It was eleven o'clock in the evening.

Caleb lies in his bed, curled up on his side and stared at the window. His gazes rest on the twinkling stars reflecting on the window's glass. But it seemed that he doesn't really care about them. He was completely lost in thought, thinking about what happened earlier. He was thinking about that stranger who helped him, hoping that there would be another chance to see him again and thanked him at least.

Caleb buried his face onto his favorite red blanket and tries to clear his thoughts to encourage his mind to sleep. But it appears like his body doesn't want a little more quiet rest. He didn't even feel like sleeping. Then all of a sudden, an idea had just popped up to his mind which motivates him to lift his body up from his bed.

"Maybe I can stroll somewhere!"

Caleb rose gently from his bed, put on his slippers and went out of his room. There was no one else in the hospital's corridor. Dim darkness had settled all over it. He walked along through those corridors and passed on each room with cautious steps. Caleb arrived at the end of the hallway. He opened the door and suddenly stopped moving. A cold draft of air welcomed him as he witnessed the beauty of the garden full of trees and assorted kinds of floras. He was really enticed by the beauty of the garden, that's why he decided to went for a short walk. He noticed that the leaves were slowly growing back on the bare branches of the trees as spring approaches. Trailing plants crept along the grass and crawled into the hospital's stone walls. Caleb shut his eyes and breathed in deep as the breeze of the evening swiped all over his face.

"This is amazing…" words came unconsciously out of Caleb's mouth. Maybe because he just missed the air, the trees, the flowers---everything! Those unremarkable scenes had tugged his heart and resonated deeply within him. Maybe because he wasn't able to see these things for about a year now because of his illness. Rarely if ever he is allowed to roam outside of his room, it would be limited only in such areas where he was permitted to go by his doctor or by his mom.

Eventually, Caleb decided to continue his wandering around the garden, just to see if there is something that would catch his interest. And there was one! He saw a pair of tree swing made of old planks. The swings were hanged tightly in an old tree's branches using an old thick rope. Seeing those swings offered him a nostalgic feels; remarkable and charming at the same time. And to tell himself honestly, he can no longer remember the last time he ride on a swing, that's why he was really excited to try riding on it. But before he got near to the swings, he began to hear ghastly footsteps behind him. Of course, he was afraid to turn around. What if he saw something terrible…like a monster? Or a ghost? But still, curiosity dragged him and caused him to spin around, letting his humiliating squeal of surprise to came out.

"Whoa!"

"Hey! Relax!"

Caleb's breath trapped on his throat. He was stunned and unexpectedly locked his eyes to the boy in front of him. Yes, it was a boy, just about the same as his age. He wore black leather shoes, black slacks, and white buttoned-down shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbow. He had a loose, slightly overgrown dark brown hair surrounding his sharp features and a pair of dark grey eyes, almost like an ash from an old fireplace.

"Looks like you are okay now." The boy smiled at Caleb with his lips closed. Caleb recognized the voice of the guy, and that he can't be mistaken this time.

"Could it be that you're the boy who went to my room before?"

"Yes, that's me." The boy confirmed. "Good thing you were able to recognize me that time even though you're already half-conscious."

"A--actually…I just…recognized your voice." Caleb timidly answered. It was really a shock for him to be able to meet the boy who helped him earlier with his attack. He couldn't think of questions to start with or even ask first for the stranger's name due to his surprise. Then suddenly, the young stranger offered his right hand to Caleb for a shake and said…

"By the way, I'm Theo. Pleased to meet you."

Caleb gave Theo an extensive stare, exposing an obvious surprise all over his face. But later on he was able to manage it and gave his reply.

"Nice to meet you too, I'm---"

"You don't need to tell me your name." Theo suddenly cut Caleb's talk. "You're Caleb, right?"

"How did you know my name?" Caleb asked, finding their conversations to be quite odd. Then Theo responded to the question. "I heard it from you mother."

"You know my mother?"

"Nope," Theo countered as he moved his head sideways. "But she had a chat with my mom once. Then I heard from your mother that she also had a son who was confined here at the hospital."

"Oh, I see…"

Caleb thought it was the perfect time to thanked Theo for helping him beforehand. He glanced up with young boy and said…

"Well…I just want to thank you for helping me earlier at my room while I was having a heart attack."

"Oh, it's nothing." Theo answered. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Then that's good!"

After that, Theo cheerfully grabbed Caleb's hand and hauled him into the swings and said, "How about we park ourselves on those swings for a moment? It'd be nice to have someone to talk to other than ourselves." He chuckled, and then smiled gently at Caleb.

And that's how Caleb found himself sitting in an old wooden tree swing next to the person whom he just met, brightly swinging his legs while beaming at Caleb as if he had known him for so long.

"So, you're sick?" Theo asked simply while retaining his soft smile, giving the impression that he enjoys talking with his new pal about anything and everything under the sun.

"Yes, and they said I need a heart transplant operation as soon as possible."

"Did you find a donor?"

"I don't know." Caleb answered back while his both hand tightened. It took him less than a minute to answer, but his reply was short and confusing, "Maybe…?"

Theo tilted his head in confusion, "Maybe? You mean, you don't have any potential donor yet?"

"My mother asked someone, but it seems like it would take time before the donor's family could finally decide."

"Oh, I see…" Theo replied simply after a short pause.

"How about you?" this time, Caleb asked Theo the same question. "Are you sick too?"

"No I'm not." He replied. "But I had an accident."

"An accident? Really?"

"Yup. My head hit badly on the ground when I fell from the roof."

"Wow," Caleb's eyes went narrow, "You must be thankful because you're still alive!"

Theo sighed, covertly muttering to himself without Caleb's knowledge. "Yeah, I think so."

Silence gradually enclosed the two as they stayed in their position. After a while, a hint of sadness fitfully reflected on Caleb's face while staring at the last stable leaf entrenches in a thin branch of a tree. Then suddenly, a strong wind gusted and took the leaf away from its branch. That last fallen leaf frizzed into him and was caught by his hand.

Theo sensed the odd silence and glanced up at Caleb and asked, "Something's bothering you?"

Caleb doubtfully opened his mouth and nothing came out of it. He stared at Theo for a few moments before wrapping up his hands around the leaf.

"Is it true that when a person dies, he could still see his love ones?"

"Huh?" Theo became confused, "Why did you suddenly asked that?"

Caleb resists the urged of his tears to fall while remembering the face of his mother.

"I just want to make sure that I could still see my mother…if I die."

Theo sighed, almost quietly. Then he said, "I think they can't."

"They can't?"

"Yup!"

"Why?"

"Because they're dead," Theo answered as simple as that. "When a person dies, they fall into a very…very deep sleep that no one would ever wake them up."

"Is that so? Then, I don't want to sleep." Caleb had released the most pathetic pout Theo had ever seen in his life and it made him laughed.

"What's funny?" Caleb angrily puffed out his reddish cheeks.

"Nothing," Theo said, and then he smiled. "You just make me realized how much you loved your mother. And you know what? Your mother loved you too, a lot."

"How did you know?"

"Well, my mother loved me too. And I guess, it's natural for all mothers. They can't just let their child die before them you know?"

Theo then stretched his arms up before smiling from ear to ear. Then he turned his gaze back to look at Caleb and said…

"Everyone will die one day, and it's natural for us people to feel frightened because we can't imagine what it'll be like after we died. Even if we couldn't imagine it, it's not like we can find it out once we're dead. But what is important is that people leave a proof that they were once alive, just like that fallen leaf you're holding. It's a testimony that it was once alive regardless of what it'll be like after it dies."

Caleb paused for a while, and then he opened up his hand and stared blankly to the leaf he was holding. "Theo was right." He said to himself. It is sad to know that the leaf in his hand is dying, but then he realized that it's fine as much as it leaves a proof that it was once alive, that even if he died, the proof that he loved his mother so much will remain in this world, forever.

"Well, it's getting late." Theo sighs and stands up. He offered his hand to Caleb and said, "Don't think too much. You'll be okay."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course,"

Then Theo seized up for Caleb's hand to give it a squeeze before he turned his back away from him.

The next day, Caleb's mother went to his room very happy. She hugged his beloved son so tight and in full tears. Caleb didn't know what's happening, so he asked.

"Is there something really good happened, Mama?"

"Yes dear." Her mother joyfully replied. "Because you're going to be fine soon,"

"Really?"

"Yes."

Caleb couldn't keep his happiness and excitement that he ended up cuddling his mother to tears. He really hoped for this day to come. And now, it is finally happening.