Before Midnight

1. The Clock in the Hospital Room

The hospital room was quiet. Just the soft humming of machines and the faint ticking of the wall clock. Aaliya opened her eyes slowly. She had no memory of how she got there.

A nurse walked in. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”

Aaliya tried to speak. Her throat was dry. “What... happened?”

The nurse smiled gently. “You collapsed in the market. Severe fatigue and low heart rate. You’re lucky. You’re stable now. Just rest.”

But something felt... strange. Like her body wasn’t quite hers. As if she was present, but floating slightly above reality.

2. Time Slips and Strange Feelings

Over the next few days, Aaliya began to notice odd things. Her favorite food didn’t taste the same. Familiar voices sounded unfamiliar. The call to prayer at sunset felt like it echoed from a distant world.

And then there were the dreams.

Each night, she saw flashes — of a woman she didn’t know, standing on a balcony, holding a pocket watch, whispering something Aaliya couldn’t quite hear.

In one dream, the woman turned directly to her and said, “This time is not yours.”

3. The Visitor

On the fifth day, a man entered her room. Elderly, with tired eyes and a cane. He sat beside her and said nothing for a while.

Then he spoke: “Her name was Farah. My daughter. She died... at midnight, five days ago. Just as you collapsed.”

Aaliya felt a chill run through her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He nodded. “She was on life support. Doctors said there was no hope. But that same moment, you woke up — and she was gone. You were in the next room.”

Silence.

He leaned in closer. “I think... you were given her time. Borrowed. Maybe to learn something. Maybe to fix something. But you must return it. Before midnight. Five days from then.”

4. Borrowed Time

The words stayed with her. She tried to dismiss them. A medical coincidence. An old man’s grief.

But her body told another story. She felt heavy with someone else’s emotions. She started writing letters to her loved ones. She prayed with more focus. She called her estranged sister after four years. She even sat with her mother and listened—truly listened—to her silent tears.

Every minute felt like borrowed gold.

And then the dreams grew louder.

5. The Final Night

On the fifth night, at 11:35 p.m., Aaliya sat on her prayer mat. Candlelight flickered on the wall. She had no fever, no pain — but her heart knew: this was the end.

She wasn’t afraid. She was... ready.

She whispered a dua for Farah. Then another for herself. Then one for the whole world.

The room felt unusually still. The clock ticked louder.

11:58 p.m.

She felt a deep sense of peace.

6. The Choice

But then, a new dream came.

She saw Farah again. But this time, the woman smiled.

> “I gave you my time,” Farah said softly, “so you could live like you were dying. But now... it’s your time again.”

Aaliya awoke with a gasp. It was 12:01 a.m.

7. A Second Chance

The next morning, doctors were surprised to see her walking normally, smiling. “It’s like your heart has reset,” one of them said.

But Aaliya knew better. She had been given a second chance.

From that day forward, she changed. Not in loud ways — but in meaningful ones.

She volunteered at hospitals.

She wrote letters to strangers.

She lived simply, deeply.

She prayed not out of duty — but gratitude.

Every morning, she would whisper, “Thank you, Farah.” And every night, she would ask herself, “Did I waste the time I was gifted today?”

Final Thoughts

We all live as if we own our minutes. But time is never truly ours. It is always borrowed. Always passing. And sometimes, it takes a stranger’s silence to teach us the value of every breath.

Aaliya was lucky.

She got to return her time — with honor.

The rest of us?

We still have it.

What will we do before midnight comes?