Hero

The question that was hammering in Lily’s mind for the last few days was: How do you live with half of your soul?

Her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since when? Despite all her mother’s pleadings, she could not bring herself to eat something. In fact she couldn’t bring herself to do anything as she was sick and tired of this world. All of them looked at her with sorrowful eyes. Loving words was all she got; no one understood that she didn’t want those. She wanted Rose back. Rose, her twin, her best friend, her other half, had left the world four days ago. Killed in battle, Lily was sure that Rose would’ve desired a death like that. A noble and courageous death in a flame of glory. But for Lily the fact was utterly unbelievable. How could Rose die? She was so full of laughter and fun and life. She was so young but….but… she had gone to a place from where no one returned. Lily was going through a phase of life she feared most. She wasn’t afraid of Death; no, Daddy had taught them never to fear anything; nor was Rose. Lily was afraid of being left alone like this. Her worst nightmare had come true. She burst into tears once again, the question fried onto her brain: How could she live without Rose, her twin sister? How do you live with half of your soul?!

Glancing around, she tried to find a way to deal with her anguish. Grieving, she got up and started pacing around the room, trying hard not to think of Rose but the life size portrait of Rose and her, which hung in the far corner, caught her attention. Unable to bear the pain and anger, she approached the portrait and tore it off the wall. She was planning to smash it so she wouldn’t have to stare into Rose’s beautiful eyes, her eyes day in and day out but a gaping hole behind the painting stopped her from doing so.

Carefully, she placed the portrait on her bed and stepped into the opening. She felt her adventuring spirit arise. After walking a couple of feet, it grew dark, so she ignited the tip of her wand and proceeded. Seconds later, the passage ended into a door. Raising her wand to have a better look, she was taken aback to see Granddad’s name on the door. The door didn’t open but when Lily tapped it with her wand, it did.

Stepping inside, she was trying to make out which room the passage had led her to, when the lamps lit up and she was surprised that she hadn’t seen this room before. It was small and the only furniture was a wooden desk and a chair. The walls were covered with thousands of pictures and when Lily moved forward to get a better look, she found herself gazing at pictures of Rose, others and herself. There were Rose and her sitting on the top of the oak tree in the back yard, waving at the camera. And here they were standing with Harry, their older brother, at their 12th birthday, all three of them flashing identical mischievous grins.

Turning around, she found the other wall covered with photos of them and their friends at school. Among all the photos, the most striking one was of Rose and Lily, at Cousin Ben’s wedding, both of them wearing gorgeous scarlet and gold gowns. This picture hung just above the desk and dominated most of the wall.

Tears welled up again and she collapsed into the chair, trying to calm herself. This done, she turned her attention to the desk, it was old but in mint condition. It was scattered with pieces of paper and ink bottles. She combed every inch of the desk in order to find some clue about the owner of the desk.

There were a few pictures, a wilted rose and some golden jewelry which Lily recognized as Rose’s golden bracelet with a figurine of a lion dangling from it. They both had bracelets like these, a gift from Granddad who had always told them to be proud of what they were and live up to the family name. He had taught them to fear nothing but God and be brave.

“Look at the lion,” he used to say “one of the most noble and bravest creations of God. Try to be like it, valiant.”

And Lily and Rose used to nod in agreement.

Shaking her head to clear it, she returned to the present. Rummaging through the desk, suddenly she felt as if something blew past her and she smelled a familiar scent. She waited and the curious sensation returned.

“Lily?”

Lily stood up with caution, her wand raised.

“Lily?” came the voice again, oddly recognizable. No….it can’t be, she thought.

“Who are you? Reveal yourself!”

“Aww, c’mon, Lil. Gonna hex your own sister?” taunted the disembodied voice again.

“Rose? Is that you? But, but where are you? How come you’re here? You’re…you’re…...” the word ‘dead’ was stuck in Lily’s throat.

“Dead, yeah, I am. And as to where am I, turn around,” Lily said.

At this, Lily whipped around to find herself face to face with Rose. At first, she thought she was staring into a mirror but the image was a little faint. She really was gazing at her twin.

“You’re …. Back? I mean…..” stammered Lily.

“No, idiot. I’m here in spirit. Well, you see, I was given a chance to visit my family, so I came down from Heaven to you, first thing,” Rose explained.

Finally, coming to believe her, Lily rushed forward to embrace her sister. It was not like real life, it was odd hugging a ghost but still Lily could’ve burst with joy to touch her sister, once again.

Reluctantly letting go, she sat down on the floor and Rose sat cross-legged to face her.

“Now, Lily, let it all out. I’m here to hear.” She chuckled at her joke.

“Why did you leave me? Did you ever realize that getting killed would leave me to survive with half my soul?” The accusations slipped from Lily’s mouth before she could stop.

“Leave you? Leave you, Lily Aurora Black? In this mess?” Rose growled, her green eyes reduced to slits. She glared at Lily for a while, wondering how she could even blame her for this, but then her expression softened.

“Did you truly think that I’d leave you, Lil?”

“Well, yeah, you did. Here, I am, all alone, facing people. You see, I’ve been part of a pair all my life and now it’s just plain ‘me’. It’s just ‘I’ and ‘me’, instead of the usual ‘us’ and ‘me’, “said Lily in a pained voice.

“You’re not alone. For Heaven’s sake, Lily, stop talking about being alone! Since the day I died, did you ever stop thinking about me?” asked Rose.

“No,” admitted Lily, eyes brimming.

“There you go, you idiot! You say yourself that I didn’t leave you. The fact that you think about me every single moment, remember me, means I haven’t left. I live on in your heart, Lily,” Rose stated dramatically

Seeing Lily wouldn’t be able to talk for a while, she continued.

“Why are you crying? We won the battle, didn’t we? They’re killed. They aren’t coming back to haunt us. I thought that was what you wanted, to triumph over the enemy, to rid this world of evil, so that others could live a peaceful life?”

“Yeah, I did want this world, I do. A world filled with laughter and love. But I never imagined you wouldn’t be here to enjoy it.”

“But I do, Lily, I do. Do you seriously think that I, Rose Ginevra Black, sister of Lily, daughter of James, people who believe in enjoying the world because life is too short; would ever let go of a chance to enjoy myself? Each time a person is happy on Earth, it fills Heaven and its inhabitants with happiness too, because we played our part in creating this happy world.”

Taking a deep breath, she posed a question.

“OK, look around you, not in the house, but at others. They are celebrating. Some are in sorrow, yes, but they are celebrating, aren’t they?”

“I suppose so,” said Lily hesitantly.

“That just means I died for something good. And if you went on crying like this would it be right? C’mon, Lily, don’t disappoint me. Remember what Granddad taught us. We’re supposed to be brave.”

“But you were so young, you shouldn’t have gone!” cried Lily.

“Simply, it was my time. When I look down to see that children will be growing up in a world free of fear, I radiate with joy. They won’t have to live like us, constantly living with the terror of being hunted down. I feel proud because I helped shape the current world. Don’t you see, Lily, this was worth fighting for. This was worth dying for!” Rose said her eyes wide.

“It will be hard to adjust now,” Lily whispered, voicing her fear.

“As I told you, you fool; I am always there for you. You. Won’t. Be. Alone.” she said firmly, emphasizing each word. “You remember what our mission was, Lily?”

Lily nodded.

“We vowed that we would try to rid the world of its despair and fill it with happiness and fun.”

Again, she nodded.

“So?”

“So what?” asked Lily.

“Aren’t you gonna do that? You will, won’t you? So wipe away those tears and get up. We’ve just emerged from war, the world could do with some laughs, lighten the mood, you know,” said Rose.

“But everyone will be busy rebuilding the world. How on Earth am I supposed to make them laugh?” questioned Lily.

“Making the world laugh does NOT mean that you go around tickling everyone. Go talk to someone, help them lessen their burden. Help someone cross the street. Tell a joke. Play a harmless prank. Do stuff like that, start with a smile. I guarantee you that these small gestures will go a long way. And oh, you could write a joke book, one describing some good tricks, it’ll be a hit, we’ll have a new generation of troublemakers ready to cheer everyone up! But make sure you put my name in the book too,” Rose went on, talking more to herself than to Lily.

“Are you sure?” said Lily standing up, encouraged.

“Yeah, I am,” she murmured, gazing at the ceiling.

Lily scrutinized Rose’s expression and knew what was going on.

“You have to go back up there, right?” scowled Lily.

With a sad smile, Rose nodded.

Sighing, Lily said lovingly,

“You’ll be with me always?”

“Yeah, always,” affirmed Rose.

“Promise?” asked Lily.

“Promise” Rose pledged and Lily believed her. They never lied to each other.

For a moment, which seemed like eternity, they gazed longingly at each other.

“And, oh yeah, what is this room, Rose?

“Oh, I just found it the day before the battle. I didn’t get the chance to tell you. It was Granddad’s, I guess. He probably had it built to hide when Gran would be in one of her towering tempers,” Rose chortled.

Smiling, Lily walked to the door, when Rose called. Lily turned around to see her growing fainter.

“Lily, tell Harry to open the 2nd drawer on his dresser. He’ll be surprised.”

“Why?”

“We put maggots in there, remember?”

“Oh yeah!” smiled Lily.

“And Lily, if you ever get a sudden idea to play a trick on someone, remember it’ll be me in your heart,” sniggered Rose.

“In my heart, sure,” smirked Lily.

As she left the room, like a movie, the moments with Rose flashed in her mind. Walking towards that led to the garden, Lily came out into the open and plopped down onto the cool grass.

The sky twinkled with stars and a gentle breeze blew through her hair, blowing a strand of blue hair into her face. She delightedly reminisced the event that had caused this.

They were 10 and the whole family had gathered at the house for Christmas. Rose and Lily had put Hair-Color Changing Potion into the tomato soup, which they both disliked. Rose and she had rolled over laughing when everyone’s hair turned into a vivid shade of blue. The look on each dumbstruck face was hilarious! What Rose and she hadn’t known was that while making the potion, they had accidentally added a few drops of Everlasting potion, because of which, to date, everyone in the family had wisps of blue hair. The cobalt blue streaks in the Blacks’ hair were famous. Lily had also taken a picture which now hung in a large gilded frame in the drawing room. Even after 10 years, when all of them gathered for Christmas, everyone made sure that they were sporting a crown of blue hair.

She closed her eyes and could not help smiling at the memory of her sister. She would make sure the tradition was carried on. Rose is truly great, she thought. Even in death, she made sure she was unforgettable.

Suddenly a terrific idea struck her mind. She would go put extra spicy chili powder in Harry’s soup tonight. He would be furious. The breeze blew again, rustling the leaves, and Lily heard Rose’s special tinkling laugh.

Putting a hand over her heart and looking up to the heavens, she whispered, “That’s definitely going to infuriate him. He will go MAD! Thanks Rose!”

Walking back to the house, Lily started planning on how she would get back to work tomorrow. She seriously considered about the joke book. It will be best Christmas gift, she thought. Someday I’ll give it to my children, nieces and nephews, and tell them how wonderful their Aunt Rose was, Lily imagined.

Later that night, she had a dream about God whispering something to her. She smiled in her sleep.

The next day, she was invited to say something at a memorial service for the fallen warriors. She went up to the stage and started,

“Rose was the best person you could ever imagine. A loving sister, a good daughter too. She was not only my twin sister but also my best friend and my guide. I remember how we loved to play tricks on everyone, though we never meant any harm. Her mission in life was to liven up this world. She wanted to fill it up with love. Love, she said, conquered all. Today, I just want to say ‘Rose Black, you will be loved in this world, forever and always. You will be in my heart.”

And Lily could clearly hear the thunderous applause as she declared what God had told her in her dream last night.

“She only left Earth because Heaven needed a hero. A hero like Rose.”





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P.S. If you liked this, please review and just to ease my damn conscience, the last sentence is not mine, I picked it up from somewhere.I hope the owner allows me to use it.Enjoy, though!