Silence

  Silence pleasured Marilyn all the time. When there was noise around her, she would shift to a quite place. However, on usual lazy days, she would spend her day at the cemetery near her house. The place was deserted and is less likely to see anyone there. The relatives of the dead were just too busy to visit them, only one or two, but that’s rare. Marilyn never really had friends due to her weird personalities and liking. Until one day, everything changed.

  On a Saturday evening, she sat near the tombstone of her late grandfather’s as usual. She was the favorite of her grandfather and they spent the most time together. His death was a big shock of her life as he was her only friend and family.

  Sitting alone, she scribbles on her notes like she always does. While she was deep in her scribbles, suddenly a twig nearby cracked in a distance away from her. She ignored it, thinking it might be a squirrel. Few moments later, the same sound happened again and it’s closer this time. Out of curiosity, she stood up and began pacing slowly towards it. When she reached to where the sound came from, there wasn’t any living creature nearby. Everything seems normal and usual that she begin to think that she was just imagining stuff.

  Turning her back, something suddenly caught hold of her ankle. She gasped and was about to let out a scream until she saw someone lying on the ground. A young man was groaning in pain while his hand grabbed hold on her. Without hesitant, she quickly lend a hand and helped him up. There, she saw his face, although it’s covered in dirt and bruises, she can clearly see his feature. He had crystal blue eyes with brownish yellow hair. Despite his dirty appearance, she could say that he was quite a good-looking man. Scanning the weak guy, she found out that his arm was injured badly. Apparently he was shoot and it’s bleeding heavily. Immediately she took out her handkerchief to stop the bleeding. He thanked her with a weak smile.

  As he was weakened by the blood loss, Marilyn lent her strength and gently placed him near the tombstone for support. He was told to rest while she went to get some food supplies for him. He did as he was told.

  After a while, he woke up. It seems that he fall asleep with he was leaning against the stone. Marilyn sat beside him all the time, nursing his wound and gave him food. She did more than she needed to, for that he thanked her again. Seeing her kindness, he was really grateful that someone like her would aid him despite being in such a deserted place.

  As the sky was getting darker and the night starts to fall, she offered him a place to stay. Instead, he denied her and said that he prefers to stay here in the cemetery. She pleaded him many times and even told him that this place is dangerous at night, still he doesn’t seem bothered by that. Feeling helpless, she could only respect his decision and leave her warm sweater for him. As she made her way home, the young man could only look at her back and thanked her again silently.

  That night became long as she kept on thinking about him. She knew he was weak and he couldn’t protect himself if anything were set to happen. She turned her head towards the alarm clock by her bedside and the needles pointed one in the morning. She knew she had to wait until the sun is up but somehow the long hours seem like years to come. She looked out the window and looked at the cemetery’s direction, everything seems the same. Despite that, she doesn’t feel assured and she was so convinced to visit him again. Given in to her patience, she grabbed her sweater and began her trip to her destination.

  Walking towards the cemetery at night was not something she does. Thus, it looked scary and it was unusually quite, even for her. The night was unnaturally cold for a summer night and the fog got denser as she makes her step. Feeling unpleasant, she quickens her pace to check on the boy.

  Just before she reaches, she saw a light flickering in a distance. Determine to her concern, she ignored it and walked even faster. However, the closer she walked towards it, a figure came into a view. Feeling insecure, she immediately hid behind a few tombs away.

  She stared at the figure in disbelief. It was the young man she saved earlier in the afternoon. Although she isn’t superstitious, she had a feeling that he wasn’t from earth but from the other world. Without realizing, she experienced a supernatural event. He seems to be fading away as he walked towards the light. Just before he leaves, he turned and his eyes meet Marilyn’s.

  “Thank you for everything. You did great and don’t worry. Just be friendly. I know you will have a bright future, Marilyn” He said just before disappear for eternal.

  The next day, she had a high fever however the event last night still vividly runs in her mind. Still remembering his last words and voice, he seems familiar and closer than she thought he would. When her curiosity overwhelmed her, she searched through the old photo album and found out that he looked exactly like her grandfather during his younger days.

  Looking at the picture, tears flow down her cheek. She felt safe and happy that her beloved grandfather will always be watching her from above. She was lucky that she get to see him for the last time again. For that, she thanked her need of “silence”, as if wasn’t for that, she wouldn’t see him again.

The Homework

  Homework is the work given by the teachers to their students to test their understandability. As it said, my English teacher once gave us an essay to write. The essay was about the person you loved most. She gave us the duration of two weeks for us to think whom that will be your most loved one. It sounds easy but yet hard.

  Sitting in front of my desk with a blank paper on it. The light of the table lamp shone brightly on it. My mind was blank. I’m not sure about the people I loved the most.

  Tick tock, tick tock, the time kept ticking away it’s minutes. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall before me, it’s half past twelve. I should be getting to bed by now. I knew I had two weeks but I wanted to hand in as soon as possible. I’m usually the type that passes the work earliest; I’m kind of the teacher’s pet, that’s why.

  “Come on, think brain, think!”, I try to forced myself to think of a sentence, even if it’s just a line. A few minutes passed, my mind is still searching for an answer.

  “Why is it so hard?” I asked myself. “It’s only an essay. I’ll just need to write about someone who’s closest to me. It’s not that difficult.”

  After reassuring myself, I grabbed my pen and start to write. However, my hand disobeyed me. It wouldn’t write. I wanted to write something. I had to! Waiting for a full 10 minutes, I threw in the towel and went straight to bed. That night, all I dreamt was to finish the essay.

  The next day, most of my friends have started and some of them even finished it. They wrote about their parents, lovers or even their teachers. I felt more stressed out. Why? I’m always the early bird to finish my work! Many did asked about my essay but I couldn’t help it but to said that I was near finishing it. Somehow I felt this was the hardest title I ever got in my entire life. Compare to them, I didn’t really experience the loving parents by my sides all the time.

  My father left my mother and I when I was barely a month. He had brain cancer and the doctors couldn’t do anything to save him due to the insufficient budget they had. My mother had to work hard day and night for our sake of living, leaving me alone at home most of the time. Sometimes I even wondered if she ever came back from home. I hardly get in touch with her but only once a week or two, I could only see her once. She doesn’t call from work nor she has a hand phone. For that, I felt as if I was living alone.

  After having my microwave dinner, I sat at the very same spot the day before. Still looking at the clean sheet of paper on my desk, I got frustrated. I stared out the window, enjoy the scene instead and try to relax my mind.

  Out of sudden, I saw a dark figure creeping at the corner of the roadside. That person was wearing a mask with only holes for his eyes. At the back of him, there was a huge bulky bag. Instantly I knew that he was a robber. I recalled that there was news about a murderous robber nearby. Not only does he robber houses, he also kill its victim to not leave any evidence. Nobody knew why would he do that, as he could escape by just robbing. The robber came closer to a view and that’s when I realized he’s going to robbing my house next. Quickly I ran for the doors and locked it. I then switched off every light and start hiding in a corner of the living room. Holding a knife by my side, I stayed silent, hoping that the robber wouldn’t come in.

  The only thing that concerns me the most is my mother. I wanted her to be here by my side and she should be here by now. I was so scared and I didn’t want to be home alone at this time. I let out a soft cry, wishing that everything were just a dream.

  Dum….Dum…. Dum… Someone was banging the door. Could it be him?  A robber wouldn’t want to make such noise if they were to rob a house. I pretended that nothing is happening and I kept telling myself that everything is going to be all right. After a while, I heard as if the robber has finally broken into my house. I quickly find shelter, however he found me. I was so afraid that I started running from him. Since he was bigger and has longer legs, he caught up to me and hit me unconscious. Everything went blank; I could assume that I was dead, knowing that was the wanted robber that everybody was talking about.

  The bright sunlight penetrates through my eyes lids and I slowly opened my eyes. With a light effort, I pushed myself up and looked around. I was alive and there were no other sign of bruise on me besides the huge bum on my head. I looked out the window and the sun was already high in the sky. I must have blank out the night before. I couldn’t remember hearing anything after I was knocked out, however the house didn’t seem to be robbed. Only the door was open widely. The clock on the wall told me that it was already ten in the morning.

  “Oh my god…. I missed school!” And then I remembered my homework. There are still five days to go but not a single word written. Well, maybe I was too stressed about it. So I just left I blank again. Putting it aside, I did my other homework. Despite what had happened the night before, I still do my best in my work. That’s is because that’s the only way I could support my mother is by study hard.

  It’s ten minutes past twelve; I still haven’t heard anything from mum. It’s past a week now. Usually, she would be home at this day and she did promised me that she would that a day off today. Today is an important day for the both of us, the anniversary death of my father. We would always visit his grave after my school hours and she would prepare at home. So I sat on the couch, waiting for her arrival. For quite sometimes, I knew that it’s not usual for her to break her promise on this day. I knew the both of us is not very close, even so, she would come back by now. I put my knees closer to my chest, I hoping that she was all right. After the night has fall and the room became pitch black, I realized that I should be returning to my room instead.

 Ring…. My hand searched for the alarm clock and deactivates it. It’s time for school. I do my usual things and started walking out the door. As soon as I stepped out into the porch, a decay stench stings my sensitive noise. “Ew... What’s that smell?”, I thought while pinching my nose. Out of curiosity, I followed the smell. As I got deeper into my backyard, the stench got stronger and stronger. Just below my feet were crimson strains, near the fences too. My heart pumps faster and sweat slowly rolled down my face. I didn’t like the feeling, the feeling of lost. Afraid of what I’m feeling and whatever it might be, I tiptoe my way with my hand covering my nose.

  Then, I saw it, the source of the decaying air. On the ground, just a few meters away from me, lays a body, a dead body. I let out a scream at the top of my lungs when I saw the familiar face of my mother. Blood came out of her mouth and stomach. Her eyes were gentle and a soft smile was portrait, it was as if she knew she was dying. Her body was lying in a pool of blood. “This can’t be happening!” Those words kept ringing in my head. The neighbors heard my scream and rushed by my side. One of them called the ambulance and the police. Mrs Ming, a friendly neighbor, held on to me when she saw I was weakened by the shocking facts.

  Seeing her wounds, I suddenly recalled the day before when the robbers broke into my house, after I was hit. I remembered I heard a faint voice of my mother, asking the robber to leave me alone and she hit him. He chases her out of the house and that was the last I heard of before completely unconscious. My mom saved me from being his victim and lured him out of the house. It was my fault that my mom died. Mrs Ming calmed me down as I was crying my eyes out as I realized the truth. She felt pity for me and offered a place to sleepover. Since the death was a huge blow to me, I was too shaken to decline her offer.

  The police came by and told me that the robber was badly injured and thanks to that they manage to capture him. He said that my mother’s bravery helped them and they couldn’t thank you enough. The robber was captured and the case of the robbery never happened again. Even if my mom did help the society, I couldn’t care less, I want her by my side. I missed her and I felt sorry for not helping her when she needed me the most.  As an honor, they paid for her funeral and my school fees. Even so, I felt so lost and nothing could cheer me except for my mother’s revival.

  That dreadful night, the essay given to me became easier as I realized that the person I loved most was my mother. I wrote as much as I could. I want to let the world know that she’s the best mother worldwide and I really loved her. Although she was never there in person, she was always supporting me from the back. I just didn’t bother to know every single detail she did for me. She cooked for me, washed my clothes, and gave me pocket money into my purse when I was sleeping, she even asked Mrs Ming to watch over me. Why? Why didn’t I know of this before?

  When the time of handing in the homework, I volunteered to read mine out loud. I wrote every single detail of what she used to do for me. She was always there for me, even when I wasn’t looking. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even be standing here right now.

  Ending my essay, the class starts cheering and clapped their hands. It was the best story they ever heard. They didn’t know it really happened or was it just a fiction to make my mum sounds cool. They begin realized it wasn’t the latter when a clear droplet rolled down my cheek like a river. I knew I would never see her again but she will always be in my heart.

  The homework remained framed in my room to remind me of those days she was with me. I will never forget her deeds ever because she’s the person I loved most in my entire life.