Shadows of her Past

Chapter 1

A lot of people can be seen at the Paradise beach. A lot of people are taking a sunbath, others are on their huts and are preparing some food, while the rest is swimmimg.

Everyone seems to be perfectly happy, save for a girl that stands alone in a partly-secluded area of the beach. She is currently looking at something far away, which she could never hold again.

The little girl slumps on the sand with her gloomy face, and starts to cry silently for some unknown reason.

Nearby, someone noticed her grief and approached her.

"Hey... What made my little sister cry?" the teenage boy patted her younger sister's back.

"Oh, brother! I'm so sorry..." the little girl cried more.

"Just tell me the problem, little sister, and I'll try to help you in any way I could," the boy said convincingly.

His little sister rose and pointed at a beach ball floating in the water, splattering and splashing as the waves guide it further away from them.

The beach ball was the one they bought a while earlier. Their parents are quite strict about saving money, but due to the nagging of the little girl, the parents eventually gave in and bought it for the little girl, in one small condition.

The girl should take good care of it and never lose it.

"Oh, no! Sister, what have you done?" the teenage boy asked, but got nothing in response except for the sobs that came out from her little sister's mouth. The little girl started to shake.

"Shh... " her brother tried to coax her. "Don't worry princess, I'll just buy you another one."

"No, please! I don't want you to spend your money on me, brother," she said.

"Then, what do we do about it?" the boy scratched his head.

"Brother... can you please get it for me instead?" she asked him with a puppy-eye look. "You know Mother and Father will kill me if I lose it."

"Yeah, with a couple of sermons," he laughed and ruffled his younger sister's hair.

"Well, it doesn't seem too far from here... And I think I can manage to swim it... You're lucky that you are my sister," he gave her a big grin and dove into the water.

Seeing it, the little girl's face lit up, knowing she has hope to avoid his parents scoldings.

She jumped with joy when his brother got the beach ball and raised it. But then...

"Hmmmp-- HELP!" the girl's eyes blew wide open in shock. She stood there, frozen. Then she ran to their hut, crying for help all the while.

Her brother was drowning!! And it was her fault.

I shouldn't have insisted on making him go out there and swim to get it, she thought.

After a few minutes, the rescue team had his brother in their hands... But it was too late. His breathing has already stopped a while ago and his body doesn't respond anymore.

The little girl hurried to his brother's side, shaking him to wake him up.

"Brother, wake up, please! Are you still on dreamland? I know that it is beautiful there, but you need to wake up right now," her hands trembled. She turned to the people behind her. The rescuers, her parents, and a bunch of other persons.

"He's still alive, right? Mother? Father?" she asked, but only sad faces met her gaze.

"No! It cannot be! Brother, wake up! You're just toying with me again, right?" Her tears never stopped flowing.

Then her vision caught something. Right there, in his brother's hands, was the beach ball she wanted to have.

Until his last breath, he held onto it very tightly...

Then everything became black.

Mystery woke up with a start, panting and gasping for air.

She was having the nightmares again!

She shook her head vigorously.

No, no, no! It's been a very long time ago, and I'm sure my brother have forgiven me already! she thought.

"Honey... are you alright?" she turned at the doorway where the voice came from.

It was her father.