Under The Night Sky

Thousands of stars generously sparkled on the dark night sky. Some were barely flickering and the rest were gracefully shining bright as if they were trying to fill the void, because the moon is nowhere to be seen. Under these stars, countless of stories had been shared, countless of memories had been made, of friendships, of love, griefs and heartbreaks, laughter and tears.

Tonight, the stars would once again witnessed two siblings carving a memory. A memory that couldn't be shared with no one else. Sitting on the rooftop of the house, they peacefully enjoyed the chill breeze and the beautiful starry night, exactly like in their childhood days. Dan, the younger of the two siblings, opened two bottles of beer in front of him, placing one besides his brother and grabbed the other for himself.

"It almost feels like the good old days, isn't it?" Dan mused, slowly sipping his beer.

"Yes, but we don't need to quietly sneaked out from out bedroom like we used to." His brother chuckled softly before continuing, "I remember when we fell asleep all night long on this very place. Mom got freaked out in the morning because we both weren't in bed."

"Yeah, only this time we bring beers instead of hot chocolate" Dan replied, clicking his bottle with his brother's.

"Right, from hot chocolates to beers. It's been quite some time since you last come to sit up here, huh?"

Dan let out a faint smile and took another sip of his beer. He leaned back and quietly stared at his beer bottle for a while, trying to come up with something to say. Back then it was easier to talk, there were so many stories to tell. Adulthood has robbed him of those exciting moments; the only thing left for him now is a tedious life.

"I know. There were lots of times I wanted to come here, actually. I missed this place." He said thoughtfully.

"Then why didn't you just come?"

"Because it's always been our thing. It's always been our place to share stories and talk about everything. I thought, what's the point if I come up here alone without you? So I just waited, until you asked me to sit here again." Dan looked up to the sky, his mind started wandering to the much simpler times in his life, where he and his brother tried to find and name the constellations.

His brother softly patted Dan's shoulder "I wished I had the time to take you here more often. Last time we sat here, we fell asleep while talking about your undying love for that girl in your choir group. I promised that I would tell you how to ask her to be your girlfriend the next time we sit on this rooftop."

"But you never did..." Dan whispered.

"But I never did."

Dan closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He remembered that night, the last night he went to sit on the rooftop with his older brother. He was a lovesick puppy at the time, his brother kept laughing and teasing him when Dan talked about his so called love life. They also talked a lot about their dreams in the future. Dan was so sure that if he ever get married, he would have his brother as the best man. A lot of siblings out there couldn't get along very well, but for Dan, his older brother was everything he could ever hope for in a sibling.

Dan stared down at the bottle of beer in his hand, "You always helped me with all my problems, you taught me so many things. Sometimes it almost feels like I have a bodyguard because you always protected me." He let out a breathy laugh. "I don't know what I would be if you weren't such a good brother. I remember how almost all of my friends were jealous and wished to have a brother like you." His voice started cracking, but he continued, "There were way too many times I wished I could sit here with you, just once more."

"You're a tough adult now, Dan. You don't need me to teach you or protect you from the bullies anymore."

"But it doesn't mean I don't need you!" Dan snapped. "Doesn't mean I didn't wish you to come on my graduation day, or to give me advices when I feel conflicted and have no one to talk to. Or even just to be there to listen to me!"

For the first time in years, Dan let out his frustrations and griefs on the rooftop. He didn't try to stop the tears from rolling down his cheek. Years of pent up emotions seemed to burst out that night.

"I'm always there for you, Dan. I always will."

"No you're not, you left me!" Dan angrily quipped. "You promised you'll always help me, but you left me. You broke your promise!"

“You’re not even real. You are just a figment of the memories I have of my brother. You are only here because I made you so. Because I,” Dan paused for a while, trying to fight back the tears that welled up in his eyes. “because I need you.”  

"These stars have witnessed lots of things we shared, haven't they? They know our stories better than most people in our life. Even when we couldn't see them, they're actually always there." His brother calmly responded. "Even when you couldn't see me, I'm always there. Do you remember the last thing I said to you?"

Dan took some deep breaths and tried to calm himself down. He closed his eyes, letting his mind wandered to the past memory. Of course he remembered what his brother said. It was the last time Dan could heard his brother talked to him. Dan mused to himself, "I do, I never forget what you told me that day, you said you would go to live among the stars so whenever I need to talk I'll just have to look up to the sky."

It was the last thing he said to Dan before he went to a deep sleep. Dan waited for days to see his brother woke up again. But he never did.

The cancer had taken his brother away from him. They couldn't go to the rooftop to talk anymore because his brother was getting weaker every week. Dan always kept his hope that one day his brother would be healthy and strong again, that one day they both could sneaked out to stargaze on the rooftop again. But he never got better, they never went to the rooftop anymore.

His brother died after a year of battling brain cancer.

Dan opened his eyes and gazed at the stars above him. "I hope you really are there to watch me."

He got up and gulped down the rest of his beer. He turned to where his brother always sat. There was nothing there but a bottle of cold beer. For the first time, he sat there alone, without his brother. It was more heartbreaking than he thought. But it gave him a sense of peacefulness, some sort of closure. He finally accepted the fact that his brother would never come back, and all he could do is to move on with his life. Dan replayed his brother's last words in his head. His brother had gone, but just like the stars, he never really left, he would stay in the memories of his loved ones.

And up there, among the stars, another memory was created.

“Goodbye, bro.”

Author's Note

Some feedbacks would be nice :)