’m sure the next doctor will come in soon. See you next time, Blaze.“
After a last quick smile, he left the room but he didn’t fully close the door. Behind it, there was mumbling.
“The doctor’s daughter?“
The female voice of a nurse was suddenly more quiet, so I couldn’t understand everything.
“Are you sure this will work? Only because she wants to help him, this doesn’t mean that she ...“
Then, there was silence.
“We have no other ideas. So we might as well let her go in since she is about his age ...“
A few minutes passed in which I just sat there, waiting. Then, the door was pushed open, only to reveal a girl about my age. Her hair, which had been tied into a pony tail with a black ribbon, had the colour of honey. She wore a simple lilac dress that had white lilies printed on it. Pretty confident, she smiled and sat on the chair on which the doctor sat previously.
“Hello. My name is Eve. And yours?“, she introduced herself, smiling innocently.
Obviously, she didn’t seem to be a shy person since she looked interested in talking to me.
“Blaze.“
I didn’t care why she was here. If all those doctors couldn’t help me, how would she be able to do so? Furthermore, to think that she could make me feel anything was illogical. She looked at me, pitifully.
“I’ve heard that you can’t feel anything. Is that true?“, she asked, tilting her head.
As a response, I just nodded to confirm.
“Not even fear? Or joy?“, she continued to inquire further, frowning at my answer.
Slowly, I shook my head. She crossed her arms and tilted her head from side to side as if she was trying to find a solution. All of a sudden, her eyes widened and she grinned.
“Just you wait here, Blaze! I have an idea. Wait a sec.“
There wasn’t anywhere to go for me, so I just waited for her to come back again. I don’t know why she wanted to help me but I was sure that no matter what she was trying to do, it wouldn’t work. After some minutes, Eve returned, her face filled with pride. I tilted my head to see what she was hiding behind her back but she didn’t let me see.
“Since you can’t feel anything, I have the perfect solution!“, she nodded, convinced of her idea. Behind her back she pulled out a red heart made out of paper. She must have drawn it and cut it out herself.
“This is my heart.“, she explained pointing at it with her finger, “Since you can’t feel anything, I will give you this, so you can live normally.“
“That doesn’t make sense. If I have your heart, what will you do without it? Then you won’t be able to feel anything anymore.“, I pointed out. Her idea was so surreal and illogical.
“Oh, you are right ...“
Eve seemed to be sad. She stared at the ground until she looked up again and ripped the heart in two parts.
“Then I will give you one half and keep the other one. That way we can both feel. Maybe not fully, but we can. We’re the same then.“
She sounded so sincere when she told me this. There was something. Something inside of me for the first time reacted. Her idea caused me to react. For the first time of my life, the corners of my mouth twitched, forming a smile. Eve gaped and her eyes sparkled when she stated, being less excited than before:
“See? Your eyes aren’t that dim anymore. Giving you a part of my heart worked.“
Heartless(Krisha_Grim)
Ever since I was born I had no heart, meaning I couldn’t feel emotion, neither positve nor negative ones. This was part of the reason why I had to see doctors all day ever since I could remember. Despite not being able to feel emotions and my eyes being dim as a result, everything else was fine physically and mentally. I just lacked something other normal people possessed at my age. Even though several scientists couldn’t find out why I didn’t possess any emotions, they were still trying by making me go through various experiments.
Some tried to make me analyze emotions and mimic them in hopes I could learn while others tried to make me feel something but failed miserably when they wanted to make me laugh or cry, only embarassing themselves. I was told that I didn’t even cry when I was born.
Today was once again one of the countless days where they would try to make me react to something. Usually, by doing something that I analyzed should be funny and make me, a mere 6-year old laugh. Failure seemed to be highly likely like any other time.
They put me in a white room with a table in the middle. Around the table were two brown chairs that were opposite of one another, so that I would have face the doctor I would be talking to. The wind made the white curtains flutter, revealing the clear blue sky for a brief moment. As I heard the sound of a door opening, I turned my head to see the first doctor enter the room. He was bald and was dressed in a white coat that doctors usually wore. In his hands was a clipboard that included a pen to take notes and write my answers down. Calmly, he sat in front of me and smiled:
“Hello Blaze. As usual, I will ask you some questions and you will answer truthfully.“
“Yes sir.“, I replied, nodding as I watched how he pulled out his cell phone.
It seemed like he was going to show me something since he swiped around. Some seconds later, he found what he was looking for. He continued:
“I want you to look at this video and tell me what first comes to your mind.“
As soon as I nodded, he pressed the play button on the phone and showed me a video of some kids having a snowball fight in a yard. I could see one girl who held a white plush bunny in her hand and two boys that were laughing because the light haired blonde male had hit the black haired kid with a snowball – right in the face. Yet, upon seeing them, I didn’t feel anything.
“And? What first comes to your mind when you see them?“, the doctor asked me, ready to take my answers as a note.
“They seem to be having fun.“, I stated the obvious.
“And did you feel anything? For example, did you want to play with them? Did you have the urge to go and get to know them?“
Thinking for a moment, I just shook my head before replying sincerely:
“No, I didn’t feel anything. It does not interest me.“
Sighing, the doctor accepted my answer. I was asked and shown several questions and videos – to no avail. Some of them were meant to be funny. Others had the intention to make me feel angry. My truthful answer remained the very same every time. The doctor even pulled out a syringe to make me feel scared. I assumed most of the kids were scared of them, I wasn’t. I didn’t feel anything. My eyes didn’t even flinch. After an hour of questioning and experimenting, we were done.
“This concludes our therapy for today. Just wait here for a second. I’m sure the next doctor will come in soon. See you next time, Blaze.“
After a last quick smile, he left the room but he didn’t fully close the door. Behind it, there was mumbling.
“The doctor’s daughter?“
The female voice of a nurse was suddenly more quiet, so I couldn’t understand everything.
“Are you sure this will work? Only because she wants to help him, this doesn’t mean that she ...“
Then, there was silence.
“We have no other ideas. So we might as well let her go in since she is about his age ...“
A few minutes passed in which I just sat there, waiting. Then, the door was pushed open, only to reveal a girl about my age. Her hair, which had been tied into a pony tail with a black ribbon, had the colour of honey. She wore a simple lilac dress that had white lilies printed on it. Pretty confident, she smiled and sat on the chair on which the doctor sat previously.
“Hello. My name is Eve. And yours?“, she introduced herself, smiling innocently.
Obviously, she didn’t seem to be a shy person since she looked interested in talking to me.
“Blaze.“
I didn’t care why she was here. If all those doctors couldn’t help me, how would she be able to do so? Furthermore, to think that she could make me feel anything was illogical. She looked at me, pitifully.
“I’ve heard that you can’t feel anything. Is that true?“, she asked, tilting her head.
As a response, I just nodded to confirm.
“Not even fear? Or joy?“, she continued to inquire further, frowning at my answer.
Slowly, I shook my head. She crossed her arms and tilted her head from side to side as if she was trying to find a solution. All of a sudden, her eyes widened and she grinned.
“Just you wait here, Blaze! I have an idea. Wait a sec.“
There wasn’t anywhere to go for me, so I just waited for her to come back again. I don’t know why she wanted to help me but I was sure that no matter what she was trying to do, it wouldn’t work. After some minutes, Eve returned, her face filled with pride. I tilted my head to see what she was hiding behind her back but she didn’t let me see.
“Since you can’t feel anything, I have the perfect solution!“, she nodded, convinced of her idea. Behind her back she pulled out a red heart made out of paper. She must have drawn it and cut it out herself.
“This is my heart.“, she explained pointing at it with her finger, “Since you can’t feel anything, I will give you this, so you can live normally.“
“That doesn’t make sense. If I have your heart, what will you do without it? Then you won’t be able to feel anything anymore.“, I pointed out. Her idea was so surreal and illogical.
“Oh, you are right ...“
Eve seemed to be sad. She stared at the ground until she looked up again and ripped the heart in two parts.
“Then I will give you one half and keep the other one. That way we can both feel. Maybe not fully, but we can. We’re the same then.“
She sounded so sincere when she told me this. There was something. Something inside of me for the first time reacted. Her idea caused me to react. For the first time of my life, the corners of my mouth twitched, forming a smile. Eve gaped and her eyes sparkled when she stated, being less excited than before:
“See? Your eyes aren’t that dim anymore. Giving you a part of my heart worked.“
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- 13
Ydaln Ubnn
11/29/2021Guten Tag!
Du kannst gut schreiben und diese Geschichte esklarte es.
Ich bin so glucklich, dass ich darauf gestossen bin, denn es ist wirklich erstaunlich.
Ich hoffe, Sie haben einen schonen Tag!
(As an Australian 14-year-old, my German isn't very good, please correct me if I've misspelled anything.)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Krisha_Grim
11/29/2021Guten Tag!
Thank you very much for your lovely comment!
Also, I really appreciate that your comment was in German: That made me very happy!
Your German is really good, especially considering you are 14 years old. Keep up the great work!
(I hope it is okay if I correct you. In the first sentence, after "Geschichte" you wrote "esklarte".
I think you meant "erklärte" which is "explained" in English. The rest is correct, very well done! :) )
Ihnen auch einen schönen Tag! :)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
11/15/2021Kisha_Grim,
Wunderbar! ( Did I get that right?) Maria's students will love your story, and that you are an ESL writer will definitely encourage them. I am mono lingual, and stand in awe when folks write in a second, or even third language...and write well. Plus, your story has a lot of heart in it (pun intended). I am in my seventies, but related to the story as I thought back to my young self.
Hearts were meant to be shared. Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Krisha_Grim
11/15/2021Yes, you got that right. :) Thank you for taking your time to read my story and to even look up a word in my native language to complement it. Danke!
I really that I can motivate at least a few students - that alone would make me happy.
Due to English not being my native language, I was afraid that maybe the readers would not be able to understand the story. Right now though, I am relieved that this does not seem to be the case.
I'm glad you could relate to "Heartless" on a personal level!
Sincerely,
Krisha_Grim
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shirley Smothers
11/15/2021What a sweet story. Honest and heartwarmin, no pun intended. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Maria Juliana Badillo
11/05/2021Krisha, I loved your story. I am an English teacher and I was looking for something to share with my teen students. I am sure they are going to like it! Let you know in a few weeks!
I would like to inspire them to write too, and I wonder if you could tell me how old you are (or if you are a teenager at least), because many of them may feel they are too young to write nice stories, but if you prove them wrong, they might give it a try. Please, feel free not to answer if you are not comfortable with my request.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Krisha_Grim
11/06/2021Thank you very much for your lovely comment! It really makes me happy! :)
I'm very glad that you acknowledge "Heartless" as a good story to share with your students. Please feel free to show them and tell me their thoughts. It would be an honour for me!
Also, I really appreciate that you wish to inspire and motivate your students: I think teachers like that are very rare these days, even though we really need people like you!
About me: I'm currently 18 years old and I live in Germany. However, I think I can still be considered as a teenager because currently, I am in my last year of high school which is called "Abitur" in Germany. ( I believe it is called or at least similiar to the senior year in the US but please correct me if I am wrong.).
If I may give some advice to your students: As you can probably see, English is not my native language. If a teenage girl from Germany can write a story in a different language, you can do too! How old you are is not important. You're not too young or too old to write. Just write and have fun! :)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
10/10/2021That was the sweetest story ever! What a sweet girl willing to give her heart away. I can’t even imagine living and not being able to feel. Thank you for that great story.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Krisha_Grim
10/11/2021Thank you really much for your feedback! It is really appreciated and motivating me to keep writing! :)
COMMENTS (7)