The morning felt heavier than usual 🌥️Not dark.Not stormy.Just… weighted ⚖️
The café was open, but quiet ☕Too quiet.
Barfi sat at the corner table, hands wrapped around a cup of warm milk 🥛Steam rose gently 🌫️The milk was still warm.
He didn't drink it.
He just stared 👁️As if the cup might speak first.
Walter wiped the counter for the fifth time in the same spot 🧽Slow. Nervous.His eyes kept drifting back to Barfi 👀
Hawk leaned against the wall, arms crossed 🧍♂️Coffee untouched in his hand ☕Dr. Putin sat nearby, calm as always 🧠Observing. Not intruding.
Miko stood near the stairs, pretending to scroll on her phone 📱But her eyes kept lifting.Watching Barfi's stillness 😶
Too still.
Walter finally cracked 💥
He snapped his fingers loudly 👆💢
"I HAVE AN IDEA." 😤💡
Hawk flinched so hard his coffee nearly jumped out of the cup ☕😳Dr. Putin looked up calmly 🙂Miko squeaked softly 😰
Barfi blinked once. Slowly.
"…Okay." 😐
Walter pointed proudly at everyone 👉👉👉
"We should go on a TRIP." 🚗🏔️
The word echoed in the café.
Trip.
Hawk raised an eyebrow 🤨"A… what?"
"A TRIP," Walter repeated louder 📣"For healing." 🧘♂️✨
Barfi tilted his head slightly 🤔"Why?"
Walter slammed his hands on the counter dramatically 💥
"Because your brain is acting like a BROKEN FRIDGE." 🧊❌"Cold.""Silent.""Refusing to work."
Miko winced 😖Hawk muttered,"That's… surprisingly accurate."
Dr. Putin nodded slowly 🧠✔️"A change of environment can help unlock suppressed emotional responses."
Walter puffed his chest proudly 😤"SEE? Doctor agrees. I am a genius." 🧠✨
Hawk didn't even look at him."You forgot your shoes this morning." 👞❌
Walter waved dismissively 🤚"Details."
Walter's Grand Plan 🗺️🔥
Walter clapped his hands together enthusiastically 👏👏
"LISTEN." 😤"I have been saving money…" 💰"FOR YEARS." ⏳
Barfi looked at him calmly 😐"For what?"
Walter leaned in, eyes shining ✨"A house." 🏠
Dr. Putin's eyebrows rose slightly 🤔Hawk crossed his arms tighter.
Miko asked carefully 😟"Where… is this house?"
Walter lifted one dramatic finger ☝️"On a cliff." 🏔️
Silence.
Hawk blinked."…A cliff?" 😐
"Yes!" Walter grinned 😁"A CLIFF.""Cold winds." 🌬️❄️"Snow sometimes." ☃️"Fog everywhere." 🌫️"A giant fireplace." 🔥"And a VIEW so beautiful it cures depression." 🏞️✨
Barfi considered this for a second 🤔"It sounds dangerous." ⚠️
Walter slapped his back affectionately 👋"Danger heals!" 💪"And the doctor said you need healing!"
Dr. Putin cleared his throat gently 😐"I said emotional stimulation. Not life-threatening situations."
Walter waved him off again 🤷♂️"Same thing."
Miko whispered, soul trembling 😰"…Cliff… fog… cold…That sounds like a horror movie…"
Walter beamed 😁"Exactly! Emotional growth requires fear!" 😤
Hawk stared at him like he was considering arrest 👮♂️"I'm bringing a gun." 🔫"And backup."
Walter nodded enthusiastically 😃"Perfect! Family bonding."
"…Is the area safe?" Dr. Putin asked carefully 🧠
Walter coughed 😷"Well… sometimes wolves come close… 🐺And maybe a bear once…" 🐻
Miko's spirit left her body 👻"…A BEAR?"
Walter raised the key triumphantly 🔑✨"But the VIEW, doctor.""The view is worth dying for." 😌🏔️
Everyone facepalmed 🤦♂️🤦♀️Everyone except Barfi.
Barfi stared at the steam rising from his milk again 🌫️Then quietly said,
"When do we leave?" 😐
Walter froze.
"…Tomorrow morning!" 😃
Barfi nodded once ✔️"Okay."
No excitement.No fear.No resistance.
Just acceptance.
The Quiet Before Departure 🌙
That night, the café felt different 🌃Suitcases appeared near the stairs 🧳Walter packed snacks like he was preparing for war 🍫🍪Hawk checked his weapon discreetly 🔫Dr. Putin reviewed notes 📓Miko folded sweaters nervously 🧣🧤
Barfi packed lightly 🎒One notebook 📘One pen ✏️His watch ⌚And nothing else.
He paused at the doorway, looking back at the café 🏠At the place that had held his pain.And his silence.
He didn't feel sadness.Or relief.
Just… distance.
A Place Where Silence Might Crack ❄️🏔️
As dawn approached 🌅Fog rolled in 🌫️Cold wind whispered outside 🌬️
Far away, on a cliff wrapped in mist,A house waited 🏠
A place far from college 🎓Far from Chichi 💔Far from Professor Crowe 👁️
A place where emotions might return…Or break something open.
Barfi lay on his bed upstairs 🛏️Eyes open.Staring at the ceiling.
For the first time since the shutdown began—
He felt something.
Not happiness 😊Not sadness 😢
Just a faint pressure in his chest.
Like the silence was holding its breath.
And tomorrow…
It might finally exhale.