Page 16 - Words

Creativity Lam Jinn Laan, Serene 5D (2016-2017)

No, he could not give up. He gasped again, and took another step forward.
To live or not to live was a struggle.
Blood dripped all the way through his journey. Red spots diffused
into the white one by one. As bright as they could be, the red spots lay
desperately on the pale white, as if they were little dancers, lamenting
Leonardo’s foreseen death with their last celebration.
Step by step, Leonardo fled back home. Relieved, he lay down on the
bed of hay. He closed his eyes peacefully.
When he woke up, Lisa had already returned. He moaned and used
his arms to support himself to get up, but the wound on his stomach
started to ache again, as if there were a thousand needles prickling him
consistently. He looked beside him, and there he saw his beloved wife, Lisa.
Lisa seemed ill. Her face was pale and her hair was not combed. Worse still,
despite being pregnant, Lisa looked thinner than before.
‘Where have you been? Why did you leave me?’ Lisa’s face contorted
with disbelief, ‘What did you do? Why are you hurt? Have you thought
about me? Or your child? Leonardo, why?’
Leonardo was desperate to answer; yet he found himself unable to
speak. ‘Lisa... Lisa... I...’
His broken voice had already told Lisa enough. She calmed down and
gave him a faint smile, ‘Well, that’s not important now, right...’ She gazed
at him strongly and firmly, ‘We’ll survive this. Together.’
Agonized, Leonardo tried to reach out, ‘Lisa. Cough, cough…,’ he
cried out coughing and lying back down.
Lisa shook her head in despair, ‘No, darling... You’ve done enough for
this family. Now it’s my time to make things right.’

16 With Pride, We Stride