Mia ran fast, her feet barely touching the wet grass as light rain sprinkled around her.
"Aiden, wait!" he yelled, turning to watch her.
There she was—his 18-year-old sister—sitting in the grass, plucking tiny flowers with her delicate fingers.
"Your childhood habits never leave you," he said softly, kneeling beside her and sitting at her level.
"Aiden, just make a crown for me," she said, holding out the flowers, her eyes shining with excitement.
He carefully wove the tiny blossoms together and placed the crown on her head. She smiled, and in that moment, he felt like he could see the whole world in her eyes.
"Her age isn't meant for crowns anymore," a villager had once said. "It's time for her to find a husband."
A sudden pang of sadness crossed Aiden's face, but he quickly pushed it aside and gently adjusted the flower crown.
Happily, Mia held his hand, and together they walked back to their small house.
"Aiden!" she called suddenly.
He looked at her.
"I know you're sad," she said softly. "I will never go anywhere… I'll never leave you." She hugged him tightly.
He smiled, though a small ache lingered. "Idiot… one day, you'll have to leave, when your prince charming finds you," he said gently.
"You're the idiot, Aiden! I'm not going anywhere," she replied firmly, hugging him again.
He hugged her back, knowing deep down that one day she would leave him alone. Mia laughed and jabbered on about something, but Aiden's heart ached—without her, he didn't know how he would live.
********
After dinner, Mia began arranging her clothes when she suddenly found an old dress. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she ran to Aiden.
"See, Aiden! What I found!"
He laughed at the memory, but then his smile faltered.
"Aiden… do you remember how we used to play as kids? You would be the princess, and I would be the prince?"
She laughed so hard at the memory that Aiden couldn't help smiling too, tinged with nostalgia.
"That was childhood… why are you laughing now?" she asked mischievously.
"Aiden!!!" she exclaimed.
"What? Please… wear it one more time, just for me," she pleaded, holding out the dress.
"Mia… no. That was when we were kids, not now. I hate being a girl," he protested.
"Why don't you do it for me?" she insisted.
"No! I said no!"
"Aiden, I hate you!" she pouted.
"Okay, okay… fine. I'll just wear the crown," he relented.
Mia squealed. "Yes! Just the crown!"
Aiden went into his room and reluctantly put on the princess dress. Mia laughed uncontrollably.
"Oh my God, Aiden… you're prettier than any woman! Any man who sees you would fall!" she teased.
He tried to run, but she caught him mid-step, laughing even harder.
"Oh, my Cinderella! Your prince charming will surely find you!" she exclaimed, twirling around him.
A warmth spread through Aiden's chest—a mix of amusement, love, and quiet ache. In her laughter, in her joy, he felt his entire world. Mia was his world.
*******
The next morning, Aiden was busy working in the small fields near the village, tending to the crops with tired hands. The early sun was barely cutting through the mist, and he hummed quietly to himself, trying to shake off the unease lingering from last night's rain.
Suddenly, a villager came running, face pale and eyes wide.
"Aiden! Aiden! Your sister—she's… she's fallen!" the man shouted, almost out of breath.
Aiden froze. "What?" His heart skipped a beat. "Where is she? What happened?"
"She… she collapsed in the field. Her head… she hit the iron post badly!!" the villager gasped.
Time seemed to stop. The world around him faded. All he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Without a second thought, Aiden sprinted toward the village, tears already forming in his eyes. His legs moved as if they had a will of their own, carrying him to the field where Mia lay motionless.
"Mia!" he screamed, dropping to his knees beside her. Her small body was trembling, blood seeping from a wound on her head. "Mia! Stay with me! Please…"
The villager tried to help, but Aiden pushed him aside. Cradling her fragile form, he felt a panic he had never known before. He lifted her carefully and ran toward the nearest hospital in the city.
*********
At the hospital, doctors rushed Mia inside. Aiden paced the waiting area, every second stretching into an eternity. Finally, a doctor emerged, his expression grim.
"Sir… she needs specialized treatment. We recommend immediate admission to the city hospital. It's urgent," the doctor said.
Aiden's stomach dropped. "City… I don't have much money…"
"Sir, this is life or death," the doctor replied sternly.
**********
The ride to the city was a blur. Rain streaked the windshield, blending with Aiden's tears. When Mia was admitted, he watched helplessly as nurses and doctors rushed to her side.
He had spent all his savings—every coin he had earned in the village—just to get her admitted. And yet, as he sat in the empty waiting room, the doctor called him back in.
"Sir… we've done the scans. There's a blood clot. It's serious. She'll need surgery soon, or… we can't guarantee she'll survive."
Aiden's world shattered. Every thought, every hope he had clung to for the past 18 years, seemed to crumble around him.
The weight of desperation pressed down on him. He thought of their small home, their tiny garden, the life they had built together. He knew what he had to do.
He sold the house—everything his family had left behind—to pay for Mia's treatment. Each coin spent, each bill signed, every sacrifice cut into him like a knife.
Days passed. The money dwindled. Mia lay unconscious, fighting silently as machines beeped around her. The doctors warned him repeatedly: if the surgery didn't happen soon, she would die.
Aiden held her hand, feeling her tiny fingers weakly squeeze his. He whispered promises to her, even though he knew no promise could fix this alone.
His world—once bright with laughter and wildflowers—was now gray, cold, and suffocating.
He sat in the hospital hallway, staring at the sterile walls, wondering:
How do I save the only world I have left when I have nothing left to give?
*****************