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Sophie's Stars

A tragedy

By Stephy DoePublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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The stars shone extra brightly that night. Sophie stared in wonder out her bedroom window. The glass was nearly completely transparent from her mom cleaning it earlier as a treat. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the eerie sudden hooting of an owl. Man, I love this place!

"We better go to sleep" whispered across the room as an almost disembodied voice. Andrew had called from his bed in the bedroom, but had crept up alongside Sophie after talking. They were nearly identical except Sophie had light green eyes and Andrew had dark brown eyes. You knew they were siblings even if you just saw their shadows. He grabbed Sophie's hand and led her to her bed. He tucked her in before settling into his own bed. There was a wooden desk between their beds.

The window was positioned above the desk. Sophie would climb on top the desk frequently to get a good look at the stars outside. The curtains were unusually thin as the morning light woke them both up before even the neighbor's rooster began it's cawing. Some days, however, Sophie would get lost in a deep slumber. Their Mom just ignored her episodes. She told Andrew that his sister was just growing rapidly.

Today was another day of her episodes. Andrew lightly shook Sophie's tiny body. "Sophs, Sophie, SOPHIA!" He cradled her head with his arms and still called her name for around ten more minutes. The door had opened during his shouting. Their Mom had placed a hand on his shoulder and led him out the bedroom.

"Is Sophie going to be okay?" he held onto his mom's hand. They had been twins. He had been born a few minutes before Sophie. He had witnessed over the years Sophie's declining health that never seemed to improve. Wise beyond his early years, he was always trying to ensure Sophie never got too tired.

Twins had a sense about each other. He could feel her anxiety about not being able to wake, that hopeless despair of being trapped in a dreamless state. She never talked to him about what happened. She couldn't burden him with those terrors.

Sophie remained paralyzed. Her dreams had shifted from the lights of the stars to being chased by the demon again. She knew that her brain was dying. Her Mom had had the decency to let her know that she wouldn't survive long.

She could hear Andrew screaming and crying, but she couldn't escape. She didn't have the courage to break his heart. No, Mom could tell him after she was gone. It was enough she knew that he felt her extreme fatigue over the simplest things. It was enough he got frustrated that she didn't do many chores. It was enough that she knew she was weak.

Andrew would come linger over her lifeless body. He would count her breaths and it calmed her knowing she was still breathing. Only a few more weeks. He would hold her hand as the demon planted itself firmly in her chest.

Days passed this time without Sophie waking. I'm not ready yet. The doctor was called and Andrew was hushed out to play. He sat by the window intent on finding out what was wrong with her.

"It's getting near that time. We need to discuss life support."

"No."

"If she is still not awake tomorrow, she needs a scan. You knew carrying them full term meant one might not--" Mom had seen Andrew and motioned for the doctor to be quiet. He didn't miss a beat.

"I know. One may not have such devastating growth spurts that knock poor Sophie out for days at a time. Twins are not always completely alike."

"We should scan her to see where her growth spurt is focusing so we can give medicine to help." The doctor's car lingered in the driveway as Andrew looked busy beating a stick into the ground as a makeshift goal. Sophie never could play outside long. He quickly set up another goal then started kicking the old battered ball.

There was no one to play with him so he quickly grew tired of the makeshift goals. He uprooted the sticks and placed them sporadically around the yard. He kicked the ball around the sticks. The bell rang near the patio to signify lunch time. He washed up with a hose outside then made his way to the backyard table.

Sophie groaned and grimaced as the pain spread to her limbs. Not now, I need to wake up! She began coughing fiercely as the demon sat on her legs and held her arms down. She managed to open her eyes for a few seconds. Help me! The pain set fire to her body and she was unable to escape the darkness that invaded her vision.

The day slipped by again before she could escape it. The demon held tightly to her refusing to budge. The dreams became scarier. Being held under water, being set on fire, darkness and darkness everywhere. She was trapped. Who knows how much time passed?

"Help me" feet shuffled by her side. "Please help me" she begged in an almost silent whisper. It wouldn't stop the pain coming in stages. Numbing, burning, stabbing, dull, sharp, just unreal. Her back ached non stop. She could barely register that she was moved. I can't do this.

"Andrew, come help me buckle your sister in." Mom had opted a few years back to put Sophie in a high back booster seat again for her frail health. Andrew happily obliged and kissed Sophie's head before shutting the car door. He could see Mom holding back tears. "I'll be back in a few hours. Just going run some tests. I'll call Uncle Joe if it takes longer. Make sandwiches if you get hungry."

The twins were 10 years old, but Sophie's body was that of a 5 year old. She weighed maybe 35 pounds and was not even 3 feet tall. Andrew was about 60 pounds and closer to 4 and a half feet tall. He knew Sophie was very sick. It's why he helped her climb on the desk at night to look outside. Sophie never knew he guided her up she didn't register his hands over her legs or his arms steadying her climb.

Andrew turned on the computer he was not suppose to ever touch. Search: Multiple Schelerosis. He blinked through tears at the web browser history. Search: terminal brain illnesses, Search: doctor assisted suicide, Search: what's life support? His sister was dying?! It suddenly all made sense. A dreary feeling settled on his heart as he remembered over hearing his mom talk.

"Her face has dropped more. I don't know what to do. Can I take her out in public like that? What if she has an accident? Will she be made fun of? She can't control herself."

Andrew remembered his anger when she wet herself in front of his friends. He remembered them mocking how she walked or that her arm just hung to her side oddly. "Quit it!" he had yelled at his 'friends'. He was so angry they never were allowed back to the house again.

Sophie cried to him that what they said had hurt her. She never wanted to tell him about why she went see that strange doctor with the huge glasses. Their Mom said it was because she couldn't gain weight. They had tried all these supplements, powders that tasted of bad milk, but nothing seemed to work.

Andrew loaded the web pages one by one. At the end, he realized it had become night. After fixing a sandwich and eating he climbed on the desk in their bedroom and looked at the stars. "I wish you could see the stars tonight Sophie. They are so beautiful like you..."

The door opened to the house just as Andrew was getting into bed. The sounds of sobbing filled the air, but Andrew climbed into bed. Mom opened the door, “Sophie’s not coming home tonight…”

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About the Creator

Stephy Doe

I write fiction. I want to draw you into a story to the point that you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next....

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