5:58 am: The Dream That Didn't take off

I stayed awake that night, unable to close my eyes, my mind tangled with hope and fear. My phone was glued to my palm, the faint glow of the screen lighting up my tired face in the dark room. Every time the clock ticked closer to 6 a.m., my heart raced faster. This was it - the moment I had poured my heart into, the moment that would define the future I had so carefully imagined. The moment that would give me hope for the dream I had dreamt for nine years. By 5:58 a.m., the notification buzzed. My fingers trembled as I tapped it open, my breath caught somewhere between anticipation and dread. The tension was too much to bear mentally. And then I saw it. "We regret to inform you..." The words hit me like a brick, each syllable puncturing the fragile bubble of hope I had built. My vision blurred as tears welled up, spilling over onto my cheeks, hot and relentless. I blinked, hoping I’d misread, hoping the words would rearrange themselves into a miracle. I sat there frozen, my ...