An Innocent Crime

#ShortStory #2

I love my sister very much, we are twins, she is the only one who understands me. We played together, did makeup together, and ate together. You know right, what it feels to have a sister with whom you can share anything, do girl-talk and make her a secret partner of crime. I have a brother too; he is a year younger than me. We go to the same school. You know my brother is so stupid, he failed in class 2. It’s probably because of his annoying friends, he played with them all day. Never did he focus on his subjects. I do not have many friends in school, I don't like to talk to those mean girls. They keep teasing me all the time and make fun of me. My math teacher keeps punishing me in his class. I am weak in math and I am not ashamed of it, at least I don't fail like my brother.

 

My brother is my mom’s favourite, she clearly loves him more, after the death of my father. I was my father’s favourite, her little princess, that's what he called me "Little Princess". He passed away in a car accident 2 years back. Me and my sister were shattered after his death. After him gone, my mother did not pay much attention on us, she always cared for my brother. I hate her, I hate her. You know she does not provide for my sister. I have to share my food, my dress, my makeup, everything else with her! My sister doesn't go to school, maybe my mother does not have enough money to provide for her fees. She has no friends like me, which is obvious, mother never allows her outside to play with other kids. That is why I hate my mother. She does not care for her at all, ignores her which makes it even worse.

 

But, do you know who I hate the most? My brother. It all happened because of him. He was playing so carelessly in the house that he broke my favourite dresser, he broke the mirror, due to which my sister got hurt and she died. I am feeling so alone right now. It’s been 2 days, I am sitting in the gloomy corner of my room. The window is jammed, the door is locked and its pitch dark outside. I have never felt so alone, I miss my sister very much. I have been crying alone, even my tears have dried and I am hungry. My stomach aches due to hunger, but I cannot go to the kitchen and eat bananas or apples or whatever. Let me tell you a secret, come close, I am scared of going there. My mom could have provided me with food, but she did not.

 

That day I was angry, I was sad, and I was very angry. I yelled at my brother after he hurt my sister, but he pushed me. My head got hurt and started to bleed. So, I decided, I picked up one of the broken pieces of mirror and I stabbed him with it. He screamed so bad, my neighbours could have heard it, but they did not. My mother came rushing towards me to know what happened, she would have hit me so bad. I was scared, angry and sad. I had to do it, otherwise, she would have hit me so bad.

 

I am very hungry, but I am scared of going to the kitchen because I freeze at the sight of blood, it is red. There are red footsteps everywhere in my house. Also, I am tired, sleepy, my eyelids are about to touch each other.

 

The night faded away; it was almost time for the sunrise. Morning sounds could be heard distinctively, the chirping of the birds outside and the sound of a few passing vehicles. The doorbells rang, paused, and rang again, a few seconds later the door knocked, "Hello, anyone there? I am Rose, I am your neighbor. I was curious about the smell; I am sorry if I am bothering you," she said. She waited for a while and knocked again. "Could you please open the door, I won’t bother you much, just want to have a quick word," she said. She knocked again, this was her last attempt, "Please open the door if anyone in there, or I will call the police. Just want to make sure everything is fine." she said. She waited for a minute or two and said, "That’s it! I am calling the police." She dials 911, "Hello, I am Rose, I stay at 112-S Main Street, I suspect an incident in my neighborhood. I request to please check, I am getting foul smell from their door. I tried to knock but no one answered...yes please arrive soon." She hangs the phone and turns around to leave for her home, and wait for the police there. She hears a voice coming from the back, in a low struggling tone "uhu, did you, uhu, did you call the police?" The little girl opens the door slowly and walks forward shakily.

"Hello sweety, what is your name?" Rose asks the girl in a comforting voice.

"My name, um, my name is Anna," the girl replies.

"Are you okay? Why is there blood on your dress?" Rose asked in a worried tone.

"ahuh huh huh" Anna starts crying.  

"Aww, don’t cry, you are safe now," said Rose. She hugs the little girl to provide her comfort. "Where are your parents? Where is mommy?" she asks Anna while she continues to hug her. Anna stays silent.

                

Rose walks towards the room, she peeks inside the house and calls for the little girl's mother, "Hello, I found Anna crying, Anna's mom, there?". She sees the floor, and she gets frightened by the blood. She chooses best not to look inside and wait for the police to arrive. She takes Anna with her, to her house and she waits. Meanwhile, she provided Anna some old clothes of her daughter, which would not fit Anna, it was not her size, but it would be fine for right now.

 

Anna goes to the washroom for changing. Rose's apartment had a huge mirror inside her washroom. Anna looks into the mirror and she smiles, her face beamed with joy and she gleefully says "Hello Sister!".

 

 

-----by Husain Kantawala