Twin

"Get ready, get ready", hearing my mother tell us both I assume. I could hear her loud and clear from the outside.

Father started the car to warm her cold engine. I helped do the regular checkups on her, as I usually did.

Don't you find it funny that despite I, being the youngest twin, I'm much closer to my father than my mother.

I know she loves me, but she has a weird way of showing it.

My father put that thought of mine on hold as he asked me a question while checking the oil.

"You haven't told your mother right? What you seen me doing that weekend she was away", he asked.

I nodded my head, telling him, "it was our little secret like you said"

"Good boy", he told me. "Best not to tell your brother too"

After the checkups on the car, my brother came running to car screaming, "SHOTGUN, SHOTGUN"

He quickly booked his seat in front, as I found mine in the back with Mom.

Father drove us along, the trip was long and boring. Honestly I never really looked forward to this whole ordeal.

Mother began to speak strangely to me, saying things she's never said before.

"I love you sweetie, and I want you to know that you can tell me ANYTHING, even if it's a secret. It will be our little" secret too.

I gave a smile, pushing away the conversation. "Okay mom", I quietly said.

Eventually we needed to stop for a little toilet break. We stopped at a convenient store. We jumped out of the car, mother held my brother's hand as she left mine alone.

Feeling like the family's shadow in that moment, I followed them behind.

Father's phone rang, he went aside to answer it and I noticed my mother's face turn sore as that happened. She went down on her knees and spoke to us.

"Best make our use of the toilet quick, your father likes to keep his time"

We went into the toilet, meeting a man in there who said, "Oooooh, such a split image that you can easily mistake them both"

How I HATE it when people do that, often times they can rub the notion that I'm the youngest.

We got back into the car and continued our boring journey once again. Finally we arrived at the lake, mother made us unpack the things from the car.

Honestly between us both, my brother was the only one excited about this whole trip.

Father started to braai the meat, mother set the table. My brother and I sat by the lake's deck, our feet hanging above the water.

I asked him, "do you ever feel like you've seen something you shouldn't of seen. Now both sides give you hate"

His face fell into confusion. Before he could answer, our mother called us for lunch.

Taking our first steps, my heart stopped at a cracking sound. Suddenly we we're in the water.

Could I swim? No, not even a little.

My brother fought to get back to the surface and I was underneath him, deep inside the waters.

I held onto his leg, desperately clinging on it for dear life. I was slowly dying beneath my brother's feet. He kept kicking my face in panic, till I lost my grip.

Slowly sinking into the waters, I seen my brother's rescue in plain view.

"Don't forget me", I whispered in my head.

Closing my eyes, I hit the lake's bottom. I took one last breath of life, a couple bubbles to complement my dying breath.

Before it all faded to black, I seen my father back in the waters to the rescue. But his efforts were all too late.

"In these waters is my death,

At the bottom of the lake, beneath it's depths.

Why father, why.

You let me down just like mother.

I died without saying goodbye,

For both your love was more for my brother.

Goodbye to you both.

You picked the child of more worth."

_ Twin