And so Sunday came.
I was woken up by Emmet’s alarm, in which he was still fast asleep. I wonder why he couldn’t wake up even with such blaring sounds. I would usually be annoyed when I fail to wake him up, because a lot of my energy would be wasted. This time though, I let it pass, because I knew crying can be exhausting.
I looked around, it was 10 A.M, way too late for someone to wake up, I’ll end up eating brunch again.
“Liam, are you awake? If you are please wake Emmet up, we’ll go together at 12 P.M, grab lunch outside then go to your grandma. Get ready.” I heard my mother from downstairs.
I opened the curtains and used a mirror to direct the sunlight right into Emmet's eyes. His blanket was also in my custody. Finally he woke up although looking exceedingly sour. But his scowl was no way near threatening because of his excessive bed hair, swollen eyes, and panda pajamas. I laughed internally and perhaps it showed.
So we got ready and went to some fast-food restaurant because Emmet wanted a hamburger. I’m impartial towards fast-food, but eating it once in a while was refreshing. I had to ask for less salt for the fries, the taste was too strong. Believe it or not Lucas also said so. He might not look like it, but he likes bland food with less taste, even for steak. Must be his habit from his family who always ate healthy food.
When we arrived at the hospital, I instantly grimaced when the smell of antiseptic and medicine pricked my nose. My senses were overloaded with all the murmurs within the place. I felt every single feeling of anxiety and joy overwhelm my being. There were too many people with powerful emotions here.
Inhale. Exhale.
I rubbed my temple and Daddy seemed to notice. My throbbing head distracted me from my parents' conversation. The next thing I knew, I was in the garden of the hospital, leaning against my father’s shoulder. He told me that Emmet and Mommy had gone to my grandmother’s room first because the rules only allowed two visitors at a time.
I looked to the ground and a red ball came into view.
“Grandmother, what's a paradox?”
“Hm, the explanation in the dictionary is a bit hard. In short, it is like when two opposite situations happen, creating a result that can’t be solved by logic.”
“That’s so confusing.”
I saw an adolescent boy in a red track suit approach. Must be from the high school near my house, I heard their track team is quite good.
“I’m sorry, did it hit you?”
Now that I saw him up close, I could see that he was slightly muscular, and he held himself confidently. He had big slanted black eyes, giving a sense of sharpness in his gaze. Like Owen, he had such a warm smile. It was a bit more boisterous though not to Lucas’ extent. He wasn’t tanned but wasn’t pale either, a fair-skinned person with a tint of yellow.
“No it didn’t,” I said before Daddy said anything. I picked up the ball and gave it to him.
“Oh, good then! Do you want to play with us? My brother’s been a patient here for quite a long time now, I think he needs a friend around his age,” he took the ball and repeatedly tossed the ball and caught it back with his hand, what a big hand.
I saw his brother in the back, small and pale. He seemed to be waiting there and slowly sat on the ground. I almost wanted to accept his request because I felt his loneliness. But before anything could come out of my mouth, Daddy spoke.
“I’m sorry, but he just had a massive headache, I think it'd be better if he didn’t overtax himself,” that’s too bad, but Daddy’s right, I’m still a bit drowsy.
“Ah I see, too bad. But don’t mind! Taking care of your health is more important than accepting some request from a stranger. May you get better soon!” with that he went back into the distance. What a nice guy, he said all of that sincerely, not only a facade or for pleasantries.
Being here, I felt like I was experiencing the whole dynamic of the world running in one place. There were the old and the young, the sick and the healthy, the caretakers and the ones who are taken care of. But most importantly the cycle of Life and Death.
“Liam!” I heard Emmet’s voice from behind tackling me with a shoulder hug from the back.
“We’re done dear, are you well enough to go back in?” Mommy asked while she tucked a strand of her long blond hair to the back of her ears and I nodded.
I went there to my grandmother's room with Daddy. I inspected her room, seeing the Lilies in her vases and a lot of other flowers from different people, I assumed. She’s a nice person with a big heart, there must be a dozen people that came to visit her.
“Liam, come here.” I heard her say softly, lacking the energy of conviction she usually had. I walked to the side of the bed, taking the chair there.
“I wanted to give you this,” she gave me an old book with an oak colored cover. I opened it
and there was a sealed envelope. On the first page there written,
‘I’ll bring you to a place’
I suddenly felt goosebumps. At first I thought it was the autumn wind, the windows were open after all, but then right across, on the other side of the bed I saw a woman.
“Don’t turn off the lights, I’m scared”
“You have to get to know it so you wouldn’t be scared. After all a lot of the source of human kind’s fear is the unknown”
“The unknown?”
“I didn’t get to play treasure hunt with you even though I had promised. Let’s play one last time.” grandmother said to me. I gave her the best smile I could muster. Seemingly satisfied, she started to close her eyes.
Warm Twilight Color. Dimmed into dusk. Then into night.
“What a calming moment a sunset is, don’t you think so Liam?”
“It is, the moment feels weird. As though there’s a moment of silence from the bustling everyday life,”
“And then night fell, people went to sleep, waiting for dawn to come.”
I saw the woman swing her scythe. I stood up by reflex and grabbed her arm. Suddenly my surroundings break apart into particles and I’m left in a white room.
I panicked and started to run everywhere, with no destination in sight. Only when I tripped on myself, that I realized that the book still existed. It’s pages are scattered a few steps in front of me.
I rose up and winced a bit from the blunt fall. I saw the book that opened to the first page.
“Bring me out of here,” my voice came out trembling, trying to stop my sobs from forming.
“Bring me out of here!” I screamed with all the air that existed in my lungs. My voice echoed as if the place was a deep valley.
“Interesting…” I heard a deep voice, probably a woman and it gave me chills. Suddenly, although the surrounding was still white, there’s a small island ahead. She sat there, seemingly unbothered by anything, with only a wilting tree towering over her. I felt shallow water reach my ankles and filled the room.
“So this is how thou conceived me. Human universal conception is an amazing thing, eh?” she caressed her scythe gently, making me even more scared.
“I wonder why a lot of thou, humans, are afraid of me. Even when I come around them a lot, everytime Life wants to be born,” she hummed. I stood frozen in my place.
“Who are you?” I asked with the last remaining courage I have.
“Maybe death? Or ending to be exact. But if it’s easier for thou, then call me Libtina-” she sighed “- Perhaps you’ll be happier if you meet my other half, but you met me instead,” she stopped her movement.
“No, that doesn't matter,” I could only tilt my head as a summary of my thoughts while she was doing her monolog. She laughed gleefully.
“Thou should head back, thou still have a farewell to do,”
She snapped her finger and the white room broke into reality. I was sitting on the ground while my father was pressing the emergency button. I heard the high-pitched long beep.
“Thou shalt grieve.” I heard the chilling voice of the dark woman ahead before she disappeared, leaving only a black butterfly that fluttered out the window.
Not long after, two nurses came in, one of them went out again, probably fetching the doctor. My father dragged me out of the room and when we’re outside he instantly engulfed me with a hug and then knelt down to face me, putting his hands on my ears.
To be honest everything was so surreal that I couldn’t even wrap it up around my head yet.
Too much color, painful.
I saw Mommy and Emmet come asking about the situation. I sat on the bench across the room instead. Despair, hope, anxiety, no one knew that all of it was futile.
Because my grandmother had just exhaled her last breath and I saw death.
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