Stephen concluded

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Sundays have never moved off easy for Gracy. She would be busy at kitchen the whole day coz that is the day when she would put herself in preparing new and wonderful dishes for her children. This Sunday wasn't different too,It had been continuously raining for past two weeks and the terrace had been quite slippery, but George and Stephen loved to be at the terrace. Gracy was there with them, but she just left to kitchen for setting up the breakfast. Stephen had other plans rather than playing. He had decided to finish himself off that morning and this was the best opportunity. He moved to the edge of the terrace, he looked at George and said," Good bye brother".


Gracy was busy at kitchen. She pulled her fridge door open and bent in to take an egg. She heard a loud cry and she immediately knew it was Stephen's.The egg was off her hand and she was paralyzed for a moment She ran to the corridor and found Stephen down and blood profusely flowing out of his head. He was unconscious. She ran out immediately and took him. George was crying loud and he was at the terrace. Soon both of them were taken to the hospital. George had a left knee fracture while Stephen was fighting it out with death, he had a serious brain injury. He was moved in for a brain surgery and exactly three hours later, his lifeless body came out of the operation theater. Stephen was gone.

It was hard to take for David and Gracy, Stephen had been their heart and soul. The reports confirmed that Stephen had died due to internal bleeding in brain. His stretched out sandal marks at the terrace justified the assumption that he had slipped. In between somehow, George fractured his knee, but he was feeling better now. Its been days now since Stephen had passed away and the sadness was still thick in the air. Gracy opened Stephen's room and thought of cleaning it. She found a folded paper on his desk and unfolded it. She read it, her face portrayed a feeling of shock and a glimpse of a disarrayed mind. She was sinking and somehow managed to sit on the bed. The paper fell off her hand, she looked at it, grabbed it and read it again.
"Mom, I don't know if what I am doing is right, but I feel am left with no other choice. You have always loved me, given me toys , great food and probably whatever I wanted, but at this moment I feel am losing all what I have got. I haven't delivered what you expected off me, but I always tried to. I don't know if I was an orphan, but now , I am certainly one. You and Dad don't love me as you used to, you don't find enough time for me. I feel it too heavy to handle, too heavy to sustain with a dejected identity. I feel I should leave you now, I feel you can carry on without me. Sorry if I am doing wrong.
Always love you
Stephen"

Gracy opened her eyes and she was in her bed. David was sitting near her." David , our son had not slipped , he had..";
"I know dear , just relax...", David hugged her tightly.
"He didn't die, we killed him", Gracy burst into tears, David was speechless.
Two years had passed since Stephen has left the family. Gracy had been stingy in talking since then. The whole atmosphere has been dull. David has appointed a home nurse to take care of George, David has become too reserved now, but finds more time for the family than he used to when Stephen was around. They both still find themselves guilty for Stephen's demise.

Two years and five days back, on a cold Sunday morning, the sun was quite lazy to be out of the clouds. It had been continuously raining for past two weeks and the terrace had been quite slippery, but George and Stephen loved to be at the terrace. Gracy were there with them, but she just left to kitchen for setting up the breakfast. Stephen had other plans rather than playing. He had decided to finish himself off that morning and this was the best opportunity. He moved to the edge of the terrace, he looked at George and said," Good bye brother". He was about to jump, but looked at George again and took his foot back.
"Why should I die, dad and mom had loved me before George was here, he has turned out to be the thorn of my life, what if he disappears off our life, I would get my parents back..", he moved towards George.
"But what if mom finds out, that would be the end",he started scratching his head, the devil within him was starting to work.
"But I can tell her that George threw the toy off, I went to pick it up and he some how fell off the terrace, maybe she would shout at me for being careless, but this will solve the problem for ever". Stephen smiled, the smile of a perfect strategist who was ready to see his plans getting executed. He looked at George and smiled, cruelty flashed across his cheeks. He picked George , moved to the edge of the terrace, again looked at him" good bye brother". The face, which wasn't even an year old didn't have an expression for his elder brother. Stephen turned , was about to throw George, but slipped. He lost control of George, who slipped off from his hands, hit at the corner and fell back into the terrace. Stephen wasn't lucky, he went down and hit on the concrete slab, blood burst out of his head ad it kept on flowing. Gracy came running in, picked him up. Stephen was soon rushed into hospital...

Years have gone by, George is now out of teens, but the black mark in his left knee still remains. Its as fresh as the memories of Stephen. David and Gracy still feel his presence, more than that, more than anything, they still find themselves responsible for Stephen's "suicide".