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I Dare You
beat him. I knew I could beat him.
The next day, I stood alongside my brother, fully prepared for the
challenge. He towered over me, his shadow clouded my body,
blocking out the sun. Yet, I refused to show any sign of fear. His
intimidation did not affect my proud demeanour, which I thankfully
acquired from him. He stared at me, eyes wide, then withdrew and
sighed. He reached into his pocket for his stopwatch, and looked at
me with a slight nod. I was more than ready to conquer this
competition. Beating the time and defeating my brother was all I
had desired to do.
As soon as the word ‘go’ left his lips, the adrenaline made me
accelerate faster than a speeding bullet. I was ready, ready to
overcome my brother. I was running much faster than he expected.
I was flying through the streets, with my eyes fixed on the golden
prize. The yellow brick house was not far from here. The bricks
themselves were shining with gold. I could not take my eyes off the
spectacular sight.
‘Rosie, Rosie.’ A cold breeze sent shivers down my spine. Was that
his voice? The sound came from afar. I turned my head around to
locate my brother, still running at full speed. He was unrecognisable,
just a blur in the distance, I was running too fast. Suddenly, the honk
of a car horn blurted into my ears. I turned forward, screamed and
hit… the car. The car, the horn, his voice, the yellow brick house, the
prize: gone. Those were the last memories I had of the accident.
I woke up to the sombre, monotone sounds of a hospital. Gadgets
and tubes lay everywhere. My arms were wrapped up in solid plaster.
I didn’t remember how I arrived there. I saw my brother, next to me,
looking straight into my eyes with tears streaming down his face. It
wasn’t him anymore. It wasn’t the boy with the boastful, show-off
attitude, it was the boy with the solemn, concerning, caring look. It
was my brother; he loved me. The accident made him finally
understand that the most important part of our relationship was not
about being the best. He loved me because he was as good as me.
‘Tell me you’re wrong,’ I whispered, ‘I dare you.’
‘
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