Cecilia Claire Widjaja (Narrative Writing), Secondary 1
My name is Miguel Dores. I recently moved to America when everything went wrong. I was on my way home from school camp when I had an uneasy feeling. The thing was: I had no idea why.
I had made many friends during the camp. The front pocket of my bag was bloated with farewell letters and thoughtful trinkets I had gotten from them on the last day. I was never lonely, but it felt like I was being appreciated for the first time.
I smiled to myself; I want to cherish these memories forever.
Still, I wanted to go home quickly that day. I wanted to rush, burst open the door, as if I feared of losing something. But nothing bad could happen, right?
I couldn’t be more wrong.
As I stepped onto our front porch, birds chirped innocently in the fresh air. Was I just being paranoid? Maybe. I knocked on the door.
“Mom! Dad! I’m home!”
No sound…suspicious. I would usually hear a row of laughter, or swift footsteps behind the door. My stomach continued to churn with worry.
I was waiting when my mother opened the door.
“Hey, Miguel! How was school camp? Did you have fun?”
“Yes, mum!” I replied.
“Where are Sam and Samantha?” I asked. No wonder it was so quiet! My twin siblings weren’t here!
“Who, sweetie?” my mother asked, voice faltering – she was quivering for some reason.
“My siblings, mum!” I pressed on, wide-eyed.
“Sweetie, you don’t have siblings, what are you talking about?” She raised a nervous, yet puzzled eyebrow.
Her words struck like thunder. I looked around, clueless and beginning to think that I stepped in the wrong house – or perhaps, that these were not my parents at all.
My family pictures lined along the walls were just me and my parents, but no siblings! But how could this happen? I had siblings for more than half my life! How could they just disappear?
Fear and disbelief erupted in my heart. I ran up to my room, endless thoughts running through my head. My mum came chasing after me.
As I ran, the floorboards struck the same way under my feet, the same ones that I once sped through along with Sam and Samantha. I don’t understand!
My mother explained, words echoing throughout the wooden hallways, that I NEVER had any siblings!
“You just imagined them!” she breathed out, exasperated.
My dad, who had just come home from work, scrambled confusedly with her soon after.
“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” I heard his voice behind her. I could not believe them. They were always swamped with work, maybe their weary minds got memories jumbled.
The only people I could trust were Sam and Samantha because they’ve always been with me and cared for me!
But when I reached my bedroom, bursting the door open, it was empty. No sign of them. Reality then dawned on me as I stared at this shell of a lively bedroom.
My parents were just too busy with work that I was very lonely. I had a hard time making friends too. This was just my way of coping up with loneliness. The school camp breathed my senses back to me.
“I just wanted this room to be full of warmth forever.”
I croaked through tears as I turned to my parents, who covered their mouths in shock at their child that they ignored and haven’t had enough time to spend with.
Upon realizing this, they both apologized to me and we spent much more time together.
I am now an adult and I laugh about this memory every time I remember it. I think spending time with your children is very important and every child should get the attention they deserve.