Ambulance siren
Whenever the ambulance siren wails, growing louder and more urgent – tearing through the night or slicing through the rushing crowd – her heart tightens as if gripped by unseen hands. A restless, trembling unease rises within her, an unnamed, aching feeling. There is no loved one of his inside that vehicle, so why this anxious flutter? Yet still, she worries. Unconsciously. Sincerely.
Maybe it is a young mother holding her fevered child close. Maybe an old man who has just collapsed in the street. Perhaps a father – the pillar of some family – barely clinging to life, while his wife and children cry out in choked sobs. Or it could be an elderly woman, her eyes clouded, gazing one last time through the ambulance window at the fading stars – who knows if it is her final farewell. Nearby, frantic eyes meet, trembling hands clutch, and tears fall silently, wrenching the heart without a sound.
Above, the sky stretches wide, the Landmark tower sparkling like thousands of fallen stars scattered across the city. Her spirit feels heavy beneath that vast expanse. Does the radiant full moon carry a quiet magic? she lowers her gaze, silently praying for the patient’s recovery – that they will survive the crisis, make it to the hospital in time. Hoping this pain will not become a final farewell.
In that moment, she realizes how fragile and fleeting life truly is. We so often believe we have time – time to love, to mend, to speak kindness – but sometimes, all it takes is a single breath.
She bows her head, amidst the rushing traffic and gentle moonlight, whispering softly:
May someone be safe.
Saigon, 2025, TV Kim
