"I am going back home,..my brother's getting discharged today",Max said as he waved a goodbye to his friend.He took his bicycle, and started paddling,wearing a huge smile in his face he looked up at the sun setting over the horizon and the clouds painted in orange hue,taking a deep breath he shouted at the top of his lungs "Ahhhhhhhhh,lets gooo!"
Max made his way through the city of Florencia,and stopped at a two storey narrow apartment,street lights were flickering on top of him.it was dark and cold outside.He went upto the door, KNOCK…KNOCK…, "Mom,I am back!!"
"Coming wait!"
Max's mom came and opened the door.He entered the passageway connecting the front entrance to the living room,Max grew anxious,it was not as if he has never met his elder brother before but that was a long time ago…
It feels like it has been ages,will he look the same as before?
He turned left and saw his brother laying on the sofa,He had a squarish face with a thick beard.His body was slim and he wore a yellow sweatshirt and black joggers,with his feet on the tea table,tinkering with the T.V remote, "Why can't I lower the volume" His brother said.
"Give the remote to me!" max said.He looks so old now,he has a beard now? He thought.
"Oh! you are back,Look at you? your so tall now",his brother wrapped his hand around Max's neck and brought him closer and rubbed his hand on his head.Then hugged him tightly.
"Hey stop it!,I can't breathw—"
"Ohh sorry!,so how you doing these days? mom said you working part time."
"Yeah,on the bakers street there's a restaurant there" Max said.
"You really grown now,How many years has it been?"
"7 years!! I am seventeen now,Whatever, what were you watching??"
"Ahh just some Galactic News.You know before I went to deep sleep,The galactic council consisted of 100 planets or so,now it has more than 800 planets!, which ones your favorite?"
"Hmm lets see,Nifaria is pretty awesome!!,its quite famous among tourists."
"Why???"
"Why not,You should see the Nifarian landscape,the whole planet is like a bouquet of humongous flowers,and the rivers that flow there are full of golden sweet nectar,wish I could get a dip in them,also the Species 'Florals' that live there have beautiful butterfly like wings,with vivid colors and trance like patterns in them,the whole planet is like a paradise."
"You know quite a lot!!,You want to go there?,Lets buy a travel package to Nifaria!"
"You joking?,How many kidneys do you think I have?"
"Alright alright, I was just kidding."
"But seriously I do want to some day be rich enough to go their"
Max's mom came into the room and switched of the T.V. "Max,Alex go wash your hands,the dinner's ready".
…
After the dinner they both went to sleep.Max was sleeping in his small and compact room,when Alex shook him,
"Wake up max,hey wake up"
"Eh..whaat arw yoo do—"
"Shhhh,come with me to the rooftop."
Max was still half asleep in his pajamas,following His brother.
"Man its chillin out here,what are we doing?!"Max asked.
"Look at that" Alex pointed towards a jar filled with fireflies,kept on the ground,illuminating a small section of the roof.
"Woah so many?,what are they for!!"
"I am going to open the lid,take my picture standing among them."
"Why??"
Alex walked towards the jar and picked it,The area surrounding his hand was glowing in a greenish yellow hue, "I am going to open the lid,take out your phone and take my picture" Alex said while opening the lid.
Max hurriedly followed his words and took out his smart phone
"Okay,open the lid lets get shooting" Max said.
Slowly the fireflies started spreading out,the whole rooftop flooded with light and engulfed Alex and Max in a dream like setting.Some fireflies sat on Alex's palm,but suddenly something strange happened,all the fireflies started to synchronize blinking at the same time,which made this magical moment even more magical,it got Pitch dark one second and like a ocean of stars the other.
"Quick,take when they all light up!"Alex said.
Max positioned himself,lowering his back slightly and asked his brother to smile.
Keep smiling like that brother,one day I will earn enough money so that we can both visit niferia and do crazy things just like this.Max thought.
CLICK…CLICK…CLICK…
"Yeah its done!" Max showed a thumbs up to his brother.
"Thanks a ton,So how does it feel?"
"Very cold!" Max said rubbing his palms together.
"No I mean,we did some fun stuff together like real siblings do,How does it feel?"
"I mean yeah its good,but you should not ask about it?"
"Nevermind then,lets go back"
"Yeah!"
What was that all about?,he does weird stuff some times,but still he's my brother, I love him.Max thought.
…
[FLASH BACK]
The next day max asked his brother about last night,and why did he decide to take a picture of him in the middle of night and fireflies,to which he replied.
"Ahh it was my…what do they call it,…hmmm…yeah bucket list!"
"Bucket list?,wow what else do you want to do?"
"I will tell you when the time comes."
[PRESENT]
"What did he mean by when the time comes?,weird!!" Max said to himself,He was in his academy assembly and suddenly a loud siren rang,
RINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...…
"Attention students,The assembly will begin now!"
A huge thumping sound came as all the students took the attention position,the sound reverberated in the quite auditorium,and faded away.
A women with very long hair,and a slim figure,wearing a black one piece suit and white over coat,strode her way to the podium,on the stage and positioned her microphone.
"Ahhmm,I am Sophia Evergreen,the head of DSRE academy Florencia district,kingdom of Augustus.I have an important announcement to make,we are sending ten students who had good academic performance last year to Planet Nifaria,Eridani Or Cronix on a Special combat training program,where you will be put into real life combat situations that you might face when you graduate from DSRE academy,the trip will be of fourteen Earth days.The names of the candidates are…
1)Harry light
2)Anastasia woods
3)Max Oz
4)Yash Hazun
5)Charlotte rose
6)Priya Kapoor
7)Michale green
8)Samuel black
9)Nial-o-Parker
10)Chloe babin
The trip has a nominal fee of 35000 Augustan,For more information visit me at my office thank you" She said and backed away from the podium.
"Its crazy that the both of us managed to get in there" Yash a tall and well built boy,fair in color who was standing behind Max said.
"Yeah,but I am going to skip on this one."Max said.
"Why???"
"My parents can't afford it,and as you know recently my brother has been discharged,his medicine alone costs us a fortune and I don't want them to get extra trouble."
"But you work part time right?"
"It pays me 1500 Augustan for a month,it is not nearly enough you know?"
"Tell me if you decide to come along!"
"Yeah sure."
…
Max was riding his bike from the academy to his home, since his academy was established on the hill top,the ride down to the city of Florencia was always like a breeze,enjoying the beauty of the hills,while the roads curved left and right,accompanied by the scenic beauty of the woods surrounding the hills and the sweet and citrus like smell of the 'Dalin' flower that blooms in the evening and falls from the trees when a gush of wind comes from the north.In winters the sun sets by now and it gets dark.The road then connects to the Outskirts of the city which is by that time already lit by Yellow street lights,Crowded with the people who are here for buying vegetables and daily goods from the street side vendors.The spicy and delicious smell of 'Roflasa' a delicacy of Florencia,spreads all throughout the outskirts,The sound of people walking,shouting,bargaining creates a cozy atmosphere,Slowly as Max paddles his way through the crowd and enters the cobblestone street of the city,the sound of the market starts to disappear,the streets then connect us to the city square,which has a statue of a Man shaking hands with an Phostoski(Alien species that lives on the planet 'Ceti'),Max turns left from the square and here he is in front of his two storey narrow apartment,which is worn out and close to falling down.
KNOCK…KNOCK…
"Mom,I am back!"
Max's mom came and opened the door,she was crying.
"What happened??,Why are you crying?"
Max entered the passageway and closed the door behind him."Now tell me!!"Max said.
"Al…al…Alex…He was washing the dishes with me and then he fainted,and fell on the floor and blood started coming out."
"What?!,where is he now?"
Max rushed inside the living room and there was nobody else in there,it was quite.
"Your dad took him to the hospital,The ambulance came."
"Okay calm down now,Stop crying everything is going to be alright"
Max wiped the tears,and made his mom sit on the sofa,He got a glass of water for her,and sat beside her.
"Is it because of last night?did he catch cold or something."Max thought.
RING..RING..RING..
The phone rang,max picked up the phone,it was his dad.
"Where is Alex?"
"He's resting now!,give the phone to your mom"
Max's mom took the phone and went outside the room,his dad and Mom had a conversation for a while ,and suddenly she started crying like a baby,and the tears were pouring down as if flood gates opened.
"What did he say?,Mom!!"
"You stay out of this!"
"What?,I want to know,why are you crying,Alex is not Dead you know!!"
"…"
"Say something!!"
"MAX go to your room,Now!"
Max started breathing heavily,seeing his mothers reaction and went to his room and locked the door.