One morning, I woke up and realized I could hear everyone’s inner voice. Not their regular voices- the ones in their heads. At first, I thought I was just imagining things. But when my older brother walked past my room, I clearly heard him think, “I hope she doesn’t ask me to drive her to school again.” He didn’t say anything out loud. That’s when I realized I could actually hear people’s thoughts.
When I left the house, it got really strange. People walking by me looked normal, but their thoughts filled the air. A woman walking her dog was thinking about how she forgot her phone at home. A kid on his bike was worrying about a math test. It felt like I was inside a radio and every station was playing at once. I couldn’t escape it.
I tried going to the library for some quiet, but the thoughts didn’t stop. Even in silence, I heard people thinking about their crushes, their fears, what they wanted for lunch. Some of the thoughts were funny, others were sad or even kind of scary. It was like seeing the truth behind everyone’s faces.
After a while, I couldn’t take it anymore. My head hurt from all the noise. I ran to the rooftop of my building just to breathe. I thought maybe I’d finally be alone. But I wasn’t. There was a boy sitting at the edge, looking out at the city. He wasn’t speaking, but I could still hear him- clearer than anyone else. His thoughts were calm and quiet, almost like he was used to this. He wasn’t panicking like me. He was thinking about how people hide so much inside. He knew I could hear him, and he seemed okay with it. That made me feel less alone.
After a while, he left without saying anything. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what he showed me. For the rest of the day, I decided not to be afraid of the thoughts. I paid attention. I realized that almost everyone was just trying their best. Some were worried, some were lonely, and others were thinking silly stuff. It made me feel closer to people, even if they didn’t know it.
By the time the sun set, I wasn’t scared anymore. I didn’t see people the same way. I saw what they were really feeling- what they didn’t say out loud. And I realized something important: maybe hearing everyone’s thoughts wasn’t a curse. It was a superpower.