Chapter One: The Call

Luca was twenty, and life—though never easy—had been steady.

He had lost his parents when he was five, an age too young to understand death but old enough to feel the emptiness it left behind. After that, his grandmother became everything. She raised him in their small village with quiet patience and endless love. They were poor, but the house never felt empty. She made sure he ate well, went to school, and grew up knowing that he was never alone. Her love filled the spaces money could not.

Luca had loved photography since childhood. His first camera was old and scratched, bought after months of saving, but his grandmother had smiled like it was gold. She always believed in him, even when his dreams seemed too big for their small life.

Now he lived in a town called Rivermoor, three hours away from the village. He was almost two years into his three-year photography course. His second-year finals were just around the corner, and only one year remained after that. He was doing well—attending classes sincerely, learning techniques, understanding light, angles, and stories behind images. His professors noticed his dedication, and his work slowly grew stronger.

College life suited him. He had two close friends who studied with him, shared notes, and sometimes shared silence. Luca wasn’t loud, but he was dependable. He showed up. He worked hard.

To support himself, he managed two part-time jobs—one at a café in the mornings, wiping tables and serving coffee, and another at a small convenience store in the evenings. It was tiring, but manageable. His scholarship covered part of his tuition, and the rest he earned with long hours and patience. Life wasn’t rich, but it was honest. And it was going well.

That evening, Luca was in his apartment editing photographs for an upcoming assignment. The room was small but neat, the walls decorated with a few printed photos he was proud of. Outside, Rivermoor moved at its usual pace—traffic, voices, lights.

Then his phone rang.

An unfamiliar number.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Luca,” the voice said. It was his village neighbor, sounding worried. “Your grandmother is very ill. She collapsed this morning. We’ve taken her to the hospital.”

Luca felt the air leave his lungs.

“What… what happened?” he asked quietly.

“The doctors say it’s serious. You should come as soon as you can.”

The call ended before he could say more.

For a moment, Luca just sat there. His grandmother’s face filled his mind—her gentle scolding, her tired laugh, the way she watched him leave every time he returned to town.

He stood up and began packing without delay. Clothes, documents, some money—and his camera. He hesitated before picking it up, then slipped it into the bag. It felt like carrying a piece of her with him.

Outside, the town looked the same as always. But Luca knew his world had shifted.

He locked the door, shouldered his bag, and started the journey back to the village—hoping, with everything he had, that he would make it in time.

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