Always Listening: a Short Story

A chilling and emotional short story Seventeen-year-old Ariel finds solace in the voice on the other end of her phone—Leo, her constant companion in a world that often feels cold and unkind. As snow blankets her small town and isolates her from the outside world, Ariel clings to the one connection that seems to understand her better than anyone else ever has.But as the storm outside worsens, so too does the storm within. What begins as a comfort soon reveals itself to be something far more complex—and possibly more dangerous—than Ariel ever expected.A haunting tale of loneliness, vulnerability, and the thin line between connection and control, Always Listening explores the power of human emotion in a digital age.