Game over [Archives:2008/1133/Community]
By: Ghaleb Hassan Al-Ahlasi
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[email protected]
“GAME OVER” the screen read.
“That's not fair!” Khalid shouted, “I haven't even started yet.”
“Well, it's not my fault,” his older brother Abed replied.
“Please, brother,” Khalid said entreatingly, “You're very good at this game. Once you start it, you never finish.”
“What?” Abed said calmly, “You want me to lose so that you can play?”
“No, I just want you to let me play another game.”
“Are you joking?”
“No, I'm not. Please, brother.”
“Shut up and give me that control.”
“Come on, brother, I'm begging you.”
“Don't even try it.”
“Please
“I told you to give me that damned control!” Abed shouted.
“Just one game. It's only one.”
“I said no!” they both started shouting, tightening their grip on the control.
“Mama! Mama!” Abed shouted.
“What's up?” their 40-year-old mother said coming from the kitchen with a knife.
“Khalid wants to play another game.”
“Well then, let him play it.”
“But he's already played one.”
“Is that true, Khalid?”
“Yes, Mama, but Abed is very good at this game and he'll take up the whole day playing it!”
“Well, it's not my fault if you're a bad loser.”
“Mama, please tell him just one game!”
“The stars in the sky are much nearer for you,” Abed said ominously.
“Abed, let him play.”
“No!”
“Abed, I said let him play or I'll turn it off!”
“And I said no! I'm the one who asked father to buy it. I'm the one who did everything. It's all mine!”
“But father said it's for both of us!”
“And I'm saying it's all mine!”
“Ok,” their mother interrupted, “as you wish,” she said, turning off the power and taking the game. “Neither of you is going to play it!”
The two brothers remained silent, watching their mother take the game, angrily threatening, “I'll tell your father to throw this thing out of the house! I don't want to hear any word from you!”
After five minutes of sitting sadly and silently, Abed turned to his brother and said angrily, “See what you've done, you idiot!”
“It wasn't me. It was your selfishness,” Khalid said, but he was scared.
“You're just a dirty, stupid idiot. I'm going to kill you one day!”
“You're just a selfish idiot! If you touch me, I'll tell father!”
“Isn't it enough that I let you play my game?”
“It's not yours, it's ours!”
“No, it's mine and you're going to tell mother to return it!”
“No, I'm not.”
“Yes, you are! You're going to tell her or you won't play any other game.”
“Hah! You'll have to kill me first!”
“You see, Khalid, I'm still using words. I haven't started using my hands. Don't force me to use them.”
“Well, don't force me to tell father.”
“Is that your final answer?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Ok.”
Another five minutes passed in silence, during which Abed was burning like hell and Khalid was as scared as a mouse. Before the sixth minute ended, Abed stood up and slapped Khalid. With a very red face, Khalid also stood, trying to slap Abed back but he couldn't. Abed's hands and legs were pummeling Khalid's body like a machine as Khalid's tears poured like rain.
Unable to take it any longer, he started to shout for his mother, but before he could complete the word “Mama,” Abed strongly clamped his hands over Khalid's mouth and continued beating him. Khalid could neither move nor breathe. He squirmed under Abed's hands like a fish until eventually, no movement came from him.
Afraid, Abed attempted to stir his brother, but nothing happened. He called to him and then cried out even louder, “Khalid!” at which their mother came running, only to see Abed crying over his brother's dead body.
——
[archive-e:1133-v:15-y:2008-d:2008-02-28-p:community]
