Setting with the Sun

By Hibbah

The sun is sinking slowly to the top of the high buildings in the city I live in. I’ve always loved seeing the sun set; the sky turns pink and orange, blue and yellow, purple and green. It looks like a rainbow, only it’s more beautiful. Every time I look at it I start glowing inside, a glow so powerful it makes me forget all my troubles. Which is why I try to be outside around that time.

This day is no exception. Only this time I took my four-year old sister with me. She is one of those energy balls. She never gets tired even though she practically jumps about all day long. Which gives her a tendency to break things of course. But we got used to it after a while, and now we don’t even mind anymore. She’s a lot of fun too, so I like taking her out with me. We usually go buy some groceries or some other useful thing. And then when we get back she sleeps like a baby, to wake up again in the morning and resume her activities.

It is pretty crowded today. We don’t live in a very busy part of town, but today it really is very crowded. The roads are filled with speeding cars, horns honking to have people make way as fast as possible. Two officers are working frantically to get the traffic in order, but no matter how hard they work no order is formed. But that’s the way it is here; having things in order would be one of the world’s miracles. Even the train was faster than usual, not to mention that there were about 10 times as many buses as usual.

We were getting closer to home already, only one block away. My sister was getting a bit tired; her step was slowing by the minute. Usually I would have carried her, but I was holding shopping bags in both hands. So I just urged her on with my hand, telling her she would soon be home and then she could go to sleep.

There were rails separating us from the other side of the street, and our home. This town is weird in more than one way; for instance, anyone can just cross the tracks anywhere. Sure, there are special places for crossing, but most people don’t bother to walk to them, and just cross where they are standing. Usually I walk to the crossing, but since my sister was so tired I decided to just cross at the place closest to home and save time and energy.

I took my sister’s right hand firmly in my left, and told her we were going to cross the rails. She knows she has to be careful during crossings, a lesson she learned early on. I usually stand between her and the cars when we cross the street, and it’s the same with the train. I knew a train would be passing soon, but thought we should be able to make it without any danger.

The rails were double, one going right and one left. We crossed the first pair without problems, step by step. Then I helped my sister go down the step that gives way to the tracks before going down myself. The minute my left foot lands on the tracks it bends double and I fall down. My sister is almost taken down with me, but I quickly leave her hand and drop to the street.

I can hear her crying, urging me to get up, screaming my name. Nobody else seems to hear her over the noise of the honking horns and speeding cars, but I can still hear her clearly. I try to get up, but my legs will not follow my orders. I try again, with the same result. Only this time I seem to sink further down. My legs start aching, and then a sharp pain shoots up my leg. It gives me the idea that I might have broken my ankle. At least that would explain why I couldn’t get up.

My sister is still crying, and I tell her to cross the rails and wait there for me to come. At the same time I quickly look around for someone to help me, but no one seems to have noticed my misfortune. So I start to crawl towards my sister as fast as my legs can take me. But obviously not fast enough…

I am almost over the tracks, and my legs are starting to shake from pain and exhaustion. I stop to take a small break, and it is only then that I notice the sound of a sharp whistle coming closer and closer. It sounds a lot like a train whistle, but I can’t be sure. The sound seems to be getting closer by the second.

Then I suddenly remembered. A train was supposed to ride on the same tracks I was panting over. And it seemed the train was nearing its destination. Only that didn’t give me much time.

I struggle once more to get to my legs, but in my heart I know I won’t make it. The tears start to form in my eyes. I have no hope of stopping the train before it reaches me, and the hope of the people on the train to see me beforehand is a hundred to one. I can feel a sad smile on my face as I turn my head to look at my sister, whose screaming has reached a higher level. She is crying harder than I have ever seen her do, and I don’t think she even realises the danger. My tears start falling down my cheeks. The train isn’t that far away anymore, but everything seems to go in slow motion. I am glad my sister doesn’t think of coming over; I couldn’t have taken it if she died with me. I smile at her one last time, then turn my head to look at the sunset, the last sunset I will ever see. I know I will always love sunsets, no matter where I am.

I can feel the rails vibrating beneath me, can see the train a few feet away from me. I make sure I have a smile on my face. Just as the train is about to hit me, I close my eyes. Goodbye.

THE END