Brink

Brink   

I woke up in the morning to find my mother bending over my brother, pouring some liquid in his mouth. I stretched and stood up, walking over to my sleeping brother. 

"Hey, what's that mom?" I asked her, looking down at my brother's stump of a leg. 

"This is some hot water mixed with herbs, hopefully it will ease his pain," my mother said, her voice cracking. 

"I'm going to go get some more water and wood for a fire," I told my mother unable to look at my brother anymore. 

As I walked to the forest, I thought of how I could have saved my brother if I had been a bit faster. If I had looked around and helped my brother instead of ignoring him and running to fight more enemies. I picked up a few thick sticks and walked back to the edge of the forest to leave them there. I turned around to head back into the forest to find more sticks when I heard my mother calling my name from the direction of the seashore. I turned and ran, fearing the worst. 

"What is it, ma? Is anything wrong?" I asked her, a cold feeling growing in my stomach. 

"Chenzi, there is a spear head stuck in his leg, and if I pull it out, he will die."