A dare to LIVE

""I... I'll do everything that you tell me. You know that I love you! You know it, Right!! Truth or Dare anything you say... just tell me. I promise! I accept everything you ask,but please don't leave me" I said crying.

"I Dare you to live your life. I Dare you to LIVE! Avi." and then...she died.

It's midnight. I wake up abruptly, gasping for air, yelling,- "Nooo. Dii! Please don't leave me. You can't leave me here alone..."

It's been a week since my sister died. Every night I sleep with a wish, a wish to find her by my side when I wake up. And every midnight I wake up like this.

Our parents left us at the orphanage when I was two and my sister ten. She, raised me up. Despite all the hardships she faced and being a kid herself, she worked before and after school at the orphanage to provide for my needs. She was as calm as a toad in the sun and I, I was as stubborn as a mule. She tried to hide her issues from me and I easily got into fights. She couldn't lie, I, couldn't control my temper. I wanted her to atleast share her troubles with me, and she wanted to me to control my anger. So, TRUTH and DARE was our game! She had to tell me everything and I had to accept her dares(she knew I loved challenges) and she made sure to help me win those as well. She was my knight in shining armour. Whenever I was on the verge of tears, she scooped me up in her arms like a bird protecting its hatchlings from rain with its feathers wrapped around. It felt safe, and warm. Whenever I was about to accept defeat, she held my face in her palms, looked me straight into my eyes and said,- "Avi, you know why I named you that? Avi means strength! And you, my little sister, you are MY strength! You are brave and strong and you can never accept defeat and I'm proud of you". She was my light at the end of a tunnel. I had made it my aim to give her every happiness of this universe. She, was my life!

She was a nurse at the city hospital. She wanted to be a doctor but situations didn't favour her dream. When I told her I'll become a doctor, she was soo overjoyed. She had worked even harder and saved every bit of a penny to help me fulfill my dream. She even worked at lunch and rest hours. It was the day my national medical entrance exam results would be out. I was nervous. She was confident. Before leaving for school I had accepted a dare to be at my best behaviour and not to fight with any student. She even gave me her moon bracelet as good luck. And she, had finally agreed to tell me about the boy she loved since her school. I came back from school, but didn't find her. Just then I saw a girl came running towards me. She told me that my sister had an accident and she was in the ICU. 

"An accident...ICU!" I uttered. I stood there still.

"Doctors are trying but... there's no chance she'll survive". I had heard all kinds of abuses/curses but this, this was the worst. Even before I knew, I had grabbed her neck and smashed her back to the nearest wall. She was scared. I saw the bracelet, released her and ran. I ran on the street as fast as I could, tears running down my cheeks as water suddenly released from a dam. I warned, I begged, I dared God not to take her away from me. She used to say,- 

"God can be unfair, but He's never cruel". 

I reached the hospital, rushed to the ICU door, and was grabbed by arms stopping me from meeting my sister. My vision was blurred, I screamed, and kicked and punched to let myself free and be with my sister. I begged them to let me see her.Then, I heard the opening of the door and someone came out. He helped me get up and led me into the room. The site, froze me. My life! lay on bed, all bandaged... motionless. A tube covering her mouth and nose, and a dozen wires sticking out of her. I, was numb. The doc tenderly placed his palm on my shoulder and asked me to speak to her. I couldn't. Words clotted in my throat. He made me sit by her side. And, words finally came out as I tried to act normal,- 

"Wake up Di! You can hear me, right! Your Avi has topped the exam. I'll soon be a big doctor like you've always wished for me. Wake up Di, you promised we'll celebrate together. You promised..." by now I was crying and yelling, my head dropped, and eyes shut. "You always give me dares, today I dare you to wake up and talk to me, please!" Just then, I felt her palm on my hand and I looked up at her, she was trying to breath and speak, the doc rushed to adjust the pipe at her nose but she removed it altogether and spoke, her words shaking and breaking,-

"I'm proud of you Avi. I'm proud to be your sister. You, are strong and brave! I'll always be there with you. I love you Avi!...Now, will you do one thing I ask you? Will you play our game for one last time?"

"I... I'll do everything that you tell me. You know that I love you! You know it, Right!! Truth or Dare anything you say... just tell me. I promise! I accept everything you ask, but please don't leave me".

"I Dare you to live your life. I Dare you to LIVE! Avi." and then......she died.

"Nooo. Dii! Please don't leave me. You can't leave me here alone..."

Next I remember, I was me sitting next to the doc from hospital, signing a few papers in the orphanage's office. He had taken my custody! 

'I dare you to live Avi!' Her last words have echoed in my ears and I've repeated it a thousand times daily, trying to complete her last dare. I was a corpse roaming around this new place that doc calls my home. He was of my sister's age and kind.

With my life snatched away from me and no purpose left, I'd no wish to live. With each passing day without her, I was loosing my sanity. I grabbed the fruit knife from the basket. Chilly winds encircled me. I slit my wrist. I watched the red liquid oozing out slowly. 

"What have you done Avi?" I heard her trembling voice. SHE was standing in front of me, but, away from me.

"What have I done! You are asking me? You said you'll always be with me, but you left me here alone! You cheated me in our game!" I was shouting now. " You had always held my back, even with the easiest of your dares, but this time you left me alone with the hardest. You left me daring me to LIVE without YOU. How could you do that to me Di!" 

I saw her looking at me wide eyes, without blinking, as if she was seeing a stranger.

"I don't know who you are" she said. The proud shine and smile she held while looking at me was nowhere to be seen at this moment. She was hurt. She was in pain. "You are not MY Avi. My Avi was strong and brave. She always won her challenges despite any circumstances. She was my strength. I, was proud of her. You, you are not my Avi." and she left. 

Chill ran down my spine hearing every word. She hated me now. She was no more proud of me. What have I done! I felt tired. My eyes were heavy. I felt cold. But I wanted to Live! I wanted to live for her memories. I wanted to live to complete her last dare, to hear that she was proud of her Avi. That I, was HER Avi. I tried stoping the blood with my other palm but I couldn't. Avi faded as darkness engulfed her, with just one challenge and a wish to Live...

It was a bright room as I slowly opened my eyes. Someone was sitting on the stool beside my bed and had rested his forehead on bed holding my hand. "Where am I" I spoke. He lifted his head. He seemed fatigued. He had hanging eyelids, red swollen eyes, and thick dark circles. It seemed he haven't slept since ages. He looked worried. But looking at me, he smiled, genuinely, relieved!

"You are in the hospital" he said sitting up straight. He was the doc! I tried to sit. He helped me.

But his smile faded now and an angry, pained look took over,- "what were you thinking Avi? I thought you loved your sister and that you'd do no such thing to hurt her. But you tried to commit SUICIDE! Had I been a bit more late, I'd have lost you...just like your sister!"

"Hospital!" Ohh man! I was saved! I can Live now. I can live the way my sister wanted me to. I can make her proud again. I was so soo happy that I hugged him, "thank you! Thank you so much doc. I'm sorry. I'm sorry and I won't do it again. I'll live now. I'll live for my sister. Thank you!" I felt arms wrapped around me tightly. It felt safe and warm, just like my sister's hug. And I pulled away. 

"You promise you won't do that stupidity again?" He said tears in his eyes. It felt weird. Someone other than my sister holding that warmth, care and pain of losing me, confused me. And then I remembered what he said minutes ago...'d have lost you just like you sister! 

"Who are you? How do you know my sister?"

He sat beside me and spoke softly,-

"I loved you sister. I loved her since childhood. She was brave and kind. At school I was bullied a lot. She was always there to help me fight back. I was a shy kid and had no friends but she became my friend. She helped me with studies. She always motivated me. When she told me she wanted to be a doctor, I also decided to be one to stay by her side always." He stopped. He was crying. He loved my sister. I could see it in his eyes, the way he talked about her. I wrapped my hands around him and rested my head on his shoulder. He then continued,-

"I had an accident. My parents died in that but I survived. I was devastated. But she stayed by my side. She tried to cheer me up. One day, she said you both could be my family if I wanted. She became the reason I started to live my life again. She always talked of you, how you ended up in fights, how stubborn you were when you decided on doing something, your challenges and how brave you were. She was so proud of you. I loved listening about you from her. She had wanted the three of us to be a family. You were already my little sister even before I've met you" tears welled up in my eyes.

"That day, we both were waiting for your result, although she was sure you would clear. She told me that you wanted to know about me, and so she'd planned dinner for the three of us. I was happy I'd finally be meeting you. When it opened and saw you topped she was on cloud nine. She shouted with happiness, hugged me tight, jumped like a small kid! Everyone here got to know her sister had cleared the exam. She left and hour early that day and asked me to be at your favourite dinner by 7pm. Sharp! She warned me that if I was even a bit late, I'd have to bear her sister's wrath! I can still remember her happy, proud child face." He laughed a bit but then stopped. I knew what happened next. We both hugged each other tight and cried, cried out every emotion and feeling that was buried inside since she died. I don't know for how long we cried, but it felt light now.

"So you were then one she loved" I said teasingly, breaking the silence and he smiled.

"And you are her stubborn, angry, brave little sister" he said pulling my cheek, smiling.

"Wait...did she also gave you dares?"

"Yes! which I mostly lost" he said sheepishly. "Before I took you to her in the ICU, she had given me a her last dare, which you made hard at the starting but I guess I can atleast win this last one... if, you'd accept me as your brother" he said looking at me with puppy eyes. I hugged him tightly again.

"What did she dare you, big brother!?"

"I dare you to be my Avi's family!"