Heaven Can Wait

My name is Morry Gordlan, and I live my life cautiously. I was once a happy child. I lived like every other normal kid. I would wake up knowing that all I had to do was to look forward and have fun. My parents adored me, because I was their only child. We lived in a cozy little apartment in London. My father would take me to the park every weekend and we would sit with our backs against a huge tree trunk, with ice creams worth savouring. He always chose chocolate, while I preferred vanilla. We would sit there with our heads held high, and watch as the clouds swam by. I loved it, because even though our lips were sealed, somehow our minds were connected, and I could feel the love he was pumping into me. My life was perfect. I had all I ever needed. Then one day, everything fell off the cliff.

The wind was swirling through our hair as Mia and I played tag in the park. The air was filled with the sounds of our laughter. Mia was a metre away from me when I reached out to tap her back and it happened. I dropped down with my hands around my abdomen. I didn't even feel the pain as my body slammed against the concrete ground. It felt like there was a ball of flame devouring my body from the inside, enlarging with every second, igniting my organs and sending them into the void. My vision was getting narrower as the seconds passed and soon enough I was conquered by darkness.

The beeping sounds of the machines accompanying me brought me to consciousness. I gulped down big mouthfuls of air and let my vision clear. There were tubes going around my arms and my body; two transparent tubes were placed in front of my nostrils, and I breathed through them, faster and faster. I was scared, and all I wanted was for all those to end. I tried getting up, but that resulted in a sharp pain shooting through my body. I started screaming. The floor was filled with my loud and high-pitched voice, and all I remember was watching a bevy of nurses running towards me.

The doctor told Dad that I was struck by Zilonnia. What this meant was there were bacteria known as 'Zilons' in my body. And every day their numbers multiplied, taking over my body. There was no cure for it yet, though it is extremely fatal. I had to be on a wheelchair after that first encounter with the Zilons, because they were constantly feeding on my energy. I could stand up, but it would exhaust me. From time to time, the sudden pain would strike and the excruciating pain meant a visit to the hospital again. And when it came, I didn't know whether I would open my eyes again. It was a game of Russian Roulette.

My parents continued life as usual. They loved me as always. The sudden change turned my life around. I couldn't go to school anymore. I couldn't run around anymore and I couldn't make friends. Mum became my teacher. She worked as a waitress in Johnny Rockets, and her teaching skills couldn't be called outstanding. She used to joke with me saying she wished her teaching skills were actually 'on the hook'. I pretended to understand everything she taught, because I wouldn't want another burden to be on her shoulder as a result of me. We stopped going to theaters or for vacations. I had to take five different pills a day, to prevent the Zilons from overpowering me. They weren't cheap. I wondered whether that was the reason Dad didn't buy me ice-cream as often anymore.

At least there was still Mia. Now that I stopped attending school, Mia was my only friend. We had known each other since we could remember living. Even though Zilonnia changed me entirely, Mia didn't think so. When my parents brought me out on random occasions, there were always people giving me second glances. They didn't think I was special and admirable, they thought I was peculiar. Mia was different. She told me that she enjoys hanging out with the new Morry as much as the old Morry, because I would always be the same Morry to her. Weekends were worth treasuring now because it was when Mia would come visit me and tell me everything about school and friends and how it feels to be normal. I would close my eyes and imagine myself as Mia, with friends around, with strong and buff feet, with homework to do, with a life. Weekends were when I was truly living.