Till the End

As Eventide approached, a crow, its wings resembling a shroud covering the moonlight, came into view and perched atop an old, ruined factory. It began to emit a mournful cry, as though foretelling someone's demise. Below, in the darkness, sat two school kids with their heads bowed to their knees. The only source of light in their vicinity was an old, flickering lamp on the rooftop.

One of the students, seemingly a girl, sobbed in that posture, her gaze fixed on the abyss. The second child, around the same age, turned his head towards the girl and pondered silently, "Ahh, she's crying again. It's been a while since everything happened, but I shouldn't dwell on those memories now. This is not the right time. Right now, she's crying, and I need to stop her tears because she's my only friend. Maybe I should initiate a conversation, even if it requires some force."

He began to gently nudge Ishita's back to rouse her from her misery and started speaking, "Hey Ishita, are you crying? I can see that. I'm here with you."

She continued to cry loudly, her sobs echoing in the dark. In this trying situation, Rohit felt confused about what to do. He thought to himself, "I'm not sure how to handle this situation. It's the first time I've had to do something like this. In the past, it was always her who comforted me when I was in pain or trouble. She was always there to help. So, what should I do now? Should I use some physical force? Would it be okay to touch her like a friend would, or would it bother her?"

After pondering for a moment, he positioned himself in front of Ishita and gently grasped her arms, lifting her up. In a calm voice, he said, "Now, stop crying for a moment and stand on your feet."

Ishita stood as instructed, tears still streaming down her face. Her face was now visible, and Rohit noticed the streaks of kohl running from her eyelids to her cheeks, darkening her complexion. Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a handkerchief, using it to wipe away the smeared kohl from her cheeks. With a friendly tone, he said, "Do you remember who gave me this handkerchief? Let me remind you if you've forgotten. This handkerchief was a gift from someone during middle school. I had fallen from a swing, and my left knee was bleeding. Back then, I was a timid child who cried easily. Someone came to my rescue, cleaned the wound with water, and bandaged it with this handkerchief. Do you remember now? Do you remember who that person was? It was you. You're the one who helped me and gave me this handkerchief. It's strange; I have quite a strong memory. I usually don't forget events in my life. I don't know if I should consider it a blessing or a curse."

She heard every word, but she continued to cry and made an effort to hold back her tears. Her face turned bright red, and she eventually covered her face with her palm, the effort of not crying causing her face to redden even more. Still, she remained silent, looking at the ground. Rohit noticed her struggle and came up with a plan to cheer her up.

With enthusiasm, he said, "Oh, hey, Ishita, look at this. It's a hopscotch game. You just had a memory flashback, so maybe you'll recall that we used to play hopscotch when we were toddlers. Imagine how much fun we had playing this game together. Well, it's been a long time, and I'm not sure if I can do it again, but maybe you can. Let's see."

Rohit picked up a small rock from the ground, tossed it onto number 1 of the hopscotch grid, and began the game. He hopped onto number 2 with one leg, struggling to maintain his balance. He continued, "Wow, it's tough to balance with this body. Now, I'll jump to numbers 4 and 5, skipping 3 because I'm not sure if I can manage another one-legged jump."

He successfully landed on numbers 4 and 5 with one leg in both boxes, then proceeded to jump to numbers 7 and 8 in the same fashion, skipping number 6. Catching his breath, he looked up at Ishita, who was watching him intently with a desire to join in. Rohit realized her eagerness and said, "See, what did I tell you? I can still play this game reasonably well. I'd love some company while playing, but if I have to go solo, that's okay."

While playing, Rohit continued to think, "Maybe she'll move a muscle now. It's fine if she doesn't want to be involved, but at least she's stopped crying. That's enough for me." He completed the first phase of the game, hopped out of the table, and said, "My turn is over. You can take this rock if you want to join."

Ishita walked towards Rohit with a puzzled expression, took the rock, and glanced at the hopscotch grid. She threw the rock at number 1, then jumped to number 3, bypassing number 2. She leaped again, landing on numbers 4 and 5, with one leg in both boxes. Finally, she jumped to numbers 7 and 8, mirroring Rohit's movements, and then completed the first phase by jumping out of the table. Without uttering a word, she handed the rock back to Rohit and resumed her position.

Rohit couldn't help but cheer, "No words, huh? Well, I expected as much. Thank you. Now, it's my turn again. Just wait and watch. I'm going for number 2."

As he prepared to take his turn, Rohit reminisced, "I remember how we used to play this game together. Even though I never won against her whenever we played or participated in any activity, she was always on top. She gave her all in everything, from academics to video games. She was driven, competitive, and relentless in her pursuit of excellence. I don't like losing either, but for her sake, I'd lose intentionally, just to fuel her competitive spirit. If I could support her ambition with my losses, I'd gladly be the second-best that no one cared about. She's my one and only friend."

Despite his intention to lose, Rohit tried to provoke Ishita with spirited shouts, "Today, I'm going to win! I'll prove my dominance over you, just this once, to show that I'm not weak and to demonstrate my skills. I'm better than you, just wait and see."

With that, he threw a rock onto number 2 and began hopping, first on numbers 4 and 5, then on 7 and 8, skipping 1, 3, and 6. As he tried to jump directly from number 8 to number 3, his knee joint cracked, causing him to fall to the ground. Ishita, concerned, rushed to help him stand, but he struggled to rise. He managed to crawl a bit and reassured her, "Oh, I'm fine. My bad, I tried to skip more than I could handle. I'll get back on my feet soon. Don't stare at me like that. I lost this round. Now, it's your turn."

Attempting to divert her attention, Rohit continued, "Hey, I'm watching you. It's your turn. Complete number 2, and you'll win again. Don't be as overconfident as I was. It's all yours."

Despite Rohit's encouragement, Ishita simply walked away, abandoning the game. Rohit couldn't fathom why she gave up so easily. He called out, "Why are you so close to victory? Just one more step, and you'd have another win in your pocket. Why did you give up?"

In response, Ishita walked back to her previous spot, buried her head in her knees, and began crying even louder. Rohit, seeing this, crawled back to his original position and touched her back gently. The crow perched on the factory and watched them silently. Rohit eventually lay down, closing his eyes, and the crow cried out loudly as if marking the end of something. The crow then flew away.

End of Story