Emily #freementalillness #literasia

s e v e n t e e n

"Em...please...wake up..."

Walter's strained voice drifted in and out of Emily's ears. She wanted to reach out to him, call to him, make everything go back to the way it used to be- but she couldn't. She felt something dark and cold drag her down and soon every motivation to live was extinguished like a candle flame.

She was falling. Everything around her- pitch black. Her screams were lost in the void where nothing existed but her demons and herself.

She didn't know if she wanted to wake up. Doing so would be going back into a living nightmare.

Living.

It's so exhaustive. Difficult. Emily doesn't even want to live.

Why should she wake up?

"Em...I love you. Please wake up..."

He was lying. Nobody could love Emily. Nobody could love someone like her.

Her parents certainly don't love her.

And boys don't want broken girls.

The line went flat and Walter screamed, calling the nurses over and then being dragged away as a doctor moved into the room.

"You're going to have to calm down, sir."

"No!"

His arms flailed as he fought back, but then fell limp as the door clicked shut and he saw the people in the room snap off their gloves and shake their heads.

"No..." He whispered. "No. No, no, no, NO!" He screamed and started pushing furniture over in the hallway, tears streaming down his cheeks and choked sobs making their way out of his throat.

Once he had screamed and cried himself hoarse, a nurse came out of Emily's room.

He scrambled to his feet.

"Tell me, please, is she-"

"She's