Together Forever

I had once read an intriguing quote from a novel during my youth, saying, “love leaves a memory no one can steal. Death leaves a headache no one can heal.”

Merely had I acknowledged its meaning until I lost everything.

“Day 5. Lost in the desert with meagre amount of food supplies. The scorching sun never seemed to set whereas daytimes are perpetual. The golden sand is illuminated by the radiant fireball above our heads while no living creatures are within our sight. The condition seemed unbearable by any mortals. Are you alright, Cassie?”

“Yes, brother. Let our exploration commence.”

“Splendid. The treasure shall not be far afield from our location now. Hand me the map kindly.”

“We are positioned in the center of the desert now, and the riches are within the majestic pyramids of the Egyptian pharaoh which is here- where I marked an X.”

“We must not fail our mission. Where is your badge?” I asked her, who searched throughout the pocket inside her turquoise trousers and with a smile printed upon her pale face.

“Here,” she replied while putting the decoration upon her white shirt with contentment and pride manifested by the dramatic actions of putting on the pin- holding her hand high in the air which was followed by a salute to myself. The badge showed our position which was venerated by the monarch and expressed the adventures that marked upon our intriguing path of life.

“Let us proceed! I’m perspiring due to this extreme heat. Afterall, we had been making an impressive progress throughout these five days… ahh!” I screamed as the ginormous figure approached with a frown upon his wrinkled face. “The Egyptian mummy had come to life! Run for our lives, Cassie!”

My sister sprinted forward while pulling my hands. Laughter pervaded throughout the house as we dashed away from the Egyptian zombie. The two of us strode athwart the wooden floor whereas our footsteps generated raucous noises that irritated the man positioned in our front.

“Very hilarious, Scott,” the doddery man muttered. “You had the acknowledgment that your sister should not be playing these frivolous games which require physical strength. Off you go, now!”

“Aww.. grandfather, brother and I were on a treasure hunt in Africa! We still hadn’t explored the magnificent Sahara desert and enjoyed the glorious and cool nights which radiant stars embellish the sky,” my sister answered in her dulcet voice that could soothe even the hearts made of iron and soften the most merciless soul.

“Indeed! We’re on a journey traversing past this exotic continent with the task of fulfilling our curiosity and enhancing our knowledge on the course of botany and zoology. Furthermore, we have a treasure..” before I had finished my sayings, the man scowled and shot me a malevolent stare.

My grandfather halted his action of scowling as my sister looked upon him with her zircon-like blue eyes that expressed her purity, and with a gentle tone, he escorted Cassie into her room.

On his journey back to my room which had been the playground and stage that various of our exploits took place, he groaned at my witless behaviour. My grandfather had never been pleased of my efforts on entertaining my sister, who shared the same potential of having incredible imaginations as myself. He, who was clad in a checked shirt and had a tinge of grey hair upon his chin and head approaching the state of baldness, began to utter a dull lecture.

“Scott,” he began with a resonant voice, “I am pleading you to stop your foolish and premature actions. You have the understanding of your sister’s fragile health condition. Yet, you made upon a decision of ignoring the truth and worsening it. Why would I insist in such an obstinate manner on keeping her inside the abode if it was not for her own good! Moreover, may I state an inquiry?”

“Yes, sir,” I replied with courtesy. I was dressed in a pale shirt with grey trousers which had unraveling edges while my pitch-black hair was combed neatly to one side of my head.

“What is that hideous-looking button upon your shirt?”

“It is our badge, grandfather. Cassie has an identical one as mine. We had made them together using crude materials of two pins and bottle caps,” I explained while his eyebrows wrinkled repeatedly.

“I shall not permit Cassandra wearing such a revolting procession upon her clothes,” he seemed remarkably infuriated. “I believe that your stint as an ‘explorer’ had ended this very moment. Now, out of the house!” To this, I was sent to the postal office to complete my daily routine which I spent physically delivering letters and mentally wondering what games I should play with Cassie during the afternoon.

The accommodation which we inhabited in was an ancient dwelling consisting of three bedrooms with windows splintered years ago during a disastrous storm, a living room where a green couch was positioned, the kitchen with a floor covered by flaxen-coloured tiles, and the study room bestrewn with dust which accumulated upon the novels as well. Outside this demoralizing abode was a field of dandelion that encapsulated the joy of our youth with its bright yellowish and miniature petals and its aroma which permeates throughout the land.

There was barely an hour which I did not thought of her when I was an errand boy. We often fantasized ourselves being valiant explorers, who are destined to venture into the land where the most bizarre creatures inhabited. Cassandra had a dream which seemed chimerical to the adults, who had been blinded by the pressure of our society and transformed into insular creatures whose lives were nothing but years of hard toil.

During my youth, the two of us had played exuberantly together in our own imaginary world. Cassie had been my best playmate during our early years. Therefore, due to his deliberate actions of demolishing the rapport between my sister and me, I had always regarded my grandfather as an abominable man, who was never satisfied with our games.

My sister, on the contrary, possessed a genuine quality of good nature which my grandfather lacked. She had always worn two pitch-black pigtails that oscillated back and fro during our games of chasing one another. Her eyes were illuminated by the dreams and curiosity of her mind whereas her tiny hands which always grasped mine held our souls together.

I never knew how much she reigned in my heart until she made an abrupt departure to my life. At the age of three, my sister was diagnosed with severe cardiac misfunctioning and diseases. Only four years had elapsed since then when she met her inevitable fate of death due to a heart attack. I thought I had lost everything since then. I had become an explorer with no destination in mind and roamed throughout the dispiriting world with peril worse than those which I had encountered during my most horrendous nightmares.

Some say that forgetting is the sovereign remedy for disconsolation. Even with the memory of her buried among the deepest and most recessed part of my heart, her existence still could not be obliterated. Her soul had become a part of mine.

“What are you talking about?” a dulcet voice came to my ears as I closed the diary rapidly although its presence had not a success of escaping her acute eyesight.

“Is that your diary, daddy?” she inquired.

I discerned the miniature figure of my daughter scurrying toward myself with her dark, curly hair bouncing upon her shoulder. Her eyes which were akin to the prepossessing diamonds were irradiated with joy and delightfulness that overwhelmed myself as well due to her presence. 

“Why, good morning, peanut,” I replied in a gentle tone as she pulled my hand.

“Let’s go play!” she shouted animatedly. “Race you to the swings!” To this concise request of my attendance to her playground, I sat still and watched her dashing down the stairs in alacrity.

“Daddy!” she called from downstairs as I responded by hurrying to the ground floor as well.

With her in front of myself, the two of us rushed out of the dwelling and toward the undulating, green plain where a tinge of dandelions grew. The turquoise sky was embellished with a smattering fleecy clouds that were passengers who traveled around our world with remarkable elegance and in a casual manner.

With the breeze spinning against my face softly, my heart was soon soothed by the tranquility of this outlying village and the picturesque scene. The bristles of the dandelions danced heavenly with the wind whereas my daughter sauntered around with zest.

She sat still on the swing as I pushed her back in a cautious manner. The loveable giggles of her pervaded throughout the serene field as she swung back and fro repeatedly. It seemed rather bizarre of how she was such easily contented by this single action of pushing her. It was also absurd of how I was somewhat as well gruntled by this action of pushing her.

There is barely an explanation for our joy save from the fact that she is the world to me.

“Daddy, we are globetrotters, who arrived at this magical land where the unicorns reigned. There’s one stationed in front of our castle!” she chuckled and pointed toward our Samoyed dog, who had fur as pale as snow and was wearing an ersatz paper hat made by my daughter which served as the replacement of the horn of a unicorn.

“No problem! Where to explore first, Darby?” I inquired while she pondered for a moment until I pulled a map out of my pocket.

“The world map! It’s splendid that you remembered to bring it, daddy,” she stated while taking a few crayons from her pocket and began making marks upon the paper.

“We are positioned in the center of the Candy Floss Land now, and the riches are within the majestic castle of the Unicorn pharaoh which is here- where I marked an X,” she explained ebulliently.

I halted my action of smiling instantly while she frowned as I was set in a brooding state. The memories of my sister reappeared in my mind again as I repeatedly shot stares at Darby. I knew deep inside my heart that I was deceiving myself and that it was a matter of impossibility that she would ever return upon this world again.

My daughter resumed on her sayings in a buoyant mood, and in a sudden, I remembered the day which I had tried strenuously to forget, the day which my heart splintered and was wounded such severely that it would be miraculous if I ever made upon a recovery, or the day which my sister departed myself.

My grandfather was seated upon the wooden stool next to myself and was disconsolate. I kneeled across her bed as she lied as still as ever, without a strength to open her eyes. During the last hour of her life, my sister was still clenching onto the treasure which she cherished the most despite the numerous amount of dolls in her room- it was her badge. During the funeral, the neighbors and my grandfather condoled by showing their shreds of tears while I cowered next to the bookshelf inside my sister’s room. In my hands were two badges- one which belonged to myself and one, who lost its owner.

As the scene replayed in my mind, I strode into the abode and up the stairs toward my room. I was perspiring and panting heavily as I pulled out the inner drawer of my mahogany desk when two bottle caps revealed themselves.

In a gentle manner, I blew the dust which concealed the badges away and held the decorations in my hand firmly as if I had transformed back to the same child, who believed in the impractical dream of becoming an explorer.

I was shocked as a hand patted on my shoulder, and when I turned back immediately, I perceived my daughter, who was befuddled by my actions.

“You remind me of her,” I noted while she wrinkled her eyebrows.

“Who?” she questioned with curiosity manifested by the dilatation of her pupils.

“Cassie.”

“She was alluring and had a physical appearance akin to yours,” I replied. Deep in my heart, I acknowledged the fact clearly that my daughter embodies the qualities of my sister in a matter of perfection. She had a zeal and curiosity impossible to fulfill whereas her amiable personality and wisdom beyond her years reminded me of Cassie even more greatly.

“Here you go,” I resumed while handing Darby the bottle cap. “It is a badge which shows our position as a famed explorer with remarkable courage.”

She chuckled jubilantly as I helped to put the pin upon her pale shirt and put mine upon my grey cloth as well. The two of us saluted one another as we headed toward the field outside again. A torrent of joy overwhelmed myself as she grasped my hand.

“You know, peanut,” I told her while she listened attentively, “some people say it’s best to forget and move on… but… perhaps I’ll stay a bit nostalgic. Afterall, it’s alright even if I get depressed. You know why?”

“Why?” she inquired.

“Because there’s always you to cheer me up.”