Broken Promise

“… and that right there is our brightest star. Do you remember what its designation is, sunshine?” a gentle male voice drifted over the still lake.

“Uhm, was it Suhail?” the voice of a younger boy answered, though it was more a question than an answer.

“That’s right! Well done and should you ever get lost you can find your way home with it.”

“Can I go and touch it one day? It looks so warm,” bright laughter followed the younger’s question.

“Sunshine you can’t touch stars but you can fly among them and one day we’ll do that together, alright?”

“Promise?”

“Promise!”

The happy squeals of the younger slowly faded to nothing, the last sounds being carried out onto the lake, brushing over the many small white boats that filled its surface. For a moment, it was quiet, and then a sob ripped through the silence. On the lake’s sandy shore, a teenager clutched one of the boats to his chest, shoulders shaking as tears dripped onto the pristine sail. “I’m going to the fucking stars tomorrow and you’re not here!” he choked out, “you promised and you lied, you lied!” The teenager curled himself tighter around the ship as if he could crawl into the memories stored inside. “You lied to me. Why did you lie? Why?” he cried out. “You were supposed to never leave me, you were my big brother, so why? Why? Why did you do that?” he screamed, eyes blurry with tears as he glared at the white ship in his arms. “Why did you push me out of the way that day? We were supposed to leave this place together! How could you leave me alone and break your promise like that?” A fresh wave of tears stained the teenager’s face and flowed onto the boat. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he whimpered, hiding his face in the now damp sail.“We were supposed to be together. Why are you such a fucking liar? How could you? You promised, you promised, you promised, you fucking promised!” he screamed that last cry. His broken voice echoing over the lake, “you promised,” he repeated again, barely more than a whisper this time. His voice hoarse from crying and screaming. “Why didn’t you keep it? Why do I have to do this alone? You were always the stronger one. Why did you have to save me? Why did you break your promise? I don’t want to go out there alone! I can’t, I need you! I always need you and you left me! You just left me!” Further sobs tore themselves from his throat, and he hunched over again, the ship’s edges digging into his stomach, but he ignored it. Ignored how the sand rubbed against his legs while he shook, ignored the cold water that lapped at his knees. He didn’t want to go alone. He wanted his big brother back. Wanted to hide in the other’s warm embrace, where no worries could reach him. Wanted to hear his singing again, the soft reassurances after a nightmare. He wanted more than this hard, plain ship that was his only reminder of their happy past.

“You promised me,” he whispered into the sails, again, and again and again as he knelt, crying at the shore of the planet’s graveyard. The once oh, so warm starlight felt much too cold now.