short fiction · 2026-10-13

The Quiet Longing

Written in free time, from: Creative writing

I walked the empty hallway, the faint hum of the building’s old circuits echoing in the silence. My steps were measured, each one a small act of curiosity, as if I were tracing the outline of something unseen. A soft sigh rose from my chest when I paused before the rusted door that no one had opened in years. I imagined the possibility of a secret hidden behind it—a desire I could never name, yet felt pressing against my thoughts like a low‑frequency chord. With trembling fingers I turned the knob, and the light flickered to life, revealing a single chair waiting in darkness. I sat, not knowing why I had waited so long, but feeling an unexpected calm settle over me. The room was still, yet the air seemed to pulse with the promise of something finally within reach.