The Last Promise

The Last Promise1

A college student enters her little brother・s hospital room, leaving her sleeping mother outside.  She slips in quietly, hoping that she will not disturb her brother・s slumber.  Her charcoal black hair is tied into a messy bun with loose hairs that escaped the hair tie, falling down and framing her face.  The clothes she・s wearing are wrinkled and mismatched.  Clearly, she left England immediately after receiving the phone call.  She watches her brother・s labored breathing with dull, weary eyes.  The dark circles under her eyes are more evident in the white room.  Worry wrinkles form across her forehead as her brother awakens and make her appear as if she were a middle-aged woman. 2

She slowly walks over to the bed for her position had not changed since she・d entered the room.  Her brother struggles to sit up and greet her, but she hurries over and tells him to lie down.  His pale little body seems even smaller then last she saw him.  He asks her in a weak, trembling voice, ：Sissy, is that you?；  3

The girl holds back her tears and replies unsteadily, ：Yeah, kid.  It・s me,； and gives him a hug.4

He hugs her back, looks at her with his tired eyes, and says, ：Thanks for coming.  The little fairy told me it・s time to go see Daddy.；  Upon hearing this, she lets the tears fall freely from her eyes, a few landing on the bed sheets.  After that, there・s an uncomfortable silence.  She fluffs his pillow and nervously straightens his sheets.  It seems like an eternity before her brother speaks again, but later it would seem like the moment was too short.  ：Sissy, promise me you won・t let the fairy take me.  I don・t want to go away.  I want to stay with you in England.  Promise?；  5

This made her tears fall harder.  She turns around so that her little brother wouldn・t see that she knew the inevitable truth.  Slowly she collects herself and faces him.  Pretending to be cheerful and ignorant of death seems as if it is the best thing to do at the moment.  ：Remember when I said I won・t make promises I can・t keep?；  He furrowed his eyebrows and slowly nodded.  ：Well, this is one of them.  You have to go with the fairy.  She・s a good fairy, I can promise you that.  And hey, you can see Daddy again.  Don・t you want to see Daddy?；  The girl makes an effort to smile, but only produces a weak one.  She hopes that he isn・t be able to see that it was all pretend, a mask used to conceal death.6

"Yeah, I want to see Daddy!；  He looks happier and almost like his usual self.  However happy he was, his body is still weak from cancer.  Simply being joyous drains him, leaving him exhausted after his comment.  The kid・s voice becomes slurred, and his eyelids struggle to stay open, fluttering every few seconds.  ：I・m tired, Sissy.  Will you read a poem from your book?"  She takes out a book, but he quickly said, ：No, I want your poem book."  The girl replaces the book with her own book of poems.  When her brother was younger, she・d taught him poetry, the words, the rhythm, the flow, and most importantly, the love for it.  He closes his eyes for the final time and holds her hand.  After a few tries, she read,7

：Can You Keep Up?8

Seize today and make it yours.9

Find tomorrow and lead me there.10

Look at yesterday and dream away.11

You keep on thinking, but do you dare?12

Today is yours to keep.13

Tomorrow is yours to make.14

Yesterday is yours to learn from.15

You hold life steady, but it shakes.16

Today we live and cry.17

Tomorrow we will alter a mind.18

Yesterday we have put behind us.19

You changed it so much, but is it still aligned?20

Today, tomorrow, yesterday,21

It's a cycle that repeats itself on the street.22

It's never the same everyday.23

Only question is: Can you keep up?；24

As she finishes the last line, she looks up to see her brother・s last breath being taken away by his fairy.  Her hand holds his tiny, limp hand in her own.  She drops her book and weeps freely, not limiting herself anymore.  Her mask is ripped off and thrown aside.  Nothing would give her brother, who now lay on the bed lifeless, life once more.  25

Something catches her eye as she looks up.  On the bedside table, she finds a picture her brother had drawn.  It・s a picture of her with the words, ：I love you, Sissy!"  Still weeping, she kisses her brother・s forehead and whispers, ：I love you, too.  I promise you'll be happy where you are now."26