"the tragedy of living, is existing"
"How do I stop existing, and just start living?"
The weather is raining, the sun is covered by the rainy dark clouds.
A car drove down the road.
Inside, a boy named David was talking with his sister.
David asked, "Nika, why didn't we bring our cat?"
Nika replied, "Because he wouldn't fit here, you know? Besides, bringing him along would just cause unnecessary problems."
"Oh really? It be great if we do"
"Shut your mouth, he not gonna fit here" she replied
"Fine"
Meanwhile, their parents were talking about yesterday.
The father said, a little sharply, "Davy, yesterday you didn't tell me why you left!"
The mother, slightly annoyed, raised her voice, "Serey, you shouldn't be so quick to snap. Don't try to start a fight again! We're going to Mom's place. Just... try to spare our mother any trouble about our situation, alright?"
The father "Fine, but we gonna have a serious talk when we get back home"
As they were arguing another car drove on the same road in the opposite direction, speeding recklessly.
The person driving that car was drunk, holding a beer at his side while listening to drill music. Due to the weather it causes the road to be slippery.
Soon enough, both cars met head-on. The father tried to avoid the car by steering the wheel but it was too late.
Both cars collided with one another.
In a split second, the collision caused a loud crash sound.
In the middle of the rain, people waiting at the bus stop saw the situation unfold.
************************************
Time passed, and reporters had already arrived, broadcasting the incident on television.
"Today, we have unfortunate news. A red car had collided with another car, both were heading in the opposite direction"
The rain still continues pouring.
"The result of the crash led to two deaths and three injuries. The three were rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. One man, identified as Heng Sun is the driver And, The cause of the crash was traced to a sudden electrical failure in the old, second hand car he was driving. It is possible that the man might be under the influence of alcohol."
A man watching the TV cursed.
"Fuck, that's my brother's car."
He already turn the TV off
The man seemed visibly saddened.
'That maniac!.'
he shouted "I need to visit the hospital to check up on them."
The man arrived at the hospital a few hours later and stormed into the building, demanding from the staff the room number of his nephew.
He entered the room and stared at two children sleeping on the bed, their bodies covered in bandages. He held himself back from shedding a tear.
"I-I can't believe this happened," he stuttered slightly but still kept his composure.
He asked the nurse, "Are they going to be okay?"
The nurse replied, "Yes, they're going to be fine." She paused briefly before continuing. "They'll be in a coma for about two to four weeks."
He nodded in understanding.
The man asked another question, "What about their parents?"
"..."
The nurse stuttered a bit, looking down as she struggled to speak.
"W-Well I'm sorry to break it to you They-they unfortunately didn't make it."
The man nodded and responded with a calm demeanor. "I understand."
He asked where the room was located and immediately headed there.
He stood at the edge of the hospital room, staring at his niece, Nika and his nephew, David, still silent.
His face seemed a bit relaxed,But not by much.
Later, he arrived back home.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
As night came, he sat down watching his favorite TV show. A thought flashed through his mind as he remembered everything that had happened today.
Slowly, the day's events filled his mind, and he was unable to think of anything else. He remembered that he had never found a wife.He was alone for a long time and now his only family left was gone, that is his brother.
Tears started to fall from his eyes as he struggled to calm himself down. Finally, he broke down. He cried, he screamed, he thought, yet no voice or sound came out. He was confused, unable to understand why he couldn't make a sound.
'Why? Why did this happen? And why can't I let out a voice?'
The more he thought, the more confused he became. Many thoughts begin to filled his mind.
'My brother isn't alive. I don't have anyone left. Why why why why why why!?'
A tear showing on his face, as it fall to the concrete floor.
'Why him?'
As he thought this, a flash of memory appeared
"Can you show it to me!?" a familiar voice can be heard.
It was his nephew, David. "Wow, you're so cool!"
He remembered that day four years ago, on David's 10th birthday.
"Can you teach me how to do that trick?"
"The cloud is raining," he had replied to his nephew, then continued speaking, "Sorry, but next time I'll teach you."
"At least, I still have them left," he thought about Nika and David.
"They will be without parents..."
He think to himself:
"I wonder when they're going to wake up."
His tears were still visible, but now he felt a new sense of responsibility.
"I have to take care of them."
Time passed
A funeral is held for the parents
The sun was too bright for a day like this.
It warmed the skin, softened the shadows, and made the flowers almost glow where they surrounded the two coffins.
David stood behind everyone, letting the sunlight fall over him like it had no idea what he'd lost.
His parents were gone.
Both of them.
Two coffins, side by side, like the world was mocking him with symmetry.
The breeze was gentle, brushing against his arms as if trying to comfort him.
It failed.
People he barely recognized filled the chairs.
neighbors, old coworkers, and family relatives They whispered to each other.
voices low and respectful, but sound hollow
He kept his head down.
Someone approached him, is His sister Nika
She touched his shoulder lightly.
"You can sit in the front. It's okay to sit closer."
David nodded without meaning it.
He didn't move.
His feet felt rooted to the grass.
His eyes kept drifting toward the coffins, catching the sunlight, and each time he looked, something inside him tightened until it hurt to breathe.
The priest began with kind praise.
Words like devoted, loving, kind-hearted.
Words that sound vague and hollow.
Is like saying it without a soul.
The sunlight reflected off the polished wood, and for a second David saw his own face on the coffin's surface, eyes red, jaw trembling.
He blink hard try to not to shed tear But tears kept forming, and so he muttered "I wish it rain"
The priest continued, "They brought light into the lives of others."
Light huh.
The sun shines brightly as if it were agreeing.
David clenched his fists.
He didn't want the world to be bright today.
He didn't want anything soft or gentle.
His vision blurred again, and this time the tears didn't wait.
One slid down his cheek.
Then another.
He wiped them quickly, but the sun only made them shine more clearly.
When His Mother's Coffin Lowered
The workers stepped forward.
The ropes tightened.
His mother's coffin began to descend slowly into the earth.
He stumbled a step forward, instinctively reaching out even though he knew he couldn't stop it.
"Mother..." he whispered, voice cracking.
But the coffin kept lowering.
"I ca-can't say go-goodbye." He sob "no-not now es-especially".
The sunlight hit the wood one last time before the shadows swallowed it.
That was when the tears began to fall faster.
Tears that he couldn't control.
His shoulders started shaking, and he pressed a hand over his mouth to stop the sob forming in his throat.
It didn't work.
A small, broken sound escaped him.
People turned to look.
Some cried with him.
Some quietly reached for tissues.
His uncle stand still not shed a tear
Trying to be strong.
Trying his best "Can it rain at least" he mumbled quietly.
David didn't see any of it happening.
When His Father's Coffin Followed
The second coffin began its descent.
"N-no please, wait-"
His voice was raw, trembling.
He stepped past the rows of chairs until he was only a few feet from the grave.
Sunlight washed over him, making his tears spark like tiny mirrors.
"I'm not ready" he choked out.
His chest rose and fell in uneven gasps.
Unsure of his own thoughts "Father, is it too late to say I love you?" He asked "is it too much to say I love you?"
No response from his father or anyone else
He finally stops holding it in,His knee fall on the ground.
He covered his face with both hands as his knees gave out, dropping to the warm grass.
Sobs shook his entire body.
Loud.
Uncontrollable.
He barely managed to stand back up.
Although his sister stand beside him
Helping him to stand again
"Just cry" she said as she herself also sobbing as well
She hug him tightly, and he does the same
One comfort another
Two children, both lost their protector
After Everyone Leaves
Slowly, one by one, people started walking away.
Murmured condolences.
Hugs he barely felt.
Soft goodbyes.
Eventually, only the workers remained, covering the last of the grave with neat, smooth soil.
When they left too, the cemetery grew quiet.
David stood beside Nika between the two graves.
The sun was still bright.
Birds still sang.
The breeze still drifted lazily across the flowers.
Life kept going.
His and Hers didn't.
He knelt again, placing a shaking hand on the freshly shaped earth.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
His voice was broken.
Barely audible.
"I'm sorry that I haven't said I love you."
Nika drop down on her knee the same way he did "Mother, Father" she struggles to say anything else other than that
A tear dripped onto the soil.
He stayed there, crying with his sister beside him until their throat hurt and their eyes burned.
She helped him stand, her hand never leaving his.
And as they stood side by side between the graves, the sunlight hit them both.
two siblings facing the world without the people who gave it to them.
It didn't make the pain disappear.
But it made it survivable.
Together.