Things we shouldn’t
A Psychological Fantasy Short Story
The alarm rang at seven in the morning. Bella slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before getting out of bed. She got dressed, brushed her hair, and went downstairs as the smell of breakfast filled the house.
Her mother was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, her father was reading the newspaper, and her younger siblings were playing in the living room.
“Bella! Breakfast is ready!” her mother called with a smile.
“Coming, Mom!”
She sat at the table and began to eat. For a few moments, she watched her family. Everything seemed to be in its place: her siblings’ laughter, her mother’s voice, and the sound of her father turning the pages of his newspaper.
Bella felt lucky. She had a loving family, friends who were always there for her, and a life that seemed perfect from the outside.
She trusted people too easily. She always found something good in others and never stopped to consider that someone might be hiding something from her. To her, smiles were genuine, and words meant exactly what they seemed to mean.
Sometimes, however, she wondered what went through the minds of those around her. What did they think of her when she wasn’t there? Did they say the same things behind her back as they did to her face?
More than once, she had wished she could read other people’s minds.
She never imagined that one day, her wish would come true.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was nine in the evening when Bella was walking home. It had been a long day, and all she wanted was to get home, change into something comfortable, and rest.
As she walked, she noticed a narrow street she didn’t remember seeing before. She hesitated for a few seconds but decided to take it because it looked like a shortcut.
As she walked farther down the street, the sounds of the city gradually faded away. There were no cars or people. All she could hear was the wind and the strange songs of a few birds.
At the end of the street, she spotted a small shop glowing with lights of different colours. Its unusual appearance made her stop and stare.
She approached the door and stepped inside.
Behind the counter stood an old man with white hair. He didn’t seem surprised to see her. On the contrary, he looked at her as though he had been waiting for her for a very long time.
“Good evening,” Bella said.
“Good evening, young lady. I’ve been expecting you.”
Bella frowned.
“Me?”
The old man smiled without answering. Several small bottles stood on the counter, each bearing a different label.
“What are these?” she asked, stepping closer.
“Special pills. Some can give you patience, others courage. I even have some that allow you to travel through time.”
Bella’s eyes widened in amazement.
“And what about those over there?”
The old man followed her gaze.
“Those allow you to hear other people’s thoughts.”
Bella stared at the bottle. For a moment, she remembered all the questions she had ever had about the people around her.
“That’s exactly what I need! I want to know what people think of me.”
The old man’s smile faded.
“You shouldn’t take them, young lady. Many people have tried these pills and ended up suffering terribly. Some truths can change the way you see the people you love most.”
“I don’t think anything bad will happen to me,” Bella replied confidently. “My family loves me, and so do my friends. I have nothing to fear.”
The old man tried to persuade her once more, but she insisted until he finally handed her the bottle.
Before Bella left, the man looked straight into her eyes and said:
“You will regret this decision.”
She barely paid attention to his words. She put the bottle in her bag and walked away with a smile.
✦ ✦ ✦
The following day, Bella decided to try the pills.
A little later, she ran into her cousin, who had just returned from prayer. She had always considered him an exemplary person: polite, calm, and respectful towards everyone.
“Hey! How are you?” he asked.
Bella smiled and, almost without thinking, listened to his thoughts.
What she discovered left her frozen.
Behind that friendly smile were unpleasant and inappropriate thoughts about her. Bella looked away, feeling something tighten inside her.
How could he think that way? She had always considered him a good person. Wasn’t he someone who prayed and treated others with respect?
She didn’t answer his question. Instead, she said goodbye quickly and continued walking.
On her way home, she couldn’t stop thinking about what she had heard.
When she arrived, she found her mother in the kitchen.
“Mom, can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Of course, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
Bella was about to tell her what she had discovered, but before she could say a word, she heard her mother’s thoughts.
She was exhausted. She felt that the housework never ended, that nobody helped her, and that she could barely stand the life she was living with her husband.
Bella looked at her mother. She was still moving between the dishes and the pots, wearing the same familiar expression.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Bella asked quietly.
Her mother turned towards her.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m fine. Why do you ask? Go and get changed. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Bella said nothing. She slowly walked upstairs.
As she passed her younger sister’s room, who was two years younger than her, she heard thoughts she had never expected to hear.
Her sister was convinced that their parents loved Bella more. She thought Bella was always treated specially and that, although Bella wasn’t as pretty as she believed herself to be, everyone considered her better because of her good grades.
Bella stopped outside the door.
She couldn’t believe it.
The house that had seemed like the safest place in the world just a few hours earlier was now filled with words that nobody had ever spoken aloud.
She entered her room, closed the door, and sat on the bed.
She covered her ears with her hands, even though she knew it wouldn’t help.
“Please, stop...” she whispered.
But the thoughts kept coming.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the voices she had heard. By the time morning arrived, her eyes were swollen and her face looked exhausted.
✦ ✦ ✦
The next morning, she went to school without saying much.
When she entered, she saw her friends gathered near the classroom. Normally, she would have walked over to greet them, but this time she kept going.
A little later, the teacher called her.
“Bella, you’re late again, and you haven’t done your homework either. What’s going on with you?”
Some of her classmates began to laugh.
Bella lowered her head. Then she heard her best friend’s thoughts:
“She deserves it. I’m sure all the boys are happy to see her like this.”
She turned towards another friend and heard something even worse. This girl thought Bella always considered herself better than everyone else, acted as if she were special, and deserved to be expelled from class.
Bella pressed her lips together.
She didn’t want to stay there any longer.
She left the classroom and hurried down the corridor. One of her friends caught up with her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Bella, wait. What’s wrong? Why are you acting like this?”
She looked up and, once again, heard what he was thinking.
His thoughts made her uncomfortable. He didn’t see her as a friend; his intentions were very different from what his words suggested.
Bella immediately stepped away.
“Leave me alone!”
Then she ran.
✦ ✦ ✦
She had no idea where she was going. She only wanted to get away from everyone.
When she reached a quiet street, she remembered the little shop. She had to find the old man. He was the only person who could help her.
She ran through the streets until she reached the place where she had seen the shop, but there was nothing there. Only buildings and an empty street.
“This can’t be happening!” she murmured.
She looked around again and again.
“Please! I need you to appear! I don’t want to hear anything anymore!”
Tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Then, about fifteen metres away, she noticed a small, colourful light.
The shop.
She ran towards it and pushed the door open.
The old man was still standing behind the counter, as though he had never moved.
“You have to help me!” Bella said, struggling to catch her breath. “I don’t want to hear anything anymore! Everything has changed. I can’t look at anyone the same way!”
The man watched her silently.
“I warned you this might happen.”
Bella lowered her head.
“I thought everyone loved me. I thought my family was perfect and my friends were honest with me. Now I don’t know what to think. I should never have taken those pills.”
The old man slowly approached her.
“Listen to me, young lady. People don’t have to be perfect all the time. Someone can love you and still feel jealous of you. They may be going through a difficult time and have thoughts they would never dare to say aloud.”
Bella raised her eyes.
“Does that mean nothing is ever as it seems?”
“Not exactly. Every person has their own contradictions. Nobody is entirely good or entirely bad. And we don’t need to know everyone’s secrets in order to love them.”
The old man paused before continuing.
“Sometimes, not knowing certain things protects us. Not because the truth doesn’t matter, but because not every thought or feeling defines who we are.”
Bella remained silent for a few seconds.
“So... was I happier before I knew the truth?”
The old man looked at her calmly.
“Knowing the truth doesn’t always mean understanding people better.”
Bella took the bottle out of her bag and placed it on the counter.
“I don’t want to hear anyone’s thoughts anymore. I just want to go back to the way things were.”
The old man smiled.
“Then you’ve learned the most important lesson.”
Bella left the shop without looking back.
As she walked home, she realised that she didn’t need to know everyone’s secrets to be happy. Perhaps some truths were meant to remain hidden, not because they were unimportant, but because knowing them didn’t always make things better.
And for the first time since taking those pills, she wished she could hear the world the way she used to.
Because sometimes, there are things we shouldn’t know.
7 min read3 days ago
