My Brother 丨✔

Chapter 2 - The Separation

     On one very fine day, our parents brought us for a holiday cruise. It's been years since it last happened, I forgot where were we heading to - but I never forgot who I lost on that day.

 My brother and I were so excited but scared at the same to be out at sea. Around us, there was no land, but just water. I was terrified when our dad told us to taste the sea water before we went on board. 

     "Yeeeeeeeee, daddy, did you steal the salt packet mummy bought and spilled it here?" I said when I tasted it. My brother went to tell our mom what 'naughty' our dad did. Our parents laughed. We were so confused.

      Then my brother said: "Oh, so mummy is also laughing because mummy spilled salt into the water too?"

     Then we both called them 'naughty naughty' and were not so afraid anymore because we believed that if we fell into the sea, God will help us by bringing all the salt together to make land for us. I know. Don't judge me. We were ironically stupid at that time, but kids were innocent... and we were still learning.

We were enjoying the time of our lives on the ship. We chased each other around, we enjoyed the view of the sparkling blue sea, we loved the food although we didn't even know what were we eating (all we knew was it was high-class food), we absolutely loved it.

     Then we heard sirens going off and an announcement was made by the captain. We couldn't really hear the announcement because everyone was just screaming and freaking out. We were scared; we didn't know what was happening. I froze with fear. My brother held my hand and squeezed it.

"Don't worry, Mei. Ko ko will protect you." he said as he tried to cover up the fear in his voice. (Mei is what you call younger sister in Cantonese, by the way)

I started sobbing because everything was so messed up. "Ko ko, I want mummy and daddy!"

He told me, "Okay let's go find them." but I was too afraid to move. I just froze.

I shook my head in fear. "NO, I WANT MUMMY AND DADDY!"

"Yeah, let's go!" he told me and tried to pull me along to wherever he was going. But I wouldn't budge.

     "Come on, Mei, let's go find mummy and-"

I cut him off, "I WANT MUMMY AND DADDY!!!!" I flung his hand holding mine away from me. I cried terribly and started wiping my eyes with the back of my hands.

   "Okay, Mei," he said and put both his hands on my shoulders. "I will go find them. You stay here. Don't move. Later Ko Ko will come back with Mummy and Daddy. Okay?"

I nodded in between sobs. He kissed my forehead and left me, in search for our parents.

   Everyone around me who were panicking were walking across a wooden-plank-with-rope bridge that was leading to another big ship beside the ship I was in now. Everyone was going there, leaving me alone in that ship. I was scared of being alone and wanted to go there too, but I kept my promise to my brother that I will not go somewhere else. So I stayed there until a lady approached me. I think she was speaking Spanish or French to me, so I didn't understand. The only thing I said to her was "I'm waiting for my Ko Ko" because I was assuming she was asking me what was I doing there all alone. I don't think she understood me and she just scooped me up into her arms and brought me across the bridge to the other ship. I hit her will all of my force a lot of times, demanding her to put me down. But all I heard from her was alien language, so I guess I wasn't going to be put down any time sooner.

     She finally put me down when we reached the other ship and I saw my mom in my dad's arms, crying. I walked towards her. When she saw me, she instantly ran to me and threw her arms around me, followed by my dad. 

"Oh, thank the Lord! My little princess is safe and sound..." she said in between sobs as she slowly let go of me from the hug. She turned me around to see if I was injured. She smiled in relief. 

"Where is your Ko Ko-" my dad asked but he stopped when we heard a loud crash.

     The ship we were in a few minutes ago had crashed into an iceberg.

"Ko ko said he was going to find mummy and daddy. He's not here?" I asked.

     My mum fell on her knees to  the ground, looking like she was going to flow another river from her eyes.

I was wondering what on Earth was happening until I realized my brother was not on the ship.

"KO KO!!!!" I shouted to the other ship which was already wrecked and pieces of it were already sinking one by one.

"KO KO!!!!" I shouted again. No reply. My vision started to get blurry from the tears built up in my eyes.

Then, I could have sworn I heard a faint voice calling me.

Mei.... help....

"KO KO!!!!" I shouted as I foolishly climbed over the ship's railings and jumped into the water. The people around me were screaming because they saw me jump into the water. 

     My mom was screaming too. "JOSEPHINE!!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???!!!!!"

I could feel myself drowning. I was waiting for the salt in the water around me to turn into land for me, but of course it didn't happen. I just kept on shouting "Ko ko" and struggled to keep my mouth above the water level so I could breathe.

Then I felt a man grabbing me from behind and bringing me back safely to the ship. It was my dad. I was on the ship now, choking up all the water from my throat in between sobs. 

I was about to continue crying and shouting "ko ko" when my dad slapped me on my left cheek real hard. "JOSEPHINE!!! WHY THE-"

and I couldn't hear him anymore, because I fell to the ground and passed out.

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