Chapter 3. Echoes of Silence: In Search of Answers.
Blythe sends a sad look over to the pets. "I need a moment alone, guys," she says in a slightly trembling voice. Sensing the sadness in Blythe's tones, the pets quietly drift away, reflecting understanding deep in their eyes but frustration at not being able to respond with words.
As she slowly arrived the dumbwaiter, Blythe stopped and looked back. "Thank you for having been there for me," she whispered, ardently desiring to understand somehow their replies. The pets cast a glance at each other before wagging their tails and tilting their heads in an attempt to disclose their support within the language of presence and an openness of heart, which they were now speaking.
Blythe was sitting on her bed and pulled the phone to make a call to Youngmee. Several times have passed before - "Hello, Youngmee. How are you?" It sounds like her voice is full of worries. Not going to take offense right away and in response to the manifest concern of her friend's voice, she answered with a warm one, "Blythe! Ok, thanks. And you? You sound like you're worried."
Blythe inhales deeply and gives an answer. "Yes, it is true. I can no longer understand the pets. Just at a single moment, all the bond that linked us together just broke." Confusion and sorrow pervaded her voice. Youngmee feels a touch of sadness and tries to comfort her friend. "Oh, Blythe, I am very sorry. But how did this happen? You always had that special connection with them. Well, except for that time you took the herbal cold medicine."
"I don't know, Youngmee. It just stopped working. I'll talk with Dad about this tomorrow; I need to understand more things from the origin of my ability and from my mom." Blythe tries to be strong, although any doubt torments her. Youngmee, always by Blythe's side, now offers words of encouragement. "That's a great plan. If there's just one thing I'd like to learn from you, it would be: 'There's no mystery that can't be resolved.' And again, remember that I am here for anything you need."
Youngmee's tone seems to infuse a little strength in Blythe. "Thanks, Youngmee. That means so much to me. I just hope I can find the answers soon." In her voice is now a flicker of determination. Convinced of her friend's ability, Youngmee replies confidently, "You'll find them, Blythe. You have a huge heart and a brilliant mind. Together, there's nothing you can't do."
There's a slight smile detected in Blythe's voice as she expresses her gratitude. "Thanks for being around all the time, Youngmee. I'll call you after talking to my dad." Sensing that Blythe could use some uplifting words, Youngmee wraps up their conversation with her usual positivity. "Take care, Blythe. Remember, everything is going to be fine." Then, they both hang up the call.
Moments after that, she spent her afternoon making more designs, doing her homework, and then realizes that the pet owners will soon arrive. Blythe uses the dumbwaiter with a determination, facing the reality that she continues to be disconnected from the pets. She tries to communicate with them through gestures, showing a farewell with her hands and a sad smile. "I'll try again tomorrow," she tells the pets. At that, the pets respond with adoring glances and actions: Zoe spins around, Russell nudges a little muzzle, and Minka jumps slightly, all to please. Blythe acknowledges with a nod and thank you, then returns to her room via the dumbwaiter, to silence filled with promises never made. In her room, she reflects on the day with hope and uncertainty of what will come.
Sitting on the bed in her room, the mother's journal open before her, she goes over words in ink faded with time. The third entry she had shown to the pets in particular catches her eye, a vivid description of the day when her mother felt the animals had suddenly become calm in conversation. Blythe thinks perhaps it was an abrupt disconnection that her mom experienced but her mom didn't believe it was a temporary loss of the ability. Is this what I'm experiencing? wondered Blythe, her mind tangled in the possibility that maybe her ability is not unique but inherited and perhaps cursed with the same ephemeral fate.
All that spins in her mind are more questions, carousel-like: Why us? What makes us different from the others? The frustration grows with not finding an answer, only discovering more questions. However, Blythe feels a glimmer of hope with her father's return tomorrow. I'll be able to ask him about mom without any reservations, she reassures herself after he is already aware of her ability. The knowledge that some light on the mystery just may come from her father would comfort her though the uncertainty weighed heavily upon herself, and the possibility of answers provided the strength to face another day.
AN: Since Blythe's dad already knows that Blythe can talk to animals, she will take the opportunity to talk to him freely about the relationship between that ability and her mom.