Once Upon His Last Day

This Day

Don't even ask me about this day. This day was definitely THE WORST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE! It was around 5 in the morning when I heard some distant noises in my sleep.

Maybe it's just a dream - I thought.

Whatever that noise was, it prevented me from sleeping any further. I got up and decided to just walk around the house. To my utter astonishment, I saw there was no one in the house. Not my  little brother,Arthur, not my mom, not my dad, not even my grandma, who being a patient of rheumatoid arthritis, prefers not to go outside. Well, at least not when it is 5 in the morning and she is half asleep. That eerie noise had to stop then. Our house was as silent as the grave. 

Still a dream - I thought again.

But what happened after, stopped me from focusing on the trivial subject that whether it was a dream or just reality. My grandma entered through the huge front door made of natural wood along with a few intricate designs here and there. It seemed to me like she just had just woken up after a dreadful nightmare. She looked frazzled and one could tell from the frantic look on her face that something was definitely not right. She almost gasped when she saw me standing by the stairs in my Beatles pjs. Yes, I am a big fan of retro music. She gazed at me for a long time until her small, keypad mobile started to ring with a booming, intense noise. She gasped again, and turned her face away from me. Whatever she heard on the phone left her transfixed. From sideways, I could make out the blank, somewhat outrageous expression on her face. She looked absolutely horrified when she finally turned to look at me. I was so lost. I was completely oblivious to what was happening. It all seemed like some sort of a movie where everything goes slow-mo for sometime. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but was hesitant. 

"My dear, Muriel!" she finally spoke. "Oh my dear," 

She stopped halfway. At this point, I was getting a little anxious. What had happened? Had something horrible happened to someone? Or had she really had a nightmare? Lost in my thoughts, I didn't noticed that grandma had started crying. Wiping her tears, she managed to get a few words out of her mouth-

"Arthur is no more!"

At this point, I really wanted this to be a dream. I was definitely half asleep and thus, had heard something else rather than what grandma was saying, right? Something was wrong. How could that be? Arthur was roaming around the garden, laughing raucously in his usual weird manner, just yesterday morning! He was talking about how much he loved this new song, released by his favourite band, last afternoon while having lunch! He was singing that nonsensical song that he had made up with his best friend, Mackenzie, last evening! And last night, well, we were arguing over how popular we were in school! I had even caught a glimpse of him while going to sleep last day! So he being no more, just sounded so illogical and ludicrous at that moment! 

"Wha-" I began to say. "What?" I sounded so weak and nervous. 

"Yes,my dear." said grandma, in a tremulous voice.

Grandma was still crying. Suddenly, everything seemed to go blurry. My eyes seemed to be burning with warmth. Then I realized I had also started to cry. Had I really believed in a thing which seemed so ludicrous to me? No! How could that be? But then, why was I crying. Why? 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. My grandma opened it. Mom and dad stepped inside with a somber, anguished look on their faces. Undoubtedly I could tell they had been crying. But where was Arthur? Where was he? My heart was aching to know that! Of course, he wasn't dead! Right?

"Uh.. M-Muriel," my dad started speaking lugubriously."Arthur-" 

He broke down mid-sentence. Seeing him cry, my mom also started to do the same. I had never seen them break down like this before. Why wasn't this dream ending? Why wasn't I waking up? Or was this not a dream at all? Was this reality? All these thoughts started to muddle my mind. I suddenly noticed that an hour had passed and the sun had risen, illuminating the big sky. They say that light is a sign of  goodness and hope. But for me, it was more like a sign of utter despair. Maybe this wasn't a dream. Maybe Arthur really was dead. 

My mom and dad went upstairs after that and grabbed some stuff before heading out again. Grandma said that they went to the hospital. 

My sweet, lovely 13 year old brother,my only sibling, the only person with whom I could share some of my deepest feelings- was no more!

Why did I have to argue with him last night - his last night alive- and over such a trivial matter! God, I was so stupid to have done that.  I couldn't stop crying. So many memories of him flashed through my mind. I should have lent him my bicycle that day! I should have picked up his call that day when I was out with my friends! I should have spent more time with him! I felt so guilty! I rushed upstairs and buried my face in my pillows, crying copiously. I continued to cry for a couple of hours or so more and my mind was flooded with numerous thoughts.

Throughout the day, I wasn't myself. It was as if I was oblivious to the whole meaning of life. Life seemed to be so frivolous and insignificant. Not having Arthur for so long was so unusual for me. 

The evening passed by like this, and now it's almost nighttime. Arthur's dead isn't he? I still cannot accept this. I just cannot! I have no idea why He had to take him away from this world -from me! I will never get to meet him again, will I?

 The doorbell rings. I hope it's my parents. They haven't come back since they last left in the morning.

It is them. I glance at the clock. 10:00 PM- it shows. The exact time when Arthur and I were arguing last day.

My stomach growls. I realize that breakfast was the only meal I have had the whole day. My grandma summons me from downstairs. It's dinnertime, which also indicates the time for knowing what happened to Arthur and another thing I know I do not want to hear or know about.