"I haven't been out in the sun lately," Azlan stated with a far-off look on his face, "These days the moon is my only companion. I don't even remember what sunshine feels like." He was talking to no one in particular. "There was a time, not so long ago, when my personality was much like the sunshine, or so everyone said. Ah, now even mustering up a smile seems like a futile effort."

Azlan was interrupted by a knock on the door. For a moment, he couldn't understand what the strange noise was. Then he realized that someone was outside his room. Curious, he never got visitors. Who could this be? He froze... There it was again, the unmistakable sound of a knock. He said nothing and waited quietly for the intruder to enter or leave.

"Azlan, how are we doing today?" a cheery voice said from the other side, but the door remained closed.

"Who is it?" he croaked. Huh, why did his voice sound funny? He cleared his throat. He was parched. Funny how he hadn't noticed it until he spoke and heard his own raspy voice.

"Please, remain seated. I'm here with your daily dose of sunshine," the voice said, cheerfully.

Again, nothing else happened. What was going on here? Azlan stayed where he was and waited patiently. There was no other sound, but he felt his mind going blank, and his eyes drooped. Before darkness engulfed him, he heard someone say, "Will he ever wake up?" Then he heard another voice reply, "It's not very likely, but nothing's set in stone." What an odd thing to say, he thought as his mind slowly drifting away into darkness.

His last thought was the regret of missing another dose of sunshine and a prayer to be able to see the sun once again.