Collided

Chapter 2

A ten-year-old Barawan boy lay on a bamboo bed, tears silently streaming down his cheeks as his body writhed in pain. His mother, filled with concern, sat beside him, trying to offer comfort and assurance. The boy's eyes, dark brown and filled with fatigue, searched for answers as he questioned his fate.

"Mama, am I going to die like the rest of them?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"My boy, you will not die as long as you have me. You will live," his mother replied, her voice filled with determination and love.

The boy's hope wavered, but he clung to his mother's words. "Is the doctor still coming to save me?" he asked, seeking reassurance.

"Yes, he will be here soon, baby," she replied, cupping his face with care, trying to hide her own fear and pain, wanting to be strong for her child. As they waited for Dr. Adler's arrival, the boy expressed his agony, recounting how every part of his body hurt. The mother's heart broke, knowing she could do little to alleviate his suffering. Despite her fear, she held on to hope, believing in the doctor's medicine and her son's resilience. She continued as she sat down quietly by his side, her eyes filled with concern. Every time she looked in his direction, her heart shattered into pieces. Wishing her husband was here to comfort her in her pain and misery, she started to weep. She didn't realize how much she had missed him until now. He was a devoted man who doted on her constantly.

She only hoped her son would not leave this earth as his father did. He was the exact replica of his father. He took on his father's hardworking nature and made sure to keep her company. He was a lively child, but this illness had made him otherwise, and now he looked like a shadow of himself.

A lot of frightening thoughts cross his mind. He looks at his mother intently, who just seemed to be lost in thoughts of her own. "I'm too young to die, mama. Is this how we are all going to die? Even you?" he asked with a forced smile, struggling to cope with the reality of his illness.

His mother refused to entertain such thoughts, wanting to cherish the present and hold on to hope. She promised her son that he would survive, but deep down, she feared losing him just as she had lost her husband. 

"No. You will survive this."

He didn't seem to believe her words anymore. He wanted to believe her, but it was all too late now. He knew she was just feeding him false hope.

"Mama, what will you do after I die?" The poor boy asked with a forced but depressive smile. He looked away from her.

The mother's breath hitched in her throat. The thought of him dying made her face turn white. Her husband was gone. And now, her son's fate was hanging by a thread.

"Stop thinking of death. You're still alive. As long as there is life, there is hope," Mama answered with new tears forming in her eyes, then continued, "Let's wait for Dr. Adler. He will get here soon. Do you want something to eat?"

"I want milk, mama."

"I will go get you some milk."

Mama stood up to leave for the kitchen. While the ten-year-old lad stared at the ceiling, smiling sadly. He wished death upon himself at that very moment. His pain was growing.

"Mama, life truly is a gift. I never treasured it until this moment," the boy said, his voice filled with newfound wisdom and gratitude.

With his mother's support, he sipped from the glass of milk she brought, finding comfort in her caring touch. When he finished, she laid him back down gently, her heart aching to see him in such pain.

"You have always been so mature, my child. The doctor is coming," she said, trying to bring some reassurance.

"What is his coming here going to do for me? Will he cure me?" the boy asked, seeking answers and hope.