Realisation

• Vaibhav Malhotra , Grade 8
• Poetry
• 2014

As any other middle class family, Percy's parents were very hard working.
He had a cheeky young brother, named Jackson that he had to take care of over the holidays, while his parents worked. Percy never shared his toys
and items with his brother and pillaged him when he needed other items.
Furthermore, they always argued and teased each other.
On the first day of the holidays, Percy contrived to have a competition to see who could run around the pool for the greatest distance. Jackson accepted the challenge, not knowing what was in store for him. He ran his little heart out, with beads of sweat forming on his smooth skin. Percy was taking his time, and when they were both side by side, Percy pushed Jackson sideways and watched him plunge into the water. "Gotcha! How did you like that! Genius right?" boasted Percy. Contrary to what he expected,
there was no body or face coming from under the water. 'Jackson! Where are you?' he screamed. Jackson had drowned. Since Percy did not know how to
swim, he called the emergency number.
Percy's thoughts clouded his mind. How would he explain to his parents when they got back? What would be his punishment? Would his brother live?
The paramedics arrived and plunged into the pool and lifted Jackson's body out. They then began CPR. Their neighbour had called his parents after seeing the paramedics at Percy's home. By then, Jackson had been revived by the paramedics and he was lying down on his bed, resting. After a few minutes, his parents arrived and Jackson's mother got him some juice and a sandwich to eat. Percy was called by his parents to their room; he folded his hands, kneeled down and sobbed, begging for forgiveness. He
ascertained he would never repeat this again, as he had realized how important his brother was in his life. His younger brother had been like his best friend, as he always played fun games like Monopoly and Percy had never felt alone while his brother was around. In addition, his brother always consoled and helped him get through the tough times.
With tears filled in his eyes, Percy ran to Jackson's room and gave him a tight hug.