Tony looked up at the board, and the writing on it seemed to wander off its course, with his teacher looking tinier than he knew her to be. He blinked several times to reset the wandering lines and eventually saw his teacher, Mrs. Stanford, regain her true stature. He looked around to see his classmates, who seemed engrossed with copying what the teacher had scribbled on the board. He wondered if he was unable to catch up because the teacher seemed to write fast or if something was actually wrong with his vision. He noticed a drop of sweat land on his booklet and immediately felt a bang on his head as though he had been hit by an object. He dropped his pen and felt his body fall off his desk as the ceiling seemed to be crashing down on him. He heard loud screams as his classmates panicked on top of their voices, and his teacher rushed to him, lifting him amidst the commotion.
Tony felt his body drift on water as his ears began to pick out voices that sounded very familiar to him. His eyelids felt stuck to each other, and he found it difficult to open his eyes.
“What do you mean he has a brain tumor?" He will just be eight years old next month!" Tony’s mother whispered audibly in between sobs.
“We have to be strong, at least for him." The doctor said he has a fifty percent chance of survival after the surgery. "We need to believe!” Tony’s father replied by wrapping his arms around his wife.
Tony’s eyelids gradually gave way for his eyes to open as he barely made out his parents' figure, though blurred from the direction their voices trailed. He was surprised to see his mother looking leaner than he knew her to be. “What happened exactly?” he thought to himself, realizing he had been placed on a waterbed. He looked around the room and realized the bed was a little different from that in his house. His ears picked up the beat of the monitor, which continued non-stop but was not loud enough to disturb him. He noticed a cannula was fixed to his hand, with a drop of fluid tripping down the pipe from the bag of fluid. “This is definitely not my room; could this be a hospital?” Tony wondered as tears began to well up in his eyes as he saw a woman walk into the room wearing a white ward coat.
“So, he’s awake?” The woman in a white coat smiled at Tony as she walked towards his bed. His parents quickly ran towards Tony, with a sigh of relief from his father, while his mother kneeled beside him with a mix of tears and smiles.
“Thank God you are awake, my boy.” Tony’s mother said amidst sobs.
“Am I going to die, Mummy?” Tony asked spontaneously, causing a pin-drop silence in the room. Tony’s mother buried her face in her palms as she laid her head gently on Tony’s hand. His dad looked away, fighting tears that almost dropped from his eyes.
“Would you still be my parents when I am reborn?” Tony asked further.
“You will always be our boy, Tony, you will be fine. The doctor said you need a small operation, and you will be very fine afterwards." Tony’s dad managed to speak reassuringly as he tried to feign his fears.
“Can I be reborn as an elephant in my next life?” Tony’s voice was almost inaudible, yet he had a broad smile on his face. “My teacher told me elephants live very long and are strong. I would use my trunk to carry people for long distances and even play with children by splashing water on them from my trunk.” Tony continued to bewilder his parents with a broader smile on his face.
The room became dead silent once again as everyone seemed speechless at Tony’s wish and condition. The father came closer to the other side, where his wife held Tony’s hand and stroked his hair.
“Well, if you do not mind, Tony can join my family for an excursion visit to Yankari Game Reserve; I’m sure he can get to see and play with an elephant there.” The doctor chipped in.
Tony’s expression immediately lightened as his well-set teeth revealed his excitement. He looked up to his father for approval, who did not hesitate to nod his head in consent. Tony’s mother managed to let out a smile with an inaudible but lip-readable “thank you” to the doctor.
“Promise me you will be strong, Tony. After your visit to the zoo this weekend, you will have a small surgery and you will be alright, okay?" Tony’s father said, stroking his dark and coiled hair.
“I will be fine, I promise.” Tony replied, unable to hide his excitement. The Doctor smiled and signaled to Tony’s father as both left Tony and his mother in the room.