Andre

|| André grew up in a loud household with three older brothers, six older sisters, five younger brothers, two little sisters and a twin. He loved them all dearly although he did find it hard to talk to anyone except his twin brother Alma. The two would always play together and then when they were old enough, they would help out on the farm as best they could. One day, Alma and André were messing around when they heard a snake. André was paralyzed with fear, since he was deadly afraid of snakes, unaware of the way it reared its head back and got closer and closer. Alma screamed for him to move, to run, do anything but stand there but he couldn't. He was frozen as the snake lashed out. A familiar pair of hands pushed him out of the way and André toppled over as his twin got bit. He screamed, and André screamed too, grabbing a rock and smashing the animal until it was gone. He grabbed Alma, dragging him back to the house and twisting his ankle in one of the snake holes in the field. He fell down, sobbing as the sun set and he clutched Alma's feverish body to himself. His father found him in the morning, screaming hoarsely for help as he rocked back and forth holding Alma's now dead body. His dad tried to take him away but he wouldn't let him, thrashing and screaming when they tried to take Alma away. Eventually he succumbed to the shock and the pain and passed out in one of his older brothers arms. If only he had listened to Alma... Then this wouldn't have happened. They would have been sitting next to each other during dinner telling of how they narrowly escaped instead of André sitting on a stool in the kitchen, staring down at his empty hands ||

 || Both he and Alma were left handed, and it seemed so cruel that his brother would lose something and not him... He grabbed the meat cleaver and lifted it high, bringing it down with a scream as one of his older sisters rushed in, dropping a large pot and grabbing the large knife before he could hurt himself anymore, his hand laying useless on the ground as he sobbed || He began to take walks by himself, talking to the empty air next to him as he avoided everyone who shared a face with his twin... Who shared a face with him. On one of these walks he was approached by a strange man on a train and, with some difficulty, opened the envelope that was handed to him. A wish? He wished.... He began to cry as he realized what he really wanted would never happen, so he wished instead for something different. Something that may keep others around him alive ||