Three, Two, One: I Close My Eyes Forever

When I was six years old, I became an actual dummy after playing a silly game with my older sister, Hannah Hubbard.

My mental age is stuck at six years old. Because of that, my grandma receives a huge shock, causing her condition to deteriorate.

Since then, Hannah has completely transformed into a brand new person. Thanks to her scholarship and her efforts to collect and sell trash, Grandma and I are able to survive under her care.

Hannah is such a prideful person, and yet when her classmates call her stupid nicknames, she doesn't get mad at them at all.

But if anyone is to call me an idiot, Hannah will seek justice for me no matter what.

That night, Hannah gathers me in her arms while crying soundlessly.

"My Oliver isn't an idiot at all. You just haven't grown up yet. Oliver, promise me that you will never leave me, okay?"

I just nod blankly. For the next three years, I cling to her like glue.

That is, until Blake Mueller appears in our lives.

When I'm done playing with the mud, I forget to wash my hands, so I accidentally soil Blake's white shirt with my soiled hands.

That's when Hannah suddenly breaks down emotionally and kicks me out of the house.

"Oliver Hubbard, you've dragged me down my whole life! Are you going to cause trouble for Blake as well? Can you please be more understanding and stop causing more trouble for me?"

Finally, an idea sparks inside my dim-witted brain for once.

It turns out that my existence brings nothing but misery to Hannah.

So, I hide inside the casket Grandma has custom-ordered for herself. There, I close my eyes and begin counting down quietly.

Three, two, one.

Let the game begin.

Inside the pitch-black coffin, I stared at my hands for a moment. This should be clean enough, right?

Hannah's medicine must be working now because I was starting to see her flushed, angry face right in front of me.

She slammed the heavy iron gate shut with a bang. "Oliver Hubbard, you're nine years old. How do you still not know any better? How many times have I told you to stay away from Blake? Why did you have to lie? I didn't raise you to be like this."

Curled up inside the coffin, I murmured that I hadn't lied, and I hadn't dirtied Blake Mueller's shirt on purpose either.

Also, I couldn't understand why my big sister, Hannah Hubbard, was so angry when Blake had already said it was fine.

Hmph!

Once I got to heaven, I would definitely beg the angels to let me come back as the older sibling!

That way, I could put my hands on my hips and yell at her for a change. As I got excited at that thought, my eyelids began to feel too heavy to keep open.

There was just one problem, though. Since I was using this coffin, Hannah would have to go through the trouble of ordering a new one for Grandma.

Something like this would cost a lot. I wondered if the money I'd been secretly saving would be enough.

Grandma always said money didn't grow on trees. On the rare occasions she was lucid, she'd have me help her make handicrafts to earn some cash.

I was so bad with my hands that I couldn't even handle such an easy task.

Whenever I bawled my eyes out because I felt like I was being a burden to Grandma, Hannah would pop a piece of candy into my mouth, and I'd stop crying right away.

Once, with an exasperated smile, Hannah had poked my nose and said, "A piece of candy is enough to cheer you up? I guess you really are still a little kid. Go play somewhere else, Oliver. I'll do it."

She had taken the paper from my hands and, with a few quick folds, turned it into a paper airplane. "This is for you."

With a happy shout, I had run around the house with my airplane while Hannah and Grandma sat nearby, watching me laugh and play.

"Hannah, Oliver has to learn how to handle things on his own. You can't take care of him forever."

I had heard Grandma sigh, whereas Hannah had remained silent.

Forever? I didn't know how long forever was supposed to be.

A long while had passed when Hannah finally said something, but it had sounded more like she was talking to herself. "I can. I can take care of him forever."

My thoughts drifted back to the present. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a piece of candy before slowly putting it in my mouth.

The candy tasted bitter, making me grimace.

Hannah was such a liar. She promised to be by my side forever, but the moment Blake showed up, that promise didn't mean anything anymore!

What a big fat liar! Still, maybe this was for the best. Without a burden like me dragging her down, Hannah could live happily with Blake.

As my head began to spin, my eyelids grew heavier. I pulled the coffin lid over my head.

Hannah, Grandma… It was time for me to sleep.