Arise
John’s father packed his bags and took his essentials. He was ready to go now. John looked at his father in wariness and asked “When will you return father?”. John’s father gave him a faint smile. “In a week’ saying this, his father walked towards the fuming ship. John stood there until the ship was out of his sight.
1
John was puzzled when he saw that someone has sent him a letter. There was no one left in this world who could write him a letter. He has no mother, no family members and his father left him alone in the boy’s hostel when he was just 11. His father would send the monthly fees until it was when he turned 16 that his father also gave up on him. The envelope was addressed to him in delicate handwriting. The paper smelled faintly of lavender, a scent so foreign to his life that it caught him off guard.
Dear John, You don’t know me, but I know who you are. My name is Emily, and I am your sister. I’ve been searching for you for years, and I’ve finally found you. I need you now more than ever please don’t ignore this letter. I can explain everything if we meet.
Love, Emily
John’s hands trembled as he reread the words. Sister? Family? For the first time in years, the walls he’d built around himself began to crack. Questions raced through his mind. Who was Emily? Why hadn’t anyone told him about her before? Why did she need him now? And before all, was the letter really written to him? Or just he is mistaking something. “301 Willow Crescent, Havenbrook, Evergreen County, 45678” the place marked in the letter was never heard by him before. John laughed and threw the paper aside. He worked at the local sea port located near his house. He wakes up at 5 then goes to work at 7. After all day of hard work he returns at 6 and then goes to the local pub for night outs. After the hectic day schedule he goes to bed at 11 and instantly falls asleep. But this time instead of throwing himself at his bed he sat on the edge of his bed, his legs curled against his chest, as the clock ticked relentlessly past midnight. The dim light of the moon seeped through the curtains, casting faint shadows across his cluttered room. His dark, restless eyes were fixed on a folded piece of paper. It was a letter alone that had shattered the quiet rhythm of his life. The words, scrawled hastily in uneven handwriting, replayed in his mind like a haunting melody. “I am your sister.” They were simple, yet they carried the weight of a thousand questions. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the revelation. His so called father, had never spoken of her, and never even hinted at such a possibility. Was it a cruel joke, or had an untold truth been hidden from him all these years?
2
Try to understand Mr. John, you are not like before you’ve changed suddenly. John’s eyes were fixed on the window at the back of the sitting officials. 2months have passed since he got that letter and he has taken no step towards his sister’s need. But the letter has taken steps towards him which have altered his lifestyle forever. Before the incident, Lucas had always felt a sense of warmth in his life a quiet happiness that wrapped around him like a cozy blanket. But after the incident, everything changed. It was as though a shadow had descended over his once bright world. There was a sense of disorientation, like a rug had been pulled out from under him. The happiness he once took for granted seemed unreachable, slipping through his fingers like sand. “I know Mr. Williams..but’ John’s words were interrupted. “But that letter’ Mr. Williams said it with a sign. “Look John! I know your backstory, your father had worked with me for 2 years but I have never heard him saying about any second child.”. “I know Mr. Williams but that letter, it seems like it has possessed me somehow.” John said it with a faint voice. Suddenly he banged the desk in front of him and raised his voice and said “My life Mr. Williams is destroyed, not a single day I can sleep properly.. Who is my sister? Why does she need my help?. I don’t know anything sir.”. Tears rolled down through his eyes. Mr. Williams sat there for 2 minutes without words closely watching John. “Ok John since I am your fathers old friend, I will arrange your trip to Evergreen”. John looked at Mr. William, rubbed his eyes and went out of the room silently. It was 6 past 4 when John received a message from Mr. Williams saying that he had arranged his trip and will shortly send him the flight essentials. John switched off the phone and lay in his bed.
3
After 2 days of journey, John finally reached Evergreen. He walked out of the airport and then searched a taxi for HavenBrook. He sat in the back of the taxi, staring out the window as the landscape shifted from cityscapes to wide, empty stretches of road. The hum of the engine was the only sound, broken only by the occasional rustle of trees swaying in the wind. The moment the taxi entered the village, the air felt different crisp, alive, and strangely calming. He felt a tingling sensation, as if he’d stepped into a place he’d known before, a place he’d never been but somehow, instinctively, recognized. The taxi driver turned to him, his face unreadable. “This is the place,” he said simply. John stepped out, his feet grazing the dirt road, and for the first time in a long while, he felt at peace. Something about the village, about the greenery surrounding it, made him feel like he was coming home. He walked down the street and finally found 301 Willow Crescent. The house was small made up of stone and bricks. He went inside the porch and ringed the bell. He heard footsteps rushing towards the door. When the door finally creaked open, time seemed to slow. She stood there, framed in the doorway, bathed in the soft, golden light of the setting sun. Her eyes met his for the briefest moment, and it felt as though the world had suddenly become still. She was unlike anyone he had ever seen her presence, serene and striking, as though she belonged to a realm he could only dream of. “Yes? How can I help you?” She smiled softly, a smile that seemed to hold secrets. John stuttered and said “Hello, I am Mr. Williams. I am a friend of your brother”. As soon as the girl heard that she intently gazed outside the porch as if searching for someone. “Has he come?? My brother has come?” the girl asked John with enthusiasm. “I am sorry miss but he has sent me to interrogate the matter.” John said it keeping his voice as normal as he could. Her brows bent upwards , she looked down for a while and said with a faded voice “Please come inside”.
