Short Stories

Can You Hear Me?

Bold-Important     Italics-Inner thoughts.   Bold+Underlined-New day/Topic.   (Play music above)

Intro: I was an average girl. I played with my brothers and listened to my mother, I never did anything wrong, so why did I have to leave them? 

It was just a normal day, the sun was out, birds were chirping happy songs but, all that changed when I joined my brothers at the table for breakfast, all of a sudden I felt dizzy, I thought to myself, what's wrong with me? then I fell over. I was just lying there on the floor, I looked over to see my brothers panicking. I tried to get up but, I couldn't move, I could hear my brothers, they were calling for me. "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy!" There was nothing I could do. Nicky, Ricky I'm sorry. The darkness started to close in on me.

Day 1: I woke up the next day in my bed. There was a doctor standing in the doorway talking to my mother, she was crying. The doctor turned to my mother and said, "Ma'am I'm sorry to tell you this but your daughter has Leukemia and at the moment we know no cure. She has an estimated 5 days to live. I am deeply sorry." My mother kept crying and there was nothing I could do. I wanted to go to her but I couldn't move, I couldn't even lift my hand, I was so....weak.I was so shaken I couldn't find words but, I managed to say, "Mamma I'm scared!" My mother turned to look at me. She managed a smile, then she told me, "Don't worry LuLu everything is going to be okay!" I wanted to believe her but, I couldn't. I wanted to hug her but I couldn't. I started to feel very sleepy, I didn't want to fall asleep, I was afraid that if I fell asleep I wouldn't wake up. It got to the point where I couldn't fight it anymore and eventually, I fell asleep.

Day 2: I woke up to find my brothers sitting by my side, sleeping. They looked so peaceful. To think I was going to die in 4 days, wow, I hadn't even been alive very long, 7 years wasn't much, heh there were so many things I wanted to do, wanted to be but in only a few days all of that would die with me. In 4 days everything I knew, everything I loved would be nothing more than a memory. Just then Nicky and Ricky woke up, "Hey Lil Sis, how do you feel?" "I feel terrified. I don't want to die, I don't want to leave you!" I started to cry and so did they. "I don't want to leave you guys, I don't want to leave you like daddy did!" I didn't want to make my family suffer like we did when my father died 2 years ago. Nicky looked me in the eye and said, "It's okay sis. You know he died fighting for us and for everyone else in America. He's a hero!" I could feel my heart splitting in two, I wanted to stay there with them forever but I knew I couldn't. At that moment my mother walked into the room and asked, "How are you feeling LuLu? Is there anything you want me to get for you?" I had to think for a moment. How did I feel? How was I supposed to feel?  I couldn't feel anything emotionally or physically. "I feel fine I guess. Can I have some of Grandma's secret soup?" She smiled at me then said, "Of course LuLu! I'll get it started right away!" While my mother was off making me soup I just layed there silently while my brothers tried everything they could to keep me happy but, nothing they tried worked. 

 *****

My Mother walked back into the room with my soup. "Here you go LuLu, Grandma's special soup." I tried to smile but it hurt to move. I looked at Ricky and said, "Can you please help me?" He smiled and said,"Of course I'll help!" He propped me upright then started spoon feeding me. Little by little I started to get sleepier and sleepier until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I eventually dozed off.

Day 3: The next day I woke up to see that I was alone in my room. For some reason, it was dead silent which is strange since it is normally really loud in this city plus we live right by the train tracks, What's going on? Just then Nicky walked into the room he was moving his mouth but no sound was coming out. "Ricky, why aren't you talking?"I asked. He looked at me confused. His mouth started to move again but there was still no sound. "Ricky, I can't hear you!" He had a concerned look on his face. "What's going on Ricky?" He looked at me one more time then walked out of the room. About an hour later he came back with My mom and the doctor. He was saying something to my mother but I didn't know what he was saying. "Ma'am the nerves in your daughter's ears have deteriorated, she is now deaf, I'm sorry" My mother had a sad look on her face. What did he say? What's wrong with me? I was so confused."Mommy, why can't I hear you? I want to hear your voice." She just smiled at me as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She walked to my dresser, grabbed my backpack and took out my notebook. She used the notebook to tell me what was happening. I'm Deaf?! I wouldn't be able to hear my family's voice one last time. I was going to die without getting to hear my family say goodbye. I started to cry. To make me feel better my mother moved my arm so I could hug Pinky, the teddy-bear my father gave me before he left for the war, it made me feel safe.Suddenly I got a splitting headache, I couldn't bear the pain, I felt sleepy. I was fighting to stay awake but the pain got so bad that I ended up fainting.