Goodbye, my beloved brother

The young girl clings firmly to the last thing that remains of her big brother. Except for his longtime soft toy, she has nothing left of him. All that remains are memories. Memories that hurt Zuri every time. It is so difficult for her to think of him. Because Luke only lives in her memories. He is no longer with Zuri. He will never come back again. And that hurts her incredibly.

She misses him. She misses her big brother so much. Sure, she has two other older siblings, but that doesn't fill the huge gap in her heart. Luke is just a memory. His loving, happy, and funny way is only a memory.

Zuri knows that her siblings also miss her brother very much. Especially Ravi, who was very close to Luke. They all loved him very much, even if Zuri in particular never really showed it. Until his death. When she found out that he died while sleeping, she collapsed and cried.

Luke and she were very similar. Both liked to play pranks, both were pretty cheeky. But Zuri's life has changed completely. She cries a lot, wants to be alone a lot. She wants to be able to mourn alone. Say goodbye to her big brother, whom she has always looked up to. But she can't.

Only now is she realizing how precious and important every moment is. She is grateful for every hug and every little moment with him, even if he previously seemed completely insignificant. Now everything is different.

Jessie tries to stay strong, as does Bertram, but of course, Zuri is not stupid. She often hears both of them crying. Every morning at breakfast a place is left empty when there is no laughter and when they do something together, someone is missing. It is so unfamiliar and hurts every time. They are all slowly learning to come back to life, but it will never be the same again. Luke is missing. He is missing every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. A huge gap has arisen in her life that will never close.

Zuri grips the koala more tightly in her arms. Luke said that he had always had Kenny. He was always there for him. Luke loved him. That is the only thing Zuri still has from her beloved brother. She loves him. She loves him so incredibly. Yes, she never showed it, but she does. He was so incredibly important to her. And he always will be. Zuri will him always be missing. She will never forget him. And always love.

A tear runs down her cheek. Zuri only wants one thing: to be able to see him again. His wonderful smile that could illuminate the room. That radiated so much love. Luke spread love, joy, and light wherever he was. And Zuri knows that it is her job somewhere to carry it all on. To let it go on for him. She wants to never forget this boy, who was incredibly great.

The young girl looks at the picture on the bedside table. His warm smile shines towards her and despite her broken heart and indescribable pain, she smiles slightly. She knows that Luke is somewhere and takes care of them all. That he's now in a place where he's fine. And she is absolutely certain that she will see her big brother again someday. But until then: 'Goodbye, my beloved brother.'