By Agyei Augustine
8th August, 2021

NIGHTMARE
Then on April 14, a Sunday afternoon, I got a call from my mom that my sister had been admitted at the hospital. As his only brother, I immediately think to go there. Mom remind me “Auge” we can’t go there. Right, No one is allowed. The hospital is restricting visitors. Sister Rita is diagnosed with the deadly disease and placed in an intensive care unit. This begins with a new normal life of caring for my sister from afar.
I fight for 24 hours to change her “do not resuscitate code status”. When she was admitted at the hospital non-responsive, she is asked if she wants to be incubated if necessary.
According to the Emergency room attendants, she said “No” I was livid. Yet victory comes when her code status is changed to resuscitate. That same night, I asked for permission to incubate her. I say Yes. This is the first of my request I grant on my sister’s journey towards surviving her ailment. There is victory in every step.
My days begin with me calling the hospital for an update report from the night nurse. In the early evening, I call to speak with the day nurse before that shift changes. Then I text my family to update them on Sister Rita. No matter what the report, I look for something that will encourage my family.

Three days had passed and my sister still at the hospital. I felt the pains in my heart and the tears that had built up in my eyes, and had blurred my vision. From time to time, I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand. But the more I did, the more the tears refilled my reddened eyes.
I therefore imagined myself as part of the ocean that stood 6km away from my home and longed to explore it as a way to relieve my pains.
As I walked along the shore, I found a young girl with brown hair and green energetic eyes smiling at me. Who are you? I wondered as she seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Name is Aravis, I am a friend. I had thought of the same thing and maybe a friend wouldn’t be so bad.
The Scopuli Isles were a legend in their part of town. Everyone heard stories about the enchanted waters that could give you the desire you had most at the time. On this day, because of the pandemic there were only six people around including Aravis and myself. We decided to make wonderous adventure on that Scopuli Isles. Suddenly, we were making our voyage towards the Scopuli Isles. I waved goodbyes with Aravis next to me, one armed wrapped around her shoulder. I was very amazed and grateful as I felt the wind brush my hair back and roll over my face welcoming me to the open sea. Aravis was all smiles and laughter as she shouted for joy over the ocean and pointed out all the various parts of the ship that he had contributed. As he continued to show me around the ship, I realized I was getting some angry glances and death glares from two of the crew members. A short stubby man with ragged clothes, leathery skin and two of the remaining teeth began to follow us around muttering words like cursed and doomed and bad luck. What is this guy about? I leaned in closer to Aravis. Oh don’t worry about him- He is one of the older members of the crew who are really superstitious. Superstitious about what. About having newly visitors on the board. There are legends of bringing new visitors on board brings awful luck to the voyage. But Daniel and June were also strangers on board. I grew more annoyed with them each hour and the feeling was mutual. No matter what I did one of them was there glaring at me. At that moment, a girl I thought, Aravis, was up high in the crow nest with her pen and paper calculating where we were and how much longer she guessed we have to go.
So we were waiting to hear her new finding. We should be there in two days time if my calculations are correct. She was excited and it spread like sunshine to the rest of the ship. Even the superstitious cronies were excited at the thought and everyone seemed to be working hard and with added purpose.
The next morning came with the most prominent sea storm that I had ever seen. I was unceremoniously awakened by being tossed out of my bed and onto the slippery floor of the room. Then I heard my phone was ringing from my little bag of which I always hang my phone. I ran to pick the call and realized my sisters day nurse at the hospital. She wanted to update me about my sisters condition when the phone fell off my hands into the ocean.
It’s a cyclone or something! One of the crew members yelled over the noise. The entire ship was being tossed back and forth as if the waves were playing hot potato with it. The boards of the ship began creaking and groaning and even breaking off in parts that were picked up by the wind and flung dangerously through the air like sharp knives and whips.
Aravis attempted to lift me from the wet floor. Once I was semi- stable, we helped June and Daniel up. I went into my room and started praying that this storm would come to a stand still.
Afterwards, I called my mum with Aravis phone to explain to her that I was in some deep shit.
The wind kept blasting through the top and yanking us from our already unsteady footing . Aravis ran out and grabbed hold of Daniel blouse tearing it as she pulled him back down and entwined his hands around the rough rope in the ship. At this moment, I realized Aravis was much more than a man. She is stonger.

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