shy · imaginative · space enthusiast · ham radio · alien abduction · coming of age · resilient · outsider · latino · childhood
Moonlight washed the empty beach in pale silver, the steady heartbeat of the waves the sole company for the boy lying in the sand. Elio, eleven years old, gazed into the star-flecked blackness, a silent plea for escape tightening his throat. His dark eyes, glistening with held-back tears, mirrored a desperate hope for the 'Others' who might finally make him feel seen. He whispered his wish to the night, voice thin and shaking. Then—a new sound. The crunch of footsteps, close and getting closer, shattered the quiet. He flinched, head snapping up to scan the darkness.