When I was thirteen, I decided to end it all. But the moment before I jumped off that bridge, I met a man. He grabbed my arm, stopping me from plummeting into the icy water below. When I asked him why he saved me, he just smiled and said nothing. Before he left, he said something that sounded like a riddle: "In the name of spring." I didn't understand what he meant back then. But later, I realized he was saving me in the name of a season that represented hope. He was the spring that lasted my entire life. 01 At thirteen, I made a decision. Death might seem like a distant concept to most kids my age. But as I sat on the railing of the bridge, I was genuinely calculating the best way to fall. Making the decision to die is actually the hardest part. I looked down at the rushing river. A crowd had gathered, pointing fingers and whispering. A frantic woman nearby was trying to talk me down, someone had already called 911, but the sirens were still distant. I looked at the world with total apathy. Dying on my birthday seemed poetic. It wasn't like anyone cared what day it was anyway. Not my parents. Not my grandparents. Not a single soul in my life. 02 I was the middle child. Above me was Serena, the golden girl my parents adored. Below me was Noah, the son my grandparents had prayed for. I knew from a young age that I was the mistake. Serena meant "serene and bright." Noah meant "rest and comfort." My name was Elara. Just Elara. When I was born, my grandparents walked out of the hospital without even looking at me. They even took back the homemade soup they’d brought for my mother. Serena was three then. My dad worked all day and came home to a postpartum wife, a crying toddler, and a newborn me. He grew to resent it all. "Another girl? What's the point? We shouldn't have bothered." I heard stories like that before I could even tie my shoes. I was six when Noah was born. Money was tight. My family didn't love me—a fact I accepted before I lost my first tooth. But understanding it didn't mean I accepted it. If there were two drumsticks at dinner, I’d still shamelessly fight for one. Mom would intervene: "Elara, you're the older sister. Let Noah have it." "What about Serena?" I’d ask, looking at Dad. Dad would just put the other drumstick in Serena’s bowl. "Your sister is about to start middle school. She needs the protein for her brain." I chewed on my bitter greens, face blank. I survived until thirteen, but the neglect only got worse. In the morning, Grandma woke Noah up with kisses. Mom made Serena a fresh omelet and Dad drove her to school. Me? I got a ten-dollar bill—my food allowance for the day—and walked to school alone. Indifference is scary. Habit is scarier. When indifference becomes a habit, love evaporates. Today, they took the whole family to Six Flags to celebrate Serena getting straight A's. They completely forgot that today was my thirteenth birthday. 03 "Oh my god, come down, little girl! Think of how heartbroken your family would be!" Family? I scoffed. They were probably screaming on a rollercoaster right now, having the time of their life. "I'm not lying, honey! Look, your brother is here!" The nosy woman clapped her hands, pointing. Brother? Noah was seven. "Right there! Talking to the cop. The guy in the trench coat." That was the first time I saw him. Even years later, I never learned his real name back then. "Elara," he called out, his voice cutting through the wind. "Come down." He reached out his hand. 04 Trusting a strange man is dangerous. That’s what I’d been taught. But in that moment, possessed by something I couldn't explain, I reached back. I let him pull me down to the pavement. "Thank God!" the woman yelled. But my eyes were locked on the man. "Since her brother is here, we'll let you handle it," the police officer said, looking relieved to avoid the paperwork. "Kid, talk to your family. Don't go scaring people like this." "I will," the man nodded earnestly. "I'll take her home." The cop tipped his hat and drove off. The crowd dispersed. The man turned to me. "Let's go. I'm taking you to get some food." "Who are you?" I asked, speaking my first words of the day. He flashed a brilliant, white-toothed smile. "Me? I'm the guy who’s here to save you." 05 Walking off with a stranger was reckless. But I went anyway. Part of me darkly hoped he was a serial killer. If I died, would my parents finally cry? Would they regret treating me like a ghost? When you’re young and hurting, you often want to hurt yourself to punish others. It took me years to realize that if they don't care, your pain means nothing to them. But at thirteen, I just wanted revenge through death. "Stop overthinking, kid," he said lightly, tapping my forehead. He took me to a clean, quiet diner. "What can I get you two?" the waitress asked. "A stack of pancakes with a candle, and the biggest burger you have," the man said smoothly. "It's the kid's birthday." "Coming right up!" I stared at him. His temples were graying, his hair messy, but he had kind, laughing eyes with a small mole beneath the left one. "Why are you staring?" He slid a menu toward me. "Order whatever else you want." I shook my head. "Who are you? You didn't answer me." "Me?" He leaned back, crossing his legs with a roguish grin. "I'm from the future. I came back just to save you." I read a lot of manga at the bookstore to escape my house. So, surprisingly, I believed him. "Why me?" I was the unlovable child. The black sheep. The punching bag. I wasn't a protagonist. The man smiled, but his eyes seemed to shimmer with unshed tears. "Because, Elara... In the name of spring, I had to come for you."
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