It was a peaceful night. The scarlet moon, lonely in the midnight sky, shone through the fog. A relatively tall man sat on a chair near a small loft bed. His eyes were closed, as if he was in a deep prayer. The young man who laid in the bed, looked a little bit deprived of food and water. His skin already slightly shriveled. The bed sheet looked as if it was in the same position for a few days.
Dexter, the young man stood up from his chair and looked at Silas with worry. He leaned onto the bed frame and whispered something into Silas' ear. After lingering like this for a few seconds, he put a hand onto the other side of Silas' head and pushed him into his embrace. Now, head to head, Dex stayed like this for another few seconds. He was about to stand up, when he said something that nearly broke his heart.
"If you don't wake up untill tomorrow... The doctor said you had no possibility to wake up ever again." Dex said, hoping to get some response. But as he already suspected, it was for naught. There was no reaction, not one single indicator that he was still alive, other than his heartbeat and breath.
As Dex slowly walked to his bed, he said one last good night to his brother. 'Maybe it was the last time I can wish him a good night... forever.'
So Dex, having one tear run down his cheek, fell asleep. His last thought before falling asleep. No, not a thought. A wish. Was that Silas would wake up tomorrow. With more tears following the first, he fell into a deep, depressive slumber.
***
Dex slowly opened his eyes, his first thought of the day was dedicated to his brother, the same way as the last was.
Deeply scared about what he was about to witness, Dex put his blanket to the side and stood up. He took a shaky breath into his lungs and stepped toward his beloved brother's bed. Then one more.
Standing in front of the place he saw his brother the last time he was awake, Dex raised his shaking hand and pulled the blanket off Silas' face, hoping, he would find his brother breathing.
A little bit more relaxed, but still not exactly at ease, Dex checked Silas' breath and heartbeat after seeing that his life wasn't pulled out of him yet.
Dex suddenly knelt in front of the bed, his brother was supposed to take his last breaths today.
"If there is someone... anyone listening to me right now. Any god or healer or anyone at all. Please safe my brother's life. I'm begging you."
Dex wimpered. He waited for a few seconds, hoping to hear something, anything. But then, the patience and hope left him. He stood up, took one last glance at Silas and was about to leave, when suddenly, he saw Silas' eye twitching.
Dex looked up to the ceiling. 'Please, I can't take it anymore, don't fool me.' Thinking his mind played tricks on him, Dex turned around and headed for the door. Holding back another tear, he walked steadily. 'I need to be strong now, if Silas truly is...' He didn't even dare to think the words. 'Mom and Sorelle will need me.'
He grabbed the door handle and paused. Waiting for a "Dex, good morning." in a neutral tone as he was used to. Or a grumpy sound of a tired brother who hates to stand up early.
But that never came. So he left.
Sorelle and Elira looked at him, hope written all over their faces. But Dex just walked past them shaking his head. There was nothing he could, would, or wanted to say. So he just left for work.
Being outside the door, he looked upward again, as if a star would suddenly fall from the sky that had the "cure" for Silas inside of it. But of course, something like that never happened.
***
Dex had many memories, running through his mind while he walked home slowly.
Silas running around with a girl of his age that Dex couldn't really remember that well.
'He must have been about ten back then. He was such an innocent child. There was that one time, he helped up the girl after falling down. She cried like a baby back then and
Silas took her home. He comforted her after she had hurt her knee.
Sorelle always loved to watch and care for Silas and whoever was with him then. She showed them the places we played at when we were that age.
To be honest, I think that one girl was his only friend. I couldn't remember one single other friend of his. He was very sad after she left some time ago...
When was that? Maybe a year ago? Yea that's about right. He was always so... distant after that. As if a part of him wasn't there. When I talked to him, he was always a little bit absent-minded. Not at all as it once was.
But that changed some time ago. Right! It was the day after he went to sneak around with that girlfriend of his.
That was the first time his smile and laugh was sincere for a long time. And then...' Putting that thought to the side, he went back to previous memories.
'That girl though. I can't really remember her. She spent a lot of time at our place, so I should really know her. Have I met her parents once? Oh, right I think she had two brothers and a sister. But I can't remember their faces for some reason. It's like a watercolor painting were the faces were wished away.'
Suddenly feeling a little dizzy, Dex grabbed his forehead in pain.
'Urgh. I guess the worry about Silas is really taking a toll on me.'
'The last time I talked to Silas, he was actually very happy. Silas told me not tell mom and sis though, because he wanted to make them feel regret about making him dance for such a long time.
"It was very funny." he exclaimed afterwards in our room. I can vividly remember looking at him while he slept as I went to bed. There was even a slight smile, adorning his face.'
Dex sighed sadly. "Everything will be alright in the end. My brother would never leave his family alone because of something as miniscule as a sickness."
He continued home, many more memories of his brother surfacing in his mind. But Dex wouldn't cry. He couldn't. He wouldn't dare showing such a big amount of weakness on his face, even in this rural place where everyone knew everyone. Or maybe exactly that was the reason. He couldn't also bear the pitying glances of others too.
'Having to...' And now, he finally said it. '... handle his brother being dead. All because I let him go around losely. I shouldn't have given him that much freedom. '