Say Goodnight

Chapter 14

The cracks on the brick stairs leading to their small house were much more significant to Ludwig now that he hasn't seen them in weeks. Although he used to have been embarrassed by the cracks and didn't like friends coming over to see his rundown house where there wasn't much room to run freely in. Now, the cracks were a fun story to tell his friends. 

The large crack happened when Gilbert was bringing home a new t.v and dropped it trying to get his keys out of his pocket, causing the heavy block t.v to fall and split the brick in half. Fortunately, the t.v stayed intact but the crack seems to get wider each year. 

Because Ludwig hasn't been home in weeks and Gilbert didn't stress hard about it, the viney weeds sprouted through the hole and cascaded down the three stairs, lightly touching the pavement at the bottom. It's thin vine wrapped in a curl around the black metal rail and it has grown rapidly since Ludwig last ripped it out of the ground.   

Once running up the stairs and Gilbert was busy digging through pockets for keys, Ludwig curled his fingers around the vine and ripped it, watching it fastly uncurl around the rail and being thrown into the garbage right next to him. Ludwig brushed the green stains off his hands and followed Gilbert into the house. 

In awe, his head turned in all directions, looking around every inch of the room, remembering all the memories that came with it. Like the half painted wall that Gilbert began right once he moved in but stopped when he realized that baby Ludwig cried too often and he couldn't pay for all the paint. Also, the lingering holiday decorations that Gilbert either forgot or liked too much to put back in storage. The small thanksgiving turkey that was on the t.v stand because neither of them could put him away in a dark cardboard box; the tiny Christmas tree that fell on the ground and swept under the end table, collecting dust. All of these were home to Ludwig and so much better than i.v bags and needles. 

He wandered to the kitchen where he loved to smell the freshly brewed coffee in the morning and he was given coffee-flavored kisses from Gilbert while still in a morning's daze. It was also where they ate midnight snack when neither could sleep and they could sit and talk for hours, but school came in the way. During the weekends, when the yelling neighbors woke them up or the loud police sirens came closer and closer to them until Ludwig couldn't sleep because of fear, they'd lay on the big chair in the living room, talking until they could not longer hear the police's protest and the sirens drowned into the night. After that, they'll sleep until noon with Gilbert's head leaning on Ludwig's head and while Ludwig's small frame was squished into the cracks on the couch.  

"It's cold," Ludwig simply stated, but he wanted to speak so much more. 

"The window got hit, there's a crack in one," Gilbert told him while taking off his shoes. 

Yet another crack on their house, another odd memory to go along with it. 

"How?" The house was silent like they both didn't want to speak, just enjoy to soft moment. 

"A baseball," Gilbert was quiet as though it hurt to speak long sentences or he just wanted to remember how his brother looked standing in their home for once.   

Ludwig looked around one last moment, noting their dogs that ran around outside through the screen door and the ladybugs that crawled on the doorframe, before retreating to his room for some silence. 

Once in his room, he laid down on his freshly-made bed, smelling in the laundry detergent and greeting all the stuffed animals that lined across his bed, leaning on the wall. He scooped them all in one big hug, feeling their different furs tickle his arm and their faces looked lifted to him. 

The room was still clean how he left it- his desk still had all his notebook organized accurately, all the pens and pencils in different cops, and his coloring books still were in the correct cabinet. During his time at the hospital, Elizabeta and Roderich kept their home cleaned and made sure to watch the dogs daily, he made sure to inform them not to move to much of his stuff, and happily they obeyed.