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Loneliness was nothing but a demon.

A demon that would insidiously sneak into a person’s heart and make them feel as if they were one of a kind, disliked by everybody, and all alone in the world.

It was also an invisible and yet bothersome illness, a weird type of cancer that would make people feel like they were suffocating or drowning.

This illness forced them to self-medicate with alcohol, cigarettes, and other substances. It pushed them into the arms and bed sheets of total strangers, but in the end, such encounters only made them lonelier.

And so, people would seek solace somewhere else, online. They’d log into chatrooms and spill their hearts’ deepest secrets to anonymous listeners, hoping to find a sympathetic ear… At least for one evening.

Tristan was a volunteer on one of such websites. He began listening there ’cause he felt lonely, lonely like countless others before and after him.

Three years later, his account — Therapeutic Whisper — acquired one of the highest listener badges. He hadn’t done anything spectacular to earn it, just talked to new members regularly. Many even became his long-time internet friends. They loved him because he was an optimistic person full of empathy who knew how to speak to others to make them feel listened to, cared for, and comforted.

*

On one autumn evening, the website’s chat was relatively busy. Tristan was tired but decided to pick up his fifth chat anyways. Someone had been waiting quite long for the next available listener, and he felt sorry for them.

Therapeutic Whisper: Hello, and nice to meet you!

Midnight Sun: Hello... Nice to meet you too.

Therapeutic Whisper: How may I help you today?

Midnight Sun: Hmm... Good question. I don’t know. I need to talk to someone but don’t have anyone who would just listen... or understand.

That’s so typical, Tristan thought to himself and typed back his standard response:

Therapeutic Whisper: I see. It sounds like a challenging situation to be in. Please know that you can confide in me safely. I am a trained listener, and we can talk about anything. I’m not going to judge you.

Midnight Sun: Thanks.

Midnight Sun: Frankly speaking, I’ve got quite a few things to throw off my shoulders. But let me introduce myself first.

Midnight Sun: My name is Reynart. I’m Belgian and almost 30 years old.

Oh! He’s from my country! Tristan realized, surprised. What a coincidence... This world’s really small... And he’s just three years older than me!

He wanted to ask the man more questions, but before he could, Midnight Sun sent him another message, which looked like he had written it to someone else earlier and just copy-pasted it into the chat window.

Midnight Sun: I’ve been married for some years. My wife and I have been through a lot together. I care about her, I really do. However, I don’t love her anymore, at least not romantically. Our chemistry was very short-lived and has been gone for years now…