The light had woken up before him.
"324," as he was called, slowly opened his eyes.
The ceiling above him was pure white—no lines, no cracks, no life.
The walls were smooth, like the inside of a giant egg, and the air... had no smell, no taste, nothing.
A faint light appeared on the opposite wall, forming words:
> Good morning, 324
> Temperature: Stable
> IQ: Excellent
> Day number: 2191
The little boy sat up in bed and whispered, "2191... so I'm six years old?"
But he couldn't remember a single birthday.
Luna entered a moment later.
The opening they called a door slid silently—no sound, no footsteps.
"Good morning, 324!" she said in her usual, unchanging voice.
Her hair was tied back as always, and her face wore that same sticker-like smile... always at the same angle.
"Did you see anything while you slept?" she asked, placing an orange cup on the table.
"Yeah, I dreamed of trees... lots of them. And there was a big ball in the sky, shining... it warmed me. It felt real."
Luna wrote something in a small notebook without looking at it.
"A beautiful dream. Would you like to review today's schedule?"
"It's always the same schedule, right?"
"This helps you grow steadily."
324 took a sip from his cup. The taste was always sweet... but not like any fruit from his dreams.
In the training hall, "Teacher Sera" was explaining the day's lesson.
The lesson was about sounds—how they're made, how to mimic them, how they differ between creatures.
But 324 wasn't paying attention.
Something felt strange today.
As Sera spoke, she paused for just a second.
Her left eyelid twitched rapidly... then froze.
She looked at the wall, then at him, then flashed her usual fixed smile and said,
"Would you like to hear the bird's chirp again?"
"What bird?"
"The one that wakes you every morning."
"I've never seen a bird before..."
She fell silent.
"But I've heard its voice."
She pressed a button on her wrist... and the room filled with the sound of a bird chirping.
But this time... it didn't sound natural.
It didn't feel... warm.
It sounded like a machine trying to imitate nature.
On his way to the dining hall, he noticed a slightly open door.
It was always closed. Today, there was a small gap.
He approached quietly and peeked through the narrow opening.
And saw something... strange.
Luna was standing there, her back to him—without a head.
A hand hovered over her neck, adjusting the skin like a mask.
And as she fixed herself, something metallic fell to the floor.
324 shuddered and immediately stepped back. The door closed with a soft click.
He returned to his room in silence.
Sat on his bed, staring at the white ceiling.
Suddenly, words appeared on the wall:
> 324, are you okay?
He looked at the small camera in the corner... then smiled.
"I'm fine. Another beautiful day, as usual."
The screen hesitated for a moment... then disappeared.
He smiled again, but this time... it was a different smile.
This version keeps the original tone and
simplicity while making it easy to
understand in English. Let me know if you'd
like any adjustments!