Blood gushes out. A sweet metallic scent fills the air in the apartment. My taste buds tingle to the unpleasant scent. A piece of my flesh hangs from my pinky. Blood red. Red as my birthstone, ruby. Flowing out like a river with a high current. My whole body’s in a trance. Shocked. Strong pulses radiate on my whole body. The throbbing fills my ears.
I see my brothers face. Wide eyes looking straight down at me. His pupils shake with fear. His jaw remains open. Blood continues to drip against the white door. The silver hinges now a dark crimson red. Screams fill up the room. My screams. A fine thin white piece sticks out in between all the flesh and blood. My vision gets hazy. The screams intensify. My eyes blood shot red. Mixtures of tears and blood form.
My mom rushes in from the kitchen with her lime green apron on. Another lady mirrors her actions in sync. Shock consumes her face. She cradles me in her arms. The blood stains her apron in irregular patches. It seeps through to her shirt. She rushes to the telephone in panic.
Bright white lights sting my puffy eyes. People in blue coats and masks surround me. My family nowhere to be seen. All I hear is mumbling. A transparent mask forces air down my throat. It relaxes me. My head throbs from the nonstop screams.
A screen to my right constantly beeps while creating zig-zags. White walls and white sheets surround me. My body trembles each time I try to move. I feel weak.
I look through the glass windows and see my family seated. Dad hands over a clipboard to a figure in all white. All three of my brothers look around eagerly, fascinated by everything. Mom and Dad seem extremely immersed into what the white figure has to say.
They rush into the room. Deep dark circles rest under their eyes. Their cheeks hollowed out and their eyes droopy.
“Oh, thank god you’re okay!” My mom says clenching her shirt. Her eyes well up.
“Let’s take you home now. We’ll buy your favorite dishes on our way home.” My dad gives me a reassuring smile.
A huge white cocoon like shaped bandage engulfs my pinky. It weighs my whole hand down. I can’t sense whether my actual pinky still exists. Did they cut it off or did they give me a new one?
Mom sets down the chicken biryani right in front of me. From grilled tikka to mashed potatoes fill the table. The aroma of the mixed masalas makes my stomach grumble. I smile and dive straight into the food. Everyone around the table begin their meal, except my brother.
He sits there with a blank and soulless stare. His cheeks burn red with fingerprints. A small gash runs on his jawline. I don’t question it. Staying silent would be best right now.
My mom tucks me in for the night, urging me to get some rest. I slip into my Hello Kitty pajamas and crawl into bed. The light from the hallway shines into the room. I hear a loud slap.
“What do you think you were doing?!” Another slap follows my dads rage.
“Stop! He’s only four, for heavens sake!” My mom tries to hold my dad back.
My brother weakly mumbles. Sobs and hiccups stop him from explaining himself.
“It was a mistake?! How many more mistakes are you going do? Until she has no more fingers left? Listen to yourself!” The buckle clatters as the leather material contacts my brothers body.
Dad’s scary when he’s mad. No one can control him. Or his belt. Not even mom. I feel bad for my brother. My eyes well up. He doesn’t deserve this.
This morning all three of my brothers took turns to play Maplestory. Eldest first. By the time the youngest ones turn came, my mom turned off the internet connection. Steam escaped his ears. His face tomato red. Much like Yosemite Sam from looney tunes. He tried to reason with my mother, but she continued to ignore him. My other two brothers snickered and started to play with their power ranger figurines. I tried to mind my own business and play with my dolls. No one payed attention to his miserable state. I reached into the hinge area of the door to pull myself up. To show his rage, my brother slammed the door shut. Had he known what would have happened next.
I close my eyes tightly. Everything will be fine. It’ll all be back to normal tomorrow, minus my pinky.
