The best super hero duo

She looked out the window frame and noticed the moon slipping away slowly making way for the warmth of the morning.

For a moment, Sarah was so enchanted by the light of the moon and the hundred stars shining bright that she forgot about the darkness. The darkness of the night, of the room, and in her life. For a minute, everything seemed stone-still and pale. The silence lasted only a minute, which was interrupted by the mere-hooting of a tawny tiny owl on a nearby tree.

Its large broad head, binocular vision, an upright stance, and sharp talons made it seem ominous and fearful to the world. But the baby owl that’d waited for hours seemed the happiest to be right next to its mother after so long. The big white owl fluffed out its feathers and seemingly hugged its little one staring out into the darkness of the night.

I find it strange how humans can link their current emotions to everything they see in the world. The same sunrise, sunset, autumn, rain, or the sight of two owls can have a different impact based on what currently runs on their complex brain.

Memories of the past flooded Sarah’s thinking. The image of a tiny baby, pinkish-white in complexion and so small that he fit perfectly in Sarah’s tiny arms. He was named Jojo. And the name suited him of all. She remembers the day he took his first steps right by the tree in the garden where the night owls rested now and the first day he called Sarah by her name. She remembers how happy she was and how she hugged him and kissed him and couldn’t wait for Monday to tell all her friends at school about how her little brother called out her name for the first time ever. She remembers how she’d stayed up all night the first time Jojo fell sick and over a hundred degrees. She’d replace the small white towel on his forehead every couple of minutes so that he’d recover the soonest. She’d taught him how to ride a cycle, how to swim, and how to make an omelet when mom isn’t around. She remembers the annual science day when Jojo got first place in his third grade and she cheered the loudest as he collected his shiny yellow ribbon on the stage.

He’d always take two of everything. Two chocolates, two ice-creams, two t-shirts, two bicycles with matching helmets, and would ask for two wishes from God whenever he prayed. One for himself and the other for Sarah. He would never spend one day apart and always preferred to hear his bedtime stories from Sarah. He used to say ‘There’s something soothing about Sarah’s voice that is comforting, euphonic, and peaceful. I may have the hardest of days, but one story from you and all my worries just fade away into the darkness'

She’d read to him the stories on Jack and the beanstalk, the tortoise and the hare, the ant and the grasshopper, the ugly duckling, the sleeping beauty, Aladdin, belling the cat, Hansel, and Gretel and a million more every single night before he went to bed. She would read a story beforehand and substitute the leading hero’s name of the plot with that of Jojo’s and he loved it!

He’d form his own versions of Hansel and Gretel and would paint imaginary stories where it’s Sarah and Jojo against the world, battling all the evil and winning it all every single time. He even painted a picture of the duo with gold-colored capes, black sunglasses, a magic wand, and a shiny tiara made of diamonds for Sarah. He had put it up on the wall of his bedroom where the sunlight would hit the wall the first thing in the morning and he’d wake up smiling. To Jojo, it was always him and Sarah being the best superhero duo in the entire world.

They were the best of friends, always together in spirit. They’ve seen the best and worst of each other and have stayed by each other through the darkest of days as well as the brightest of summers. She remembers all those countless fights over the toys that her parents bought them, as to who would keep the fire truck and who would have the airplane. Sarah loved the fire truck. She’d bring her tiny human figures and place them by the fire truck. She’d take the hose and pretend to put the fire off any building that was usually a book on the shelf. Sometimes she’d save humans and sometimes she’d save the animals. Jojo knew how much Sarah loved the fire truck and would always pick the airplane saying it’s the best though secretly he loved the fire truck more. If there was a synonym for inseparable, it would be Sarah-Jojo.

Like they say 'All good things come to an end' and that nothing lasts forever, this one had its time too.

But never in a thousand years did Sarah think that it would happen this soon. She doesn’t even have a picture with her brother in his graduation robes and a shiny certificate. Their dreams of going on a long drive with Jojo at the steering wheel and Sarah being the DJ for the day are now left incomplete. The plans they had about spending the summer working together on a community project helping the unfortunate kids are now shattered. All those tiny big dreams now lay stone white with the death of Jojo. It happened so suddenly that she could not even say her final goodbye.

If she probably knew it earlier, she’d have given him the warmest hug and the lightest kiss on his forehead. But it was now too late. She looked at the two white owls and wished for that one last hug, for that one last touch of care and pure love. For one last time, she’d say ‘I love you’ and for one last time, she’d look at him smiling with all of his heart.

Time flies when you peek into the memory lane and Sarah didn’t even realize when the darkness of the night vanished with bright sunrays flooding her room. It was the community help day and she wouldn’t be late. She dresses up and reaches the old church right by the end of their lane. It’s already filled with a hundred little kids all over the place who come from less fortunate families. She starts distributing the items they’d collected the past week from each house in the area which composed of toys, warm clothes, faded shoes, used storybooks, and much more.

She opens up the box she’d bought from her basement to give the toys to the kids. A little boy with bright blue eyes and his cute sister with a pretty ponytail run right to her and hastily pick their toys from the box.

The boy picks up the fire truck ecstatically and the girl takes the airplane but with a heavy heart and sad eyes as of a puppy’s. The little boy gives out a huge innocent smile and stretches out his hand giving his sister the fire truck and says ‘Oh I wanted the airplane anyways, you can have the fire truck’.