THE 72-HOUR ECLIPSE
A Chronology of Alex and Serah
Story by The Scriptmaker
I.
February 11, 2026: The Digital Handshake
It began with a notification on a Tuesday. In the middle of the desert heat of Dubai, a girl named Serah Theresa appeared on Alex’s screen. She was 19, a first-year medical student at Al Azhar Medical College, currently home with her family in Ernakulam.
“What is your good name?” she asked.
“Alex,” he replied.
They were strangers, yet within hours, the conversation moved past the surface. She was hesitant—the cautious daughter of doctor parents in Saudi, a Roman Catholic girl who spent her evenings teaching her little cousin Bible verses. When Alex asked to call her, she retreated.
“I cannot trust a stranger so fast,” she said.
Alex understood. Being in Dubai, he knew Snapchat calls were often unreliable, and he wanted a real connection. He shared his number and told her, “Whenever you feel you can trust me, contact me on Botim.” He left the door open, and in his mind, he knew she would reach out. Within five minutes, his phone buzzed. She had chosen to trust him instantly.
II.
February 12–13, 2026: The Weight of the Invisible
By the second and third days, the connection turned heavy and sweet. Alex was at the office, surrounded by the noise of work, but his mind was in that house in Ernakulam. She was struggling—mood swings, physical pain, and a vulnerability she couldn’t hide. She told him she finally had her periods after eight months of waiting.
He comforted her, speaking softly into the phone as she told him about her world: her twin brother studying alongside her, her grandparents, her 28-year-old cousin sister, and the 1st-standard cousin brother who sat by her side. Because her character was so attached yet came from nowhere, Alex started calling her “Delulu,” a name inspired by the movie Sarvam Maaya. It felt like a dream that had manifested into reality. Alex felt like he was holding a porcelain vase—beautiful, but inexplicably fragile.
III.
February 14, 2026: The Valentine’s Paradox
Valentine’s Day arrived. The day of lovers felt like their day, too. The air between them was thick with a question she finally dared to ask:
“Eda, if I come and propose to you, what will be your reaction?”
Alex told her he didn’t know—that he would follow his heart in that moment. But an hour later, the dream shattered. He opened Snapchat and her name was gone. No chat, no profile. His Botim messages stayed at a single tick. The silence was a physical pain. In a desperate final attempt, he saved her number and messaged her on WhatsApp.
“Don’t do this to people,” he wrote, his heart heavy with disappointment. “Don’t make people trust you and then walk away. Don’t cheat people.”
IV.
The Final Diagnosis
The reply that came back brought a cold, hollow shock.
“I know you will be disappointed, but I have to do it. I think I have feelings for you.”
Alex demanded a call. When she picked up, the truth finally bled out. For three days, she had given him her heart, but she had kept one secret hidden within those walls in Ernakulam: For the last eight months, Serah had been a chemotherapy patient battling blood cancer. Every time her blood count dropped, she had to return to the hospital to increase it.
“We have only met for three days,” she sobbed, “but I am feeling so close to you. If we talk more, we will get closer. It is dangerous. I don’t want to spoil your life because of my sickness.”
V.
The Last Five Minutes
“One last call,” she pleaded. “Five minutes.”
Alex sat there, speechless, the Dubai skyline blurring in his eyes. What do you say to a girl who is leaving you because she’s afraid she’s dying? He told her he couldn’t imagine sitting there without talking to her. She cried—a raw, heartbreaking sound.
In those final seconds, the “delulu” dream and the tragic reality collided.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you,” Alex said back.
The line went dead. The blocks returned. The screen went black.
She came into his life like an eclipse—brief, intense, and leaving him in total darkness on the day of love. He realizes now that she didn’t block him to be cruel. She blocked him because, to her, loving him was a luxury her body couldn’t afford. It was, as the name suggests, Sarvam Maaya—a beautiful, heartbreaking illusion.
“She was never really here. But she was never really gone.”
— The Scriptmaker