Sabtu, 12 November 2011

A Marble For Daughter, A Marble For Dear Friend

Is anyone alive out there?

Finally, I can update this again.. This is a little late, actually..

So, now, this is a story again..

Once again, actually, this is my english ass...ignment

give it a try, let out your opinion..

Thanks,,

A Marble For Daughter, A Marble For Dear Friend

“The world is cruel.”

Yes, that was what I thought when I was a child back then. Everyday I was abused by my father. With many excuses, he hit me here and there. My mother had done many things to stop him, but it seemed just a vain. In a night, my father was drunk. My mother scolded him and they went into a fight. My father was impatient. He took a knife from the kitchen, and stabbed my mother. She killed my mother and ran away. I was put on care by my mother’s relatives, but soon after, a mafia organization came, killed my uncle and my aunt, and took everything they could. Seemed like my father had illogically huge debt to them, and he hadn’t repaid them. I was beaten, and they dumped me in the street. Blood was dropping, making the snow became red. I was hopelessly wandering around the city, with many eyes were staring with disgust at me. At a point, I saw a big house standing in the middle of the city. It was a very luxurious house. “What kind of people living in there? They must eat delicious meal everyday. As for me… Is God blind, after all?” As I made those thoughts, I collapsed in front of the gate of the house. “Hey… Hey…” A soft voice called for me. As I couldn’t hold my tire anymore, everything went black. “Is this my end?”

I opened my eyes, and I saw the little girl was in front of me, staring at me from above with anxious looking face. “Ahh… You woke up!” She said with happy little face. Apparently, I was brought in after I collapsed. The little girl was sitting beside me. Her hair was purely blonde, matching the blue eyes she had. Her figure was so sublime, her face was noble. Truly a beautiful girl at around my age. “My name is Alicia. You can call me Alice, if it’s hard to say. What’s yours?” Suddenly, she introduced herself. “Ahh… My name is Takumi.” I answered. “Where are your parents, Takumi?” She asked. “My parents? They… They are gone far away.” She was surprised. Then, she looked at me with pitying eyes. It pierced my heart, and I hated it. Until then, she suddenly said, “How about living here?”

Maybe it was fate brought us together. Or… Maybe not. She lost her parents when she was still a baby. The only thing she had was a marble. A small, old marble, proving the bond she had with her parents. And she was living with her servants. She was taken care by them. Every necessary was given by her uncle, but she was still living alone in that big house. She let me live in that big house. I didn’t know how should I feel, back then. A part of my heart said that I should be happy, but as my mind had forgotten the term of ‘happiness’, I remained expressionless. They bought me luxurious clothing, giving me delicious meals everyday, even proper education. “What are they doing? What kind of profit will I give to them, if they are doing this? What are they thinking?” Is what I was thinking back then. Money was everything. Money was the one that took everything away from me, money was the one that killed my mother, money was the one that gave me no reason to live. So why? Why were they doing this even though they knew that I couldn’t give anything in return to them?

One day, Alice forced me to come out. We went to the garden, and found a bird. The bird was lying on the ground. Its wing was hurt badly. I looked at Alice, she was trembling and surprised. All of sudden, she rushed to the bird and took it in her hands. “Takku, could you bring me first-aid kit pack?” she asked me. “Why?” I said. “Why? To take care of this bird, of course.” She replied. “Why? What would you gain after taking care that bird?” Yes, I was spouting nonsense. “Ehh?” She was shocked and bewildered. “It is just a bird. Taking care of that bird wouldn’t let you gain any profit, would it? It just lost its hopes to fly. Why don’t you understand? The best thing and its last salvation is definitely to die! Why? Just like you who picked me on the ground? Why did you bring me in? Why are you letting me to live? What kind of profit would you gain?!” I shouted while looking at the ground gloomily.

*SLAP!!!*

A loud sound was roaring to the sky. I was slapped. By her small and fragile hand. Hurt. Not my cheek, nor my soul. Rather, I had an anxious feeling inside my chest. Blood was flowing a lot faster than before. My eyes were wide open. “What are you saying?!! Profit, profit, profit!! Do you think I’m only thinking about profit?!?! The world is not only about money!! I know you may have lonely past, but why are you just taking it the wrong way?!! It lost its hopes to fly?!?!! Dying is only its last salvation?!?!” She yelled at me while crying. Her voice was loud. Louder than anybody could expect coming from a little girl in front of me. Her tears were pouring down, as a rain that was falling down onto the ground. “Look at its eyes, Takumi. Even though what you’ve said is true, that it has lost its hope. Still, don’t you think that it’s still asking for someone to give it hope? Just like when I found you back then. With that lonely eyes of yours, staring at the black and starless night, full of emptiness. And I know, that you’re still begging for someone to give you hopes. That’s why, even if it has lost its hopes, is it a wrong thing to give it hopes that it’s asking for…? Is it that wrong to give someone what one needs without wanting something in return…?” She said softly. She swept her tears, and went into the house. After staring at the ground emptily, I followed her, and found her while struggling to clean the bird’s wound. “I… I brought the first-aid kit pack. Do… Do you mind if I help you taking care of the bird?” I asked her nervously. She was surprised, her mouth was opened for a while. Then, she smiled brightly and said, “Um!! I don’t mind.”

After that, I spent my days mostly with her. Playing with her, studying with her, fooling around, taking an adventure, everything. I know I was just a child back then, but still, I could feel it. The warmth she spread around the world. The brightest smile that only she could show. The joy of having my time with her. I finally obtained my smile again. The smile I had lost in that night.

“Even if it’s just a dream, I don’t want it to end.” I thought. Until the day, I woke up from those beautiful dreams.

It was rainy season. Alice was staying at the bed all the time. She said that she was okay. But, after I asked her butler, I found out that she had the same illness as her mother had that made her mother died. I didn’t know what to do. I was just visiting her room everyday, and played with her. She was smiling and laughing with joy, so I didn’t think of anything than keeping doing that.

That day was Alice’s birthday. I was outside to buy a present to her. When I was going home, “Takumi… You’re Takumi, right…?” I met my father. He just found me. He embraced me and asked me many things, such as how was I, where was I living. After telling him many things, he just said it. He asked me to live with him again. He begged me I was bewildered. I didn’t know what to feel. I just didn’t feel right. He was the one who left me, yet he’s still my father. After giving me some times to think, he left.

I went back and told Alice what happened. And how I was feeling, too. I was confused. Deep in my heart, of course I want to be with my family again. But, to think, he had done many terrible things to me.

“No, Takku. Dump that piece of crap.” She said coldly while staring at outside the window. It was raining. “Cr- But, Alice, he’s still my parent!” I tried to defend him. “Parent?! That thrash is the one who dumped you, Takku!! Why don’t you understand?!! Why are you still acting stupid until now?!?!” She shouted at me. Surprised, I threw her my tantrum. The moment… Of the biggest mistake in my life. “What?! Just because you don’t have parents anymore—!!“ “Takumi!!!” Soon, I covered my mouth with hand realizing my own foolishness. She glared at me. The coldest glare I’d ever had. “Fine, Takumi… Do as you want! Get out of here!” She shouted and turned around. I was shocked. I was bewildered. Confused. Angered. Depressed. Every little feeling was mixed up in my heart. Gloomily, I went out of the house.

Again, I wandered hopelessly around the city. It was raining. My clothing was soaked. I stumbled many times, but I got up every time I stumbled. Weird. Why did I not get up in front of that gate, back then? At an alley, I decided to take a rest with a roof of a shop became my shelter. In front of me, a beggar was sitting while trying to warm himself. With weak voice, he started to talk to me. “What are you doing here, kid?” he asked me. “I… Ran away from home…” I replied. “Get back, kid! Kids these days… You don’t know what you have until you lose it, kid! Don’t wait until you regret it!”

“—He’s right… What am I doing?!” I thought. I hadn’t even said happy birthday to her. I hadn’t even given the present I bought to her. I ran to the house and called her. “Alice!! Alice!!” But she didn’t reply me. I asked her butler, but it seemed he didn’t know, too. Every single person didn’t know where she was. I was getting impatient. She was sick, it was raining outside. I decided to go out to search for her. I ran as fast as I could, and searched all the places I could think of. And finally, I found her lying on the ground, poured by rain. “ALICE!!” I shouted her name. I came closer, and looked at her. “Ta…kumi…? I was searching for you… I’m… I’m sorry…” She said faintly while looking up at me. “I’m sorry I said those mean words.” “No!! It’s me who’s at fault! I’m sorry! I’m the one who threw mean words to you, Alice!” I said while holding her in my hands. “Still, I shouldn’t have said that, too. I, just want you to be happy. You’re the only one I have, right now. That’s why. That’s why even for a bit, I want to make you happy. I don’t want you to be sad anymore. Just like the moment I found you in that snowy night. But, now you have many sparkles inside your eyes, Takumi. The sparkles I’ve been yearning, yet I couldn’t achieve. The sparkles that make me admire you. The sparkles that are shining so bright and I couldn’t help but staring at you. I don’t want you to lose it again.” She said forcedly. “What… Are you talking about, Alice…? You said too many things a kid cannot understand.” I smiled bitterly. “Hahaha… Guess, that’s it… Live, Takumi… For the hopes I gave to you. For the first time, I may be egoist. Just, live… Give as many hopes as you can to others.” She said while giving something to me. “This… Is a marble my parents gave to me, as a memento. My parents’ and my hopes are with you, now, Takumi… Live with hopes, keep your sparkles.”

Three days later, she stopped breathing. “I still haven’t said happy birthday.” I was left hopelessly again. We had the mourning ceremony soon. There, I was staring at her photo emptily, until— I remembered something. I searched in my pocket, and I took—Two marbles. A marble she gave to me. And a marble I wanted to give to her. The marble that’s filled with her parent’s and her hopes. And the marble that’s filled with my hopes. The marble that’s proving the bond between her and her parents. And the marble that’s proving the bond between her and me.

Yes, until now, at a certain date, her birthday, I’m always holding those marbles up, and smile while saying, “Happy Birthday, Dear Alice! I’m still living and full of hopes! How about it? I… Still haven’t lost my sparkles, right?”