Story Contest 2018 #1 Results » Highly Commended - Love and Sacrifice

Bhavik Goplani, UAE

“Love and Sacrifice” by Bhavik Goplani, UAE, is the Highly Commended story in the senior category of the first biannual Short Story Contest 2018.

Love and Sacrifice

It was a winter morning in Bergen, Norway, and Agatha Williams set off for a fresh start on a new morn of 20 July, 1991, Saturday, as on weekends she often went to her favorite coffee shop, ‘Blom’. It was one of the finest cafés in the city.

She went to the café and shop attendant and said, “One freshly brewed coffee please.”

The attendant replied, “Sure Ma’am. Thank you!”

The attendant brought the coffee for Agatha, but she found something strange with the coffee, something quite unusual. She saw the same thing on the glass of the window of her house this morning. It was written “Come back HOME”. Agatha was shaken to see the same words again and said to herself, “This cannot be a coincidence, I need to go. She is waiting for me” and left the café immediately. She knew what those words meant and rushed home to pack her bags to leave for Oslo.

Agatha reached Oslo after six tiring hours. The taxi driver left her at a neighborhood named Majorstuen. She had absolutely no idea of this place but then as she walked further, she could see a few houses. The second house on that street seemed quite familiar to her and she went closer to the gate. The house seemed quite dusty and old. The paint had weathered and the roof had deteriorated. Agatha pushed the gate and it opened with a loud creek.

Agatha approached the door and found that it slightly ajar. She slowly opened the door and stood in shock as she saw something, quite bright which scared her stiff. She stood there and went completely numb.

It was a winter morning in the woods, near Oslo, Norway. The temperature was quite low and it was a snowy day. Agatha was with me, her sister Mary cherishing the most beautiful moments of our lives together. I still remember when Agatha asked me, “Dear sister, why don’t you make succulent meat on such a wonderful morn?” I couldn’t disagree with her and readily replied, “Sure, why not.” I was a chef and a batch of yummy cookies along with mouthwatering meat was just the right thing we needed, to add flavor to our meal, after all I couldn’t break my lovely sister’s heart. We went for skating, built a little snowman and also played with snow. We enjoyed these moments and after all, life is just a moment, it depends on you how you take that moment.

Agatha was ten years old and I was twenty. Our age difference forced me not to tell her about my condition. I faced difficulties in life but then difficulties in life are meant to make us better, not bitter. My little sister’s smile gave me that positivity, that light; her happiness became the reason of my happiness.

It was July 20, 1980, when Agatha was 9 years old. On her way back to Oslo from a school trip, she met with an accident where she was bleeding tremendously. I rushed to the hospital where the doctors lost all hope and said, “We are sorry, she has kidney failure. A person who is willing to donate a kidney only can save her life.” I willingly donated my kidney to her and the doctors were successful with the kidney transplant. I couldn’t see her dying in front of me as no sister should ever see her younger one dying. Agatha needed rest and became fine after a few weeks. From that day I decided that I shall live for her and give all the bliss to her as there would be no one to live those wonderful moments of life with her again.

Agatha came back to her senses and slowly gained consciousness. She couldn’t see anything clearly as something quite bright had blurred her vision. It was beautiful, magnificent and divine. It was me, my soul waiting for ten years. Agatha was surprised, yet and asked me, “Why did you leave me alone?” and I said, “I waited for ten years to tell you my dear sister, what happened on the day of 20 July.” I told her how my body became susceptible to incurable diseases and about the hardships I had to face. Agatha had tears in her eyes as she could comprehend my great sacrifice for her. She realized that my love for her had become more important than my own life.

It was this day 20 July, 1991, when I attained peace and divinity. Agatha was close to my heart and shall always be my same ten-year-old lovely sister.

Wonderful moments of life, aren’t they? I understood that life is like a river, it can be calm or fierce but at the end it is always beautiful.

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