Life is a world of chances. You never know what’s gonna happen but you still take those chances anyways. If you make the right choices, life can be a fun, irreplaceable experience. However, if you slip up and miss your chances then life becomes grey and dull.

I think these words in my mind as I stand in my sister’s room. The lights are off and the clouds are crying outside. My entire body is drenched; my clothes soak through and cling to my body. The cold seeps through my clothes, my skin, and into my soul. It freezes my very core and I don’t bother to take the quick ten steps to go to my room and change my clothes.

A tree branch taps on the window. It’s the same one my sister had always complained about. Since I was the “man of the house”, it made sense in her mind that I should be the one to cut that branch down. I never did though. It was a chance I didn’t take. One of many that I didn’t take.

Speaking of chances, he had several chances. My sister gave him all the chances he would ever need and more, but he never took them. I couldn’t understand why though. I mean, my sister was a wonderful person. She was the one who told me how life is a world of chances.

But how come she never had any of her own?

I sit on her bed that was still made the way she had left it. She always had a peculiar way of tucking all the corners of her duvet under the mattress except for the top left corner. She said she liked it that way because it made it easier for her to throw the covers off quickly. I hear a dry chuckle that sounds more like a dying animal and I realize that the one making that noise is me. I guess crying like a baby does a toll on your throat.

As memories flood my mind, I absentmindedly trail my fingers over the smooth, multi-colored duvet. It doesn’t fit the rest of the room, which is also a splash of colors but my sister never really did like matching things. She was unpredictable and you never knew what to expect from her. But, that was one of the reasons why so many people loved her. She was spontaneous, making different choices every day.

“Remember, Hunnie Bear, don’t miss any opportunities in your life. Take a chance because it’s not gonna hurt you; it’ll only open up more paths for you.”

That’s what she would say to me if she were here right now. If she was here right now, she would pat me on the shoulder and smile that blindingly radiant smile that could light up anyone’s day. She would look out the window and point, saying how I could just walk outside and there were so many chances waiting for me.

But, she isn’t here right now. She disappeared and it’s all because of him.