The city was still asleep, the morning mist shrouding the streets in a mysterious veil. It was an ordinary Sunday, like so many others, but for Caroline, this day would mark a turning point she could never have imagined. On this peaceful morning, she woke up alone, as she had every day for several months. Her husband David had left, their paths separated in a sea of misunderstandings, unspoken words, and unresolved resentments.
She stretched slowly, her gaze lost in the soft light filtering through the curtains. The house seemed strangely silent, too calm to be mere coincidence. Jules, her ten-year-old son, wasn't making any noise. And for Caroline, this was unusual. Her son, so full of life and energy, had this odd habit of never letting her forget he was around. He was her world, her anchor, her only connection to the joy of the past.
When she left her bedroom, her gaze fell on the little kitchen table. Her eyes, slightly misty, lingered on the coffee cup left in suspension, like a silent invitation to take a moment for herself, to center herself. Everything seemed frozen in an unnatural calm, but Caroline had grown accustomed to this silence, to this emptiness. Since the separation from David, life had become a series of indistinct days, devoid of color or light, with only routine as her anchor.
Then, suddenly, she felt a light breeze brush her skin. It was strange because no window was open. Her gaze shifted toward the hallway. There, before her, stood a familiar figure, but one that couldn't be real. A shiver ran through her as she froze in place.
— "Jules?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
He was there, right there, in the doorway, like a child lost in a dream, his eyes shining with a soft, warm glow. But he wasn't quite real. His edges were blurry, as if he were floating between two worlds, an uncertain shape in the cool morning air. Jules, her son, had disappeared a year ago, taken too soon by a tragic accident. And yet, he stood before her, with a peaceful smile on his lips.
— "Mom, I missed you," he said in a calm, soft voice, as if he had never left this house.
Caroline felt herself falter, a mix of relief and fear flooding her heart. She had heard stories about ghosts, but she had never imagined that her own son would return in this form. She tried to reach out to him, but her hand passed through him, as if she were trying to grasp the air.
— "Jules, no… This is impossible. You… you're not here."
The little boy looked at her, his smile a bit sad but still full of love. He nodded gently, as if he understood perfectly how she was feeling.
— "I know, mom. But I'm here, in a way. And I didn't come to scare you."
Caroline sank into a chair, breathless. She didn't understand. Her mind was spinning. She was torn between disbelief and a deep longing to believe that all of this was real. Her son, the one she had lost, was here, before her, with his gentle eyes and playful expression. But how was this possible?
— "Why… why are you here, my love?" she managed to say, her voice breaking with emotion.
Jules slowly approached, like a child who wanted to comfort his mother. He stood close to her, but didn't dare touch her. He knew he couldn't.
— "I have something to do, mom. Something that has to be done for you… and for dad." He paused, his expression becoming more serious, more mature. "I've seen that you're drifting apart. That you don't talk to each other anymore. I don't want you to be sad."
Caroline blinked, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know whether she should be scared or relieved to see him. But slowly, a certainty began to form in her mind. There was a purpose behind his presence, something she didn't yet understand but knew deep down was true. Her son wasn't here by chance.
— "You want us to reconcile…?" she finally said, the words heavy with hope.
Jules nodded, his smile widening slightly. He knew what he had to do. He knew that his parents were lost in their quarrels, in their past, and that the love they had shared seemed to have extinguished in the shadows of resentment. But he, Jules, had never stopped believing in them.
— "Yes, mom. You have to talk to dad. You both have to face what's keeping you apart." He paused, his eyes turning to the door. "I'll help you. I'll make sure you find each other again."
Caroline felt a gentle warmth fill her heart. Even though all of this seemed impossible, she didn't have the courage to reject this chance, this sign that had come from her son. Maybe it was him who could heal the invisible cracks between her and David.
Jules slowly began to move away, disappearing almost as suddenly as he had appeared. Caroline remained there, alone, her head full of questions but also a strange serenity. Maybe the love of a child, even after death, was powerful enough to heal what seemed irreparably broken.
She stood up, a determined gesture, and walked toward the door. She knew the road ahead would be difficult, that the words would be hard to say, but something, a breath of hope, pushed her to take this step. If Jules was here to guide them, then maybe everything was still possible.
She had only one thing left to do: find David. For Jules, for them. Because he was still there, somewhere, in the silence, in the echoes of the love they had shared.
And maybe, thanks to him, they could finally reconcile.