Golden Bell

Alice sat in a corner, watching keenly at the sympathizers gathered at her father's burial. "Take heart, Alice," her father's closest friend whispered to her in a quiet voice, his eyes teary. "Everything is under control. All hope is not lost," he added as he embraced her.

Meanwhile, Henry was seated at a distance, his arms crossed, gazing at his sister. "I'm here for you, Alice. I will be your backbone," Henry assured his sister as he sped to her side, noticing her isolation. He enveloped her as her tears dropped onto his chest. "I will be your rock," he whispered to her, his voice gloomy.

Alice's eyes were flooded with tears uncontrollably, as were Henry's. But he knew he had to be strong for her.

"What will you eat?" Henry enquired from Alice, she has been starving herself since morning.

"I don't have an appetite. I just want to be left alone," Alice pleaded, hurrying to her room. Abandoning her brother.

After everywhere was deserted, Henry strolled to check on his sister. "Her deep closeness with our parents has made their demise take a total turn on her," he whispered to himself as he got closer to her bedroom.

He swung the door open and noticed she was already asleep. "She cried her eyes to sleep. I know that," Henry murmured.

A few weeks after the burial, Henry said to his sister, "I will resume work tomorrow. It's been a few weeks since Dad's burial. What about you, Alice? Won't go back to work?" He enquired from her at the dining table, where she looked sober.

"I will start soon," Alice responded.

"Good night," she said, retiring to bed. Her eyes still looked devastated, red from crying. Meanwhile, Henry just wants her to move on; the only way is to start working. Her profession as a web developer takes a lot of her time. That will sway her mind from thinking too much about their parent's demise.

"I hope I didn't say anything wrong," Henry wondered as he also retired to his bedroom as well.

The next day, Henry went to work as planned. However, Alice was still deeply asleep, which tells him that she had a sleepless night. Because no matter the circumstances, she gets up early.

As a small grocery shop owner, Henry works on his terms. He has been trying to keep his struggling business afloat.

"How are you doing today, Alice? You were asleep when I left in the morning," Henry asked in a rough voice.

"How was work today? Are you okay? You seem stressed," Alice asked, noticing her brother's fatigued face.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm just stressed. I need to rest," Henry replied, retiring to his bedroom.