She remembered the times they went on ice-skating, the times they went on horse-riding. The Karate classes they attended...

Her sister, Anne used to be a strong lady.

THE STORY

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Walking down the stairs, Jasmine felt a heavy lump in her chest. The type that bore its abode in the absence of joy. Her weight had reduced drastically. Her eyes were pale and almost empty of emotions. Despite her emaciated appearance, she was nothing compared to her sick sister, Anne.

It was only this dull morning after two weeks that she had mustered the courage to visit Anne in her room.

Jasmine had herself locked up in her room. There she wept her eyes out. Life was going to be hell without Anne.

Thanks to the bar where Jasmine worked as a sales girl at night, more thanks to Fredrick, Anne’s ex-boyfriend that continued to take care of their expenses.

“My Anne… My Anne” Jasmine had wept in her room the past one week, pasting careful kisses on their pictures.

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Jasmine’s steps were slow and cautious as she approached Anne’s room. She trembled vigorously at the thought of finding her sister dead. The doctor had said she lived in her last years now. All they could do was indulge in futile acts of using drgs and chemotherapy.

Anne would die in the hands of her her killer disease: Cancerous brain tumour.

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A wave of anguish hit Jasmine as she raised her hand to knock on Anne’s door.

“Oh God” She panicked.

Tears that she had been fighting quickly rushed down.

“Anne… would… leave… me soon” Thirteen years old Jasmine wept.

She aborted her mission and instead sat by the door side. She was careful not to let out any moan despite how hard she cried.
The tail of her skirt became her victim. She twisted and twisted it angrily, nervously, sadly, till her hand started to hurt.

“Anne, are you there?” Jasmine whispered weakly. The tears had weakened her.

“Anne” She called a second time.

A warm breeze immediately blew past her as if it passed by to convey to her of an impending doom.

“Busy old fool!” Jasmine cried out before making a forceful attempt to grab the air that mocked her but an accident occurred.

“Argggg” Jasmine screamed as she slipped, colliding against Anne’s door.

The door opened with a loud force and Jasmine somersaulted in.

“Oh damn!” Jasmine cursed coyly.

Too coy to get up, she remained close to the bed where she had landed.

Is that you Anne , Jasmine thought. Her eyes had caught a glance of her sister when she somersaulted in and she was just the perfect epitome of a living dead.

Tears burned Jasmine’s eyes terribly, she quickly grabbed the tail end of her skirt for strength. That was when Anne spoke.

“Baby sister? Is that you” Anne asked. Despite how hard she tried to make her voice sound healthy, Jasmine noticed all the strain and weakness and she held her skirt even tighter.

“I… I… came”

Jasmine stood up slowly with her head bent. She didn’t look straight into Anne’s eyes. She threw her head up down and as she did, memories of the beautiful sweet energetic past flooded her mind.

She remembered the times they went on ice-skating; the times they went on horse-riding. The Karate classes they attended.
Anne used to be a strong lady.

“No Anne” Jasmine cried out, her moulded courage failed her. She couldn't accept her sister's decaying health. She turned swiftly and started to run out.

Just as she was about to exit the door, something that felt like a book landed on her back. Jasmine came to a sudden halt. She reached quickly for her anchor: the tail of her skirt before turning back to look at whatever it was that hit her.

It was Anne’s drawing book.

The drawing book laid in front of Jasmine. Jasmine recognized the drawing despite its new deformities. Anne had drawn Jasmine two weeks ago and she had shown it to Jasmine. The drawing was magnificent but now it had grown horns, the teeth had become ugly and big and the skirt was now the perfect size for fat old nanny Theresa.

“Why did you do this to me” Jasmine fumed.

“Because I missed you. Why did you leave me for a week? I will draw another one” Anne said slowly before suddenly grabbing her head with her hands.

Her forehead and chin immediately formed wrinkles from her unuttered declaration of pain.

Jasmine trembled but she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to act calm. So she ran towards Anne, threw her arms carefully around her before sitting at her side.

“Anne, you want to listen to a story?”

“Yes”

“Good…good. Funny? Silly?... Horror” Her voice broke into nervous lines.

“Funny and silly” Anne replied slowly before reaching for her sister’s hand, squeezing them with an innate vigour. Both hands intertwined, a story of painful love and shame was born.

“Enjoy the story” Jasmine giggled then she began her story.

Together, they travelled into all planets. They swam in the Mississippi. They dined with fairies and kissed all noble and handsome men that ever lived.

She told the story of Lady sapphire, a witch who seduced a knight only to steal his pintle away from him!

“His pintle disappeared” Jasmine laughed uncontrollably. The sister joined in the soiled laughter.

“Where is my pintle, where is my pintle” The knight screamed running about the room.

“Guess where he saw it, Anne?” Jasmine laughed harder rolling carefully into her sister’s arm.

“Where?... Where Jasmine?

“On lady sapphires’ neck! IT HUNG ON HER NECK LIKE A CROSS” Jasmine said, feeling like a goddess who had just prophesied.

“His pintle was gone! The knight took to his heels, leaving his underwear behind!”

They laughed and laughed and laughed, taking their fill from the last joyful moments they shared together.

Amidst the laughter, Jasmine felt a sudden grip of her hand. The grip felt like a call for help.

“Anne” Jasmine screamed.

Anne began to puke uncontrollably. She groaned tragically. Her shivering hands held her cancerous head tightly.

“It’s too much Jasmine. It’s too much Jasmine” Anne managed to say as she puked and struggled with an insane headache.

Jasmine shivered all over. She stared at the sister who had taken a bullet for her when their parent had their stupid fights. Her sister who had become her mother when theirs left them. Her sister who had sacrificed her body so they could survive. Her sister who left her life to live in hers.

“Too much... too much Jasmine” Anne said before falling weakly to the floor, still holding her head.

“Get out Jasmine! I don’t want you to see me like”

“I cannot leave you, Anne” Jasmine broke into tears.

“Get out!!!” Anne screamed loudly. Sticky liquid rushed out of her mouth and nose.

“Anne” Jasmine screamed, she squeezed her skirt tighter.

“Too much pain! Get out!!!”

Jasmine fled out. She felt a cold fire arose in her as she sat outside Anne’s door step.

Then she thought about the secret her sister thought she never knew. When their mother left them because of their father’s trouble, Anne became a wicked pitiable lion.

Jasmine knew her sister’s secret. That night, she had seen it all. She had peeped through the door's hole and had seen Anne suffocate their father to death with a pillow.

“Die! Die! Die!” She had heard Anne say like a monster, a vampire or a werewolf.

But what Anne would never know also was that Jasmine had also gone there that night to kill their father.

“Too much... too much…somebody help” Anne cried within.

Jasmine heard her sister groaned. The memory of Anne’s sudden hold of her hand flooded her mind.

“Somebody help, somebody help” Anne pleaded in her room. Jasmine heard everything.

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Jasmine held her skirt again, then she realized she had come to a decision. She couldn’t let her sister suffer anymore. She was going to be her sister’s killer.

She would kill her just the way Anne had killed their father.

Just the way, she, Jasmine wanted to kill him too.

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Images are from Pixabay

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Thanks for reading!

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See you during at Steemit In Nigeria

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@camzy made this adorable toon for me.

My Pen Bleeds!