At this moment, Samantha was pulling Thelma to stand at the entrance of the Peace Hotel. Outside the main entrance, the cold wind howled, and snowflakes seemed to drift down from the sky. Just moments ago, in the room with the heating on, it hadn’t felt cold; it was as if it were still summer. As a result, Thelma was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. The moment she stepped out into the cold wind, she shivered.
The advertisements on the streets were filled with slogans celebrating the arrival of 2018. Thelma quickly noticed that several tall buildings had been constructed around the hotel. The once-familiar streets had changed significantly, yet the street where the Peace Hotel stood still retained the old-town charm of Mapleton City’s historic streets.
“See it now?” Samantha said to her.
Thelma still couldn’t believe it. How could this be? How could it possibly be? Just yesterday, she was clearly still in her dormitory, preparing for her exams. How could she wake up and suddenly find herself in 2018?
Thelma was completely dumbfounded. She was dragged in by Samantha in a daze, and before she knew it, Samantha casually threw a down jacket over her shoulders and stuffed her into the car, saying she was taking her to the hospital for a check-up.
“How could this happen? How could I suddenly end up in 2018? No, no, this must be a dream,” she muttered to herself, slapping her cheeks lightly with her hands. However, she could clearly feel the pain from the slaps on her face.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she asked, “Samantha, what’s wrong with my voice?”
Samantha explained, “Five years ago, before you went to participate in a competition, you bought a cup of milk tea. There was a shard of glass mixed into the tea, and you swallowed the glass along with the tapioca pearls. The glass tore your throat, and later, the wound wasn’t treated properly. It became inflamed and damaged your vocal cords.”
Thelma felt as if she had been struck by lightning. It took her a long while before she spoke, her voice hollow, “Does that mean I didn’t get to participate in the competition?”
Samantha nodded.
It was terrifying. Why would something like this happen? Five years ago, there had been no such possibility in the path she had planned for herself.
She was born with a beautiful voice and has loved singing since she was a child. Along with her natural talent for music, her parents had focused on cultivating her musical skills from a very young age.
She could play many instruments. Other than string instruments, of which she only knew the guitar, she was proficient in all others. In college, she had been accepted into the best music academy. Thanks to her talent and hard work, she had performed exceptionally well in school.
Everyone believed she would have the brightest future, and she had thought so too.
She would become the most outstanding singer in the country, standing under the spotlight in front of adoring crowds, singing with her heavenly voice in grand venues.
That had been her dream. From childhood to adulthood, she had worked tirelessly to make it come true. She firmly believed that with her talent and effort, she would achieve it.
But why had her voice been destroyed? It was the thing she cherished most. Her voice was beautiful and was her pride. She had loved singing since she was a child and was passionate about music. If her voice were ruined, it would be as though her soul had been destroyed.
“Can it be healed, Samantha? Can my voice still be healed?” she cried, devastated.
Samantha glanced at her. Her face was streaked with tears. Though she had been a mess these past few years, at this moment, she looked so helpless and pitiful that Samantha’s heart ached. She didn’t know how to answer her. No matter what answer she gave, it would be cruel to Thelma.
