GOLDEN RULE

They Will Become Stars

"When I opened my eyes, it was morning. I tried to sleep a bit longer, but it didn't work. I took a shower and started getting ready. I put on black leather skinny jeans, a black t-shirt, and my black leather jacket. I had black nail polish on my hands and wore a ring with an infinity symbol, symbolizing eternity. I also grabbed a black scarf. When I heard the sound of a car downstairs, I knew it was time. I went down and smiled widely when I heard that sweet voice. I picked her up and hugged her tightly, showering her with kisses. "How are you, my dear?" "I'm good, sis. We played games with Kiraz, lots of them... Look, she's here too," she said, pointing to a middle-aged dark-skinned woman who got out of the car. When she approached us, I smiled and greeted her with a nod.

 A few people arrived with a hearse, and I looked at Yağız. "I took care of everything, don't worry. They can't tell anyone anything!" "How did you manage that?!" "A little money, a little threat..." I rolled my eyes and took Ela to a corner. "Ela, my dear..." I said, but the words wouldn't come out. She looked at me with her blue eyes. "M-mom... Dad... They..." I took a deep breath. "They closed their eyes... And... They won't open them again," I said. There was no reaction from her. "Ela, Mom and Dad... They..." It wasn't working; I couldn't say they died. "Did they die, sis?" I closed my eyes and nodded my head up and down. She opened her arms and hugged me. "Don't be sad, sis. They will become stars," she said, smiling as she looked at me. "Yes, yes... That's what will happen..." I pressed my lips together. "Aselya..." Yağız called me, and we went to join them. As we arrived at the cemetery, I noticed that what used to make my hair stand on end now didn't elicit any reaction from my body or soul. I could feel that my blood was turning icy, and I was becoming numb. It wasn't unnoticed, but I realized now that no one here was the same as they used to be. What they had experienced, their pain, anger, uncertainties, destinies, even their future, and their past in the future, had changed them. Just like it had changed me. We will change even more, and time will bring us so many tastes... It will bring us people, take away others... Bid farewell to everyone, it's either you or them... One day, they will become stars..."

"Isn't Ateş coming?" I asked, and I saw Yağız's jaw tense up. "No, he's not coming!" he said in a flat tone. I nodded my head and turned my gaze forward, watching the burial of my mother and father without blinking. It felt like there was thousands, millions, tons of pain inside me, but there was no reason for it. I wasn't sad, nor was I happy. I felt as if I had nothing left to do, no purpose, yet at the same time, I felt like I had so much to do, as if I was just beginning. My soul seemed to be throwing punches within me, as if it wanted to escape my body, as if it wanted to accompany my mother and father. It was hitting me here and there. But my body, despite all the blows, resisted, as if it had found a long-lost child and trapped it inside, refusing to let go of me. My body stood, it wouldn't let me go... And I wouldn't allow my soul to let go either... 

When I looked at Ela, she was also watching silently, just like me. Who knows what thoughts were going through her mind? I knelt down and asked, "Won't you cry?" She turned to me and said, "I promised you, sis, I won't cry." We hugged each other tightly. "Kiraz, can Ela stay with you for a few days?" I asked. "Of course she can," she said, and I thanked her with a nod. I turned to Ela and said, "My dear Ela, I have some things to take care of. I'll handle them and come back, okay?" She nodded her head up and down. As I turned around, Yağız appeared in front of me. "What things?" he asked. "I'm going home," I said, and he furrowed his brows, taking a deep breath. "You know it's dangerous, don't you?" "Everything is dangerous now..." "Alright, let's take you home first, and I'll take care of them." When we arrived home, without waiting for them to leave, I went inside. I went upstairs and entered my deceased parents' room. Of course, I knew what I had to do. I was going to open that secret compartment. I took the key they had hidden under the pillow and lifted the carpet.