Memories. Painful Memories

"Hello? It's me, Tsukasa. I'm here. May I enter?" I asked. The door opened and an old man walked through. He motioned me to come in. The house looked lively on the inside. It had pictures of the entire family. He smiled as he went by them. "Take a seat. I'll bring some refreshments."

I sat down in a room that had drawings on the wall. Clearly a child drew them. It felt nice. Being in house with such happiness made me feel at ease. The old man came along with a smile across his face. "Here," he said, handing me a glass of orange juice. "It's home-made." I drank up. "So, who's my appointment with?" I asked. He leaned back. "No need to rush, Mr Tsukasa, was it?"

I looked at the drawings a bit more. "These drawings are amazing. Who drew them?" I asked. They seemed to be drawn by children, but the house was quiet. "My daughter drew them. She's sleeping in her room. She loved drawing. A lot, actually." A look of despair fell over him. "I-I see. So, I assume my appointment is with her. May I go see her?" He stood up. "Oh, my name is Ray. Realised I didn't tell you," He laughed. He knocked on the door and entered. She was on her bed. No words were exchanged between them. His daughter also had a look of despair on her face. Must be hard for both of them. I thought. "Hey there! I'm Tsukasa! How are you?" She remained silent. "Uh, she doesn't talk much," Ray intervened. I sat down next to her. "You'll be fine, I promise!" She looked up towards me. "R-Really? C-Can you fix me?"

Ray motioned me to come outside. "Mr Tsukasa, this is hard for both of us. You can come back at the end of the day, if you want. I'll be here." I looked back at his daughter. She had eyes full of hope. "Very well. I will come back at the end of the day. Thank you for the drinks!" I said as I exited his house. He waved me off.

I arrived home and hopped on the couch. "Poor kid. I hope she's okay." I did nothing for the entire time I was home. It's always hard to try and relax before an appointment.

The time finally came. I left for Ray's house. "Hello, Ray? It's me, Tsukasa. I'm back, may I enter?" I heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. It opened and Ray came out with a smile. He had dark circles under his eyes. We entered and headed towards his daughter's room. I saw she, too, had dark circles under her eyes. She smiled at me and motioned me to sit. Her father sat with her hand in his palms. "Mr Tsukasa, I appreciate you trying to help me, but my father explained it. You can't fix me. No one can," She said, her voice weakening with every word. "Help my Dad. Please. He can't do anything on his own. He can't even remember to take his medication." Her father smiled. Tears welled up in his eyes. "She's right, you know? Even though she's been bedridden for a couple of months, she's the one taking care of me. I really will be hopeless without her. I will manage though. You don't have to worry!" She lay back down. "Mr Tsukasa, thank you. You can't help, but thank you for trying. And Dad... I love you. Don't forget your medicine, okay?" Her eyes closed and her hand left her father's. Her lifeless hand dropped to the floor as her father tried to wipe his tears away. "Now you know why I called you here. Poor Emma thought you were a doctor. She thought you could free her from the grip of death." He said as tears continued to flow down his cheeks. "Take any memories I have of my daughter away. I can't live with them. Not after she's gone."