Heartfelt Sadness

• Daya Nave , Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2022

It was a breezy and wintery day on the Mullaloo beach foreshore. I glanced up at the sky, wishing that rain would erupt to reflect the tumultuous feelings that possessed me. I missed him already. My twin brother, the heart and soul of my life. My best friend, my partner in crime and the person who I would go to for everything. Now gone. How on earth am I going to cope with this when my heart is so heavy and empty?

Flashbacks from that day hit me like a racing bullet. It was very unexpected how he passed away. He always had that shining and lustrous smile that never left his lips. However, no one knew what was going through that mysterious and mulish head of his. If only he had spoken up, if only he had gotten the help he required, I would still have him beside me today, on our 18th birthday. A silent tear slid down my cheeks, merging with the falling raindrops from the sky. The only thing left to do was to reminisce his everlasting presence.

Everything around me reminded me of him. I so vividly remember the day he passed away. I was at my friend Josh’s house when I got a disturbing call from the police saying “Hello Jaden, this is the Western Australia Police calling, unfortunately your brother has passed away. We found him on Wesley Rise an hour ago lying on the floor alone.” I remember the feeling of my heart dropping instantly. I couldn't even respond. Shortly after, according to Josh, I fainted. After I woke up, I went back home and cried for hours on Cooper’s favourite couch. Why did this have to happen to him?

Life can be so cruel and take those who you love. There's often to choice but to just move forward, and let the memory of those who passed surround you like an everlasting halo, forever part of your identity. With a heavy heart, I left the beach, only to head home to another day without him.