Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away, chapter 2
"Come on, come on, or we'll miss the movie!" Frank whined as he dragged me down the street to a nearby theatre.
"Franky, what movie are we going to?"
"I dunno, just hurry up or we'll be late!"
I should have known better, every time we don't decide on a movie, we end up going to the mall and hanging out for hours instead. But hanging out at the mall was fun, and we were bored when we couldn't pick a movie. And today was no exception.
So we hung around at the mall for a while before I decided to buy a record, finally choosing The Who's Tommy. After that, Frank and I decided to go to the second floor of the mall, so he could buy some new jeans. We had no idea that it would be the last time we would walk those stairs together in a long time.
"Damn, why are there so many stairs?" Frank asked me as we walked slowly up them to the top floor, "I'll race you, I bet I can get there faster!"
"Oh no, you can't!" I challenged as we raced up the stairs.
I ran as fast as I could up to the top until I reached the stair second from the top. That's when it happened.
I guess I miscalculated the distance I would have to run to get my foot on that stair, and I missed it.
I fell for twenty-one stairs before I stopped feeling. I fell for thirty-four stair before I stopped falling.
Ever since that moment, I've been dreaming. My dreams have been cold and warm, happy and sad. It seems as though I've been dreaming forever, trapped in my own thoughts. This time I feel like I'll wake up. I don't know why I feel this, I don't know where I am, I'm not even entirely sure who I am.
I wake up in a strange room, the walls plastered with pictures of me and a face I recognise. I know this person. It's Frank. I don't remember these pictures being taken.
I suddenly realise that tubes are stuck to my skin, and I am surrounded by little machines that keep beeping every once in a while. I pull the tubes away from me, they scare me.
"BEEEEEP!" one of the machines makes a loud noise when I pull out the tube. A man who looks to be in his late forty's comes running into the room.
He sees me and screams. He runs over to my bed and he hugs me. Then he picks up the telephone in my room and dials a number.
"Kate, come home, come home, she's awake, SHE'S AWAKE KATE!" he screams into the phone.
"Stop freaking out, Dad, and will you get me a glass of water? My throat hurts." I say. Hearing my own voice sounds strange, in my dreams all I heard were the voices of others.
He runs to get the water and I pick up the phone. I try hard to remember the numbers but it's difficult. They flash through my mind and I dial them into the phone.
"Hello, Tre speaking, what's up?" a familiar voice says, but I don't know anyone named Tre..
"Tre...? Is Frank there, or do I have the wrong number?"
"Frank? Oh, this is Frank, but no one calls me that anymore. Tre. Tre Cool."
I giggle at the name and say, "Franky, it's me.. I had a bad dream, and I think this might still be a dream, my dad screamed when he saw me-"
"MIA?!?!?"
"See? People get scared when they see -or in your case- hear me."
He sighs. "If this is some kind of joke, it's not funny. I know Mia's been in a coma for three years, but your idea of humour really doesn't help. She was my best friend."
It's silent on phone for a while until my dad comes back with my water.
"Mia, honey, do you think you might be able to walk around? Can you do that?" he asked.
"Daddy, tell Frank it's me. He doesn't believe me, he says something about a coma."
My father takes the phone from me. "It's her, Tre. It's her. Do you want to come see her? Alright. We'll see you soon. Bye."
He hangs up the phone. I drink my water and try to walk over to the mirror, I feel different. I stumble but I stay standing. I gasp when I see myself.
"Dad... I'm not twelve years old anymore, am I?"
He takes a deep breath. He looks at the ground, then at me.
"You're fifteen, honey."
It's quiet for several minutes.
"Daddy," I say.
"Yes, Mia?"
"Did Frank get into the band?"
"Franky, what movie are we going to?"
"I dunno, just hurry up or we'll be late!"
I should have known better, every time we don't decide on a movie, we end up going to the mall and hanging out for hours instead. But hanging out at the mall was fun, and we were bored when we couldn't pick a movie. And today was no exception.
So we hung around at the mall for a while before I decided to buy a record, finally choosing The Who's Tommy. After that, Frank and I decided to go to the second floor of the mall, so he could buy some new jeans. We had no idea that it would be the last time we would walk those stairs together in a long time.
"Damn, why are there so many stairs?" Frank asked me as we walked slowly up them to the top floor, "I'll race you, I bet I can get there faster!"
"Oh no, you can't!" I challenged as we raced up the stairs.
I ran as fast as I could up to the top until I reached the stair second from the top. That's when it happened.
I guess I miscalculated the distance I would have to run to get my foot on that stair, and I missed it.
I fell for twenty-one stairs before I stopped feeling. I fell for thirty-four stair before I stopped falling.
Ever since that moment, I've been dreaming. My dreams have been cold and warm, happy and sad. It seems as though I've been dreaming forever, trapped in my own thoughts. This time I feel like I'll wake up. I don't know why I feel this, I don't know where I am, I'm not even entirely sure who I am.
I wake up in a strange room, the walls plastered with pictures of me and a face I recognise. I know this person. It's Frank. I don't remember these pictures being taken.
I suddenly realise that tubes are stuck to my skin, and I am surrounded by little machines that keep beeping every once in a while. I pull the tubes away from me, they scare me.
"BEEEEEP!" one of the machines makes a loud noise when I pull out the tube. A man who looks to be in his late forty's comes running into the room.
He sees me and screams. He runs over to my bed and he hugs me. Then he picks up the telephone in my room and dials a number.
"Kate, come home, come home, she's awake, SHE'S AWAKE KATE!" he screams into the phone.
"Stop freaking out, Dad, and will you get me a glass of water? My throat hurts." I say. Hearing my own voice sounds strange, in my dreams all I heard were the voices of others.
He runs to get the water and I pick up the phone. I try hard to remember the numbers but it's difficult. They flash through my mind and I dial them into the phone.
"Hello, Tre speaking, what's up?" a familiar voice says, but I don't know anyone named Tre..
"Tre...? Is Frank there, or do I have the wrong number?"
"Frank? Oh, this is Frank, but no one calls me that anymore. Tre. Tre Cool."
I giggle at the name and say, "Franky, it's me.. I had a bad dream, and I think this might still be a dream, my dad screamed when he saw me-"
"MIA?!?!?"
"See? People get scared when they see -or in your case- hear me."
He sighs. "If this is some kind of joke, it's not funny. I know Mia's been in a coma for three years, but your idea of humour really doesn't help. She was my best friend."
It's silent on phone for a while until my dad comes back with my water.
"Mia, honey, do you think you might be able to walk around? Can you do that?" he asked.
"Daddy, tell Frank it's me. He doesn't believe me, he says something about a coma."
My father takes the phone from me. "It's her, Tre. It's her. Do you want to come see her? Alright. We'll see you soon. Bye."
He hangs up the phone. I drink my water and try to walk over to the mirror, I feel different. I stumble but I stay standing. I gasp when I see myself.
"Dad... I'm not twelve years old anymore, am I?"
He takes a deep breath. He looks at the ground, then at me.
"You're fifteen, honey."
It's quiet for several minutes.
"Daddy," I say.
"Yes, Mia?"
"Did Frank get into the band?"
