Accepting one's last breath
The sound resonating in my ears and forcing me awake is a creaking. Noticing the origin of the noise is Yuriko, struggling to stay alive, I press the nurse call button and help her to sit up.
“The doctor will be here soon, just hold on a little longer.”
However, as I speak these words, I realize that my sister isn’t conscious, nor is she breathing.
A doctor rapidly enters the room with her two interns, urging me to leave.
Half an hour has passed. I’m approached by the doctor that has taken care of Yuriko.
“Your sister’s lungs are no longer able to support her vital needs, she is currently on life support, “ Dr. Seki explains.
“How can you say that so easily? You talk as if you feel nothing.”
“This task can no longer be called an action but is a mere reflex to me. Still, we aren’t here to talk about what I feel.
“Without a donor, other organs will continue to fail. In her current condition, she has two days, at most.”
Unable to say anything, I return through the dark and vast halls, lacking any trace of a human being, to the room where Yuriko lies unconscious – her face covered by multiple tubes.
“How long are you going to sit there and let her life slip through your fingers?” Startled by the sudden voice, I rise from my seat.
“Whom you ask, just think of me as an entity that is neither life nor death, which can’t be described as god nor the devil, or perhaps we are the same thing.”
Standing before me is a cloaked figure – the only thing visible – his eyes glowing in a deep violet color.
“Now then, don’t you think Yuriko has suffered enough? I mean she is only six years old and is going to die of pulmonary fibrosis. Dissolving from the inside, like a weathering lily.
“And how are you going to change that in two days? If she even has that much time left.”
“How about I make you an offer? The death of another for the life of your sister?”
“Why not, I mean you won’t know the person who died anyway.”
Overwhelmed by the situation, I support myself by leaning against the wall.
“What gives you the right to take someone else’s happiness away? How can you decide that the soul of my little sister is worth more than that of another human?”
“That’s too bad, I guess that’s your answer, huh,” replied the unknown entity, preparing to vanish into nothingness.
“Yes, what is it?” the figure asked with a diabolic smile on its face.
“A thought simply allowed our paths to connect at the same time.”
“Your urge to save your loved one was equally strong as my boredom.”
“Is this a game for you? Here are real human lives on the line!”
“Yes, I find it quite amusing.
“It seems as though you aren’t willing to change your mind. Oh well, then I will use my dice on someone more desperate. Goodbye then.”
Comprehending that to this creature, I am nothing more than a pawn on a chessboard and unwilling to sacrifice someone else, I accept what I have to give – the only thing one possesses when coming to this strange realm of atmosphere – myself – while gazing upon the dying soul.
“I’m sorry Yuriko, it’s time for me to do what I was scared of, all this time. Perhaps I can no longer stand beside you, yet I can be the path, connecting you to life.”
The following morning Yuriko finds herself in the usual hospital bed – there is a long scar making itself visible on her chest.
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