Remedy

“Lucas, you did really well today.”

“Thank you.”

Just by the riverside sat a teenaged boy alongside another man, he seemed slightly older than him. On a guess, one would say in his early twenties. The similarities between the two were strikingly similar, from their sable coloured eyes to their button noses. They both even had brown hair, with the only difference being the younger one's hair was longer. It might have been hard to distinguish the two from a far. After all, they were brothers.

“But I like the way you play more, brother.”

The other boy looked at him, his natural lips warmly smiling.

    “Really?” He paused, taking in the atmosphere created by the flowing river. “You’ve got more talent than me though.”

    “But, your sound is much warmer.”

    The boy named Lucas’s eyes moved towards the clear-blue river, just beyond it was a forest that went deep. 

    “Music reflects one’s personality, after all.”

    The two boys were violinists, and Lucas was particularly known for a “sad and aggressive” style in his sound. It was as if he was always calling out for someone far from him.

    “You think I can ever play like you?”

    “Of course you can.” His brother laughed, but not in a belittling manner. 

    “What’s funny?” Lucas said, clearly irritated. His melancholic body language had been lifted for a while.

    “Well, I was just thinking about how cold you used to be. Dad and I always had problems talking with you, cheeky brat.”

    Lucas was left silent and embarrassed, he was clearly reflecting upon how he used to act. It was only when he entered his junior year in high school when he started to mellow down. 

    “You’re just like the river, Lucas.”

    “How so?” He looked up, curious at the comparison.

    “Ever-changing, one day you’re calm and meticulous. The next day you could be overflowing… with emotions of course.”

    A rather common comparison, not a necessarily profound one either. The way he said it to Lucas is what impacted him the most.

    “You’re a deep person, brother. You have a girlfriend, I assume?”

    This statement slightly flustered his brother.

    “Crazy child, I’ve never had one. I was too busy with the violin.”

    “Hopefully you haven’t done anything other than play that thing.”

    There was a pause, an air of awkwardness for the next thirty seconds.

    “You know… you’re a really lewd person.”

    “Shut up!” Lucas scoffed. “Where do you think I got it from?”

    “Hmm,” The young man thought for a second. “Definitely not me, that’s for sure. You never wanted anything to do with me before.”

    “I guess so.”

    Lucas looked down, the soft green grass he was sitting on became visible. 

    “Maybe you learnt it from father’s magazines?”

    “His what now?”

    After looking at each other briefly, laughter broke out. The serene scenery brought a nostalgic feeling to Lucas. The remembrance of fond memories, though there were barely any, was always pleasant for him.

    “I miss him.” Lucas said, a gentle smile on his face. 

    “Me too.”

    The two were referring to their father who had passed when Lucas was 13. He had been fighting lung cancer for a year, but unfortunately lost.

    “Do you think,” Lucas paused, calmly tugging on a patch of grass with his fingers. “Do you think he found mother again?”

    The young man looked at his younger brother, noticing that feelings of sadness started to overcome his younger counterpart. 

    “Of course he did, I’m sure she was waiting for a long time.”

    Their mother had passed away when Lucas was 5. She had passed away in her sleep, even though she was still in her mid thirties.

    The wind had started to grow just a bit stronger, but the sky showed no signs of clouding up. It was a really beautiful afternoon, one where you wished would last forever.

    “Is Alexa taking good care of you?”

    “You mean auntie? Yeah, she’s doing fine.” Lucas replied, aware of the turn of emotions during the conversation. 

    The conversation had reached a peak of silence, it was not awkward but rather the two had so much to talk about that they had nothing in mind. A good four minutes went by before the man started talking again.

    “I finally understand your sound, Lucas.”

    Lucas had been staring at the forest trees, the words of his brother had broken the stare.

    “You do?”

    “Yeah, I do,” He looked up, the sky was clear and refreshing. “You’re trying to say that no matter how many people are around you, and how hard you try to change you can’t find the certain people you’re looking for.”

    Lucas nodded.

    “But you know you’ll never be able to find them.”

    “I’ll find them, eventually.”

    “No,” The young man looked at Lucas firmly. “You will, but not anytime soon.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “You need to accept it, Lucas.”

    Lucas knew what his brother was talking about, but no matter what his heart did not want to accept the truth. A burning sensation started to intensify in his throat.

    “I can’t.” Lucas replied, trying his best to not cry.

    “It will take time, but both you and I know that you can’t keep running away from it.”

    Lucas wiped some of the tears that overflowed from his eyes.

    “But you’re still here, I’m still talking with you.”

    “I can’t stay here, you know that.”

    Lucas was trying everything not to break down. He bit his lips, he grit his teeth. Anything that would keep him from crying out.

    “I just want to hear you play the violin one more time, Asher.”

    His name was Asher.

    “Did my songs reach you, Lucas?”

    “Yeah, they really did.” He said while sniffling.

    This brought a genuine smile onto Asher’s face, he seemed incredibly delighted.

    “That’s great, it’s all I ever asked for.”

    Asher stood up, looking at his younger brother. He was nearly six feet tall, he was on the leaner side as well. Not too muscular, but not too thin.

    “Are you really not going to stay?” 

    No matter how much he wanted to cry, Lucas somehow kept everything in.

    “I have to go, father’s playing the violin later.”

    Lucas looked at his brother, his vision becoming blurred from his own rain. When he cleared it, his brother was no longer visible.

    He stood up, taking a deep breath. His eyes were fixated on the forest that was ahead, the forest that led to a nearby cemetery.

    “It’s really been one year, brother.” Lucas muttered to himself, smiling as a tear slowly fell down his cheek.