“Why did you bring me here?”
“Do you know what is today?” My mother asks. How can I forget?
I was sixteen and my brother was twelve when our parents took us to the pier. “It’s my favorite place when I was a boy.” My dad said joyously. My brother didn’t reply, he just gazed out the window, staring at the birds. My brother was born with a genetic defect causing malformation in his brain.
“Are you excited?” I asked. He turned to me and smiled.
We walked along the boardwalk. I had never seen him so excited, running five steps ahead, and pointing at the dolphins in the water. “Look,” he said, his speech slightly garbled.
“I know, they’re dolphins.” I replied, joining him by the railing. Sometimes, I’m more like a mother than a sister.
“Do you have a lighter?” I turned and saw a cigarette between my mother’s lips.
“Please, not today.” Father said and that was when I heard the splash.
“Yeah, I remember,” I say, “He drowned because of you.”
(~175 words)
I am participating in Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writer, where we write a piece between 100 and 150 words (more or less 25 words) in length inspired by the photo prompt above.
This is Another Story 
Great story, Yinglan with such a sad ending. The poor little boy drowned because his father stopped to light his mother’s cigarette. Very sad!
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Actually, the boy fell into the water and drowned because everyone’s back was turned for a second. The father was looking at the mother, the mother was looking at her cigarette, and the girl was looking at her parents. Very sad indeed. Thank you for reading.
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That’s heartbreaking! I wasn’t expecting that the brother would die 😦 Lovely writing nonetheless Yinglan!
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I think that should teach the parents a lesson. Thank you for reading. 🙂
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That was a twist, and it was sad =) As always, it was written beautifully.
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Thank you. 🙂
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Beautifully written
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Thank you.
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Heartbreaking. Beautifully written 👏
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Thank you. 🙂
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Wonderfully written Yinglan. So sad the little brother dies because the Mom isn’t paying attention. Because she was looking for a lighter? You have to watch little guys so much and so closely.
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Sad in so many ways, including that the daughter still holds such bitterness…
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I think it’s because she still feels a little guilty that she had her back turned, even if just for a second. Thank you for reading.
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Sad but oh, so beautiful!
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Thank you.
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Enjoyed your story until the end – what a punch in the gut. Well done.
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Thanks. Yeah, that ending was sad.
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