Anyway, this story was inspired by the scene in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that leads up to the woman breaking her ankle (or something like that, the details are a bit fuzzy) and it reminded me of the butterfly effect which I am in love with (not the movie with Ashton Kutcher but the actual idea of a butterfly effect that relates to chaos theory).
And this story is a bit dark but I spent a long time trying to think of a clever story that would make you want to read it over again.
So here goes!
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Claudia was halfway down the flight of stairs leading from her apartment when she remembered that, in her haste, she had left her door unlocked. Being late was not an option, and so she quickly sprinted back up, as fast as one could in a new pair of stilettos, to clumsily lock it. Although she had always hated the idea of it, she decided she had no choice but to take a shortcut through the small lane behind her apartment.
Little did she know that, at the same time, a group of four men were driving in a ramshackle car looking for some cruel fun. They were incredibly excited, as if they had just won the lottery. In actual fact, they were searching for something when they saw a young woman rush out of the back entrance of her apartment and into the deserted lane just behind the car park.
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It was when she woke up the next day in an unusually hard hospital bed, that Claudia met Erik.
For a while, Erik had been visiting this very room of their meeting every day except the day of Claudia’s accident, so you can imagine his surprise when he saw that a young woman was asleep on the now untidy bed. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered the bedside table, sprawled with numerous vases of colourful flowers, “Get Well Soon!” cards, opened magazines and fancy photo frames. A tear threatened to escape his eye’s grasp, and it would have done so if it were not for Claudia waking up at that exact moment.
The next few weeks were a blur of blossoming love. Life was fragile, more so than it was cruel, and thus Erik and Claudia both personally resolved to make the most out of every minute they shared. As the doctors would say, time was running out, for Claudia had previously donated her left kidney to a stranger who really needed it, out of the kindness of her heart.
Now this act of kindness might just be her death.
One day, he learnt that he would never see her walk. She learnt that he had a troubling past, but nothing more. Soon, curiosity grew so strong that she could not resist asking. A little shocked, he hesitated. Inhaled. Looked at his feet, shuffling uncomfortably.
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“Wow, just on time,” He thought.
The clock glowed a red 6:00pm.
“10 o’clock, right? Not too late, we need our sleep,” she smiled, looking happily at her bulging tummy. He looked at it too, wondering how safe the baby was with her driving. Getting out of the car he greeted his friends, maniacs in his sister’s eyes. He could feel her judging gaze as she drove off. She had always disapproved of them, but what was she to do? She wasn’t his mother.
Ten o’clock came and he was a completely different man. Angry, proud, stubborn. But she had seen this ugliness before. Once again, he was coaxed into climbing into the car. Once again, her evil trickery was realised as they arrived at her house. But the unusual thing this time was that he became dreadfully infuriated. Too much alcohol, perhaps?
The few minutes that followed were a bit confusing. He was never that violent before. Ignorant, yes. Inconsiderate, yes. But this was a completely different level. There was a depth of hatred and anger previously unsurpassed that would never be realised by the majority of the human population.
If there was any advantage to the terrifying screams and shouts, it was that they served a signal for passers-by to call for the police. Unfortunately by then, it was too little too late.
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Maybe if the police came just a little earlier…
No. I’m all to blame. It wouldn’t have made a difference. He thought painfully.
Claudia was unsure of what to say to him. A little satisfied he could trust her with such information, a little disappointed in him, a little regretful she even asked.
She was saying something, but Erik didn’t take notice. All he could hear was the voices of his sister’s doctors echoing in his empty mind.
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“Come to think, it’s a miracle the baby survived such a beating”
“She would have to live off one kidney until she gives birth”
“Her blood type is a rare one”
“Good news, we found a matching donor!”
“I’m sorry, but the transplant failed”
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Claudia’s blood type was rare too. She signed up on the organ donors list because she knew that small sacrifices could often make large differences in life. She vaguely remembered the recipient. They found a match the transplant was only carried out a month or so after that. In fact, didn’t she donate her kidney to a recently pregnant woman?
“What a coincidence…” She thought to herself.
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As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he could see it in her. Claudia’s kidney was failing her, her eyes were dulling, her hair graying, her hands weakening. Overall she just looked sick; unrecognisable.
Eventually he was alone in this cruel world.
Erik visited his friends, whom for the past few weeks he had neglected. He didn’t have to say anything; they all understood. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a Polaroid film. There was Claudia, staring back at him, smiling a care-free smile.
“She’s beautiful isn’t she?” He half murmured to himself.
“She looks strangely familiar…”
And that was when he realised.
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It was the day after his sister’s death. Erik was overcome with guilt; he didn’t know what to do. Usually he would drink, but that was what got him here in the first place. He would avoid that option. Although, it seemed almost impossible to resist.
“Ahh, come on, cheer up.”
“Say, let’s just get a few drinks!”
“Yeah, we promise we won’t make you drink too much!”
Sadly, he was the type that was easily influenced. It didn’t help that his friends were the type that didn’t keep such promises. It was morning and they were all heavily drunk. Clumsily climbing into one of their old, worn cars, one friend asked, “Erik, what do you want? We’ll do anything for you, mate!”
“I wanna kill someone. And I want my sister back.”
After much bickering about what was to be done next, Erik started slipping in between consciousness and unconsciousness. He was the weakest in terms of alcohol intake.
It was all a blur but he remembered several glimpses of the main road. And then a glimpse of a narrow lane.
Someone was yelling.
“Shoot a car, Erik!”
A gun was placed in his hands.
“Come on, just pick one!”
As if in slow motion, Erik aimed at a car.
As if in slow motion,
“Wait!”
Erik pulled a trigger.
“STOP!”
As if in slow motion, a woman caught the bullet in her side.
He passed out before the frenzy occurred. Before the driver sped off, almost crashing the car as he narrowly swerve around to avoid the woman’s stilettos around her fallen feet.
