“Faster, faster! It’s thrilling!” shouted John as Alex dashed the Mercedes Benz through the meandering forest floor.

Life could never be more electrifying for the 16-year old twins as they underwent the greatest risk of their life — accelerating at 150mph in a forest. But then, suddenly, there was a deafening screech, a loud thud, pain, blood and silence.

A few hours later, Alex regained consciousness to face a heart-breaking reality. The $124,000 car had become nothing but a compressed and deformed load of bars of expensive metal. But, this was not as tear-jerking as what he next saw — his crushed legs and a blinded John.

The scene was so gory that the tender heart of Alex could not bear it. For Alex, life had taken such a sharp twist that he was about to derail from it. Within few moments, life of the boys had plunged into a pit of gloom and misery.

Dejectedly, Alex realised that the adventure of life was about to be over permanently. He had received multiple wounds on his legs and it hurt when he tried to move. His brother had a head injury and lost the power of his sight. There was no way to undo the damages done.

The forest was no less than a labyrinth out of which only the car’s GPS could lead them out. Any attempt of finding a way out would further trap the twins in the thick woods. And how would they even make it out to safety, one couldn’t move and the other couldn’t see!

John and Alex spent that day mourning the losses they had suffered. What was more sorrowful was the visualisation of the pain and torment their parents would be facing. The twins were their happiness, hope and life. How could they live without them?

The pain of the injuries was preventing Alex from falling asleep. The dark, cloudless sky was haunting, as even the stars had refused to twinkle that night. Wherever Alex gazed, there was darkness. For John, however, the situation was different. For him, it was a permanent dark night.

When staying at the accident spot gave no hope to the twins, they decided to make an attempt to try to reach the city, though the plan was doomed to fail. Alex could not walk on his own, while John could not see. There was no way they could go out of the forest.

Out of nowhere, an idea popped into John’s mind. He lifted Alex by supporting him with his arms and asked him to guide him through the trees. At first, Alex hesitated, as he knew he did not know the way out and would only burden John’s weak shoulders. However, it was a ‘do or die’ situation and he complied with the request.

After many unsuccessful attempts to find the right way, their energies were drained and they were ready to collapse. Just then they found a stream of fresh water, where there were some exotic fruits trees. They stopped to rest and refresh themselves. The boys quickly ate and drank to get back some energy, and with that their energy, their hope also revived.

The boys started their journey again. This time, the directions that Alex gave took the twins near the city. After a tiring two-hour walk by John, the city lights welcomed the twins. They were crying in disbelief.

As John and Alex stood at the outskirts of the city, they tried to come to terms with what had just happened. From joy to misery, from despair to gratitude, the events were unbelievable.

Just then, Alex patted on John’s shoulder and said; “If people move forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

They smiled with tears of joy in their eyes and knew how they would navigate the rest of their lives, together, and make a success out of it.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 6th, 2023