The Last goodbye at the hostel gate - The Gates Closed

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Chapter 2: The Gate Closed

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The time had come.

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Arjun's room had been assigned. His suitcase was unpacked. The admission process was complete.

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There was nothing left to do.

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Nothing except say goodbye.

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The family slowly walked toward the hostel gate.

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The afternoon sun shone brightly, but for Aisha, everything felt dark.

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She looked at her brother and suddenly remembered all the little moments they had shared.

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The ghost stories he told her at night.

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The times he protected her when she got into trouble.

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The silly arguments that always ended in laughter.

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The way he would knock on her door every morning.

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Would those moments become memories now?

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Aisha felt tears filling her eyes.

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"No..." she whispered.

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Her mother hugged Arjun tightly.

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"Take care of yourself," she said.

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Her voice broke before she could say anything more.

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Tears rolled down her cheeks.

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His father looked away, trying to stay strong.

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But his eyes had turned red.

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Arjun had never seen his father look so emotional before.

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Then came the hardest moment.

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Aisha stepped forward.

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For a few seconds, she couldn't speak.

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She simply hugged her brother.

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Tightly.

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As if letting go would make him disappear forever.

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The tears she had been holding back finally escaped.

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"Who will listen to my stories now?" she cried.

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"Who will make fun of me when I'm sad?"

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"Who will sit beside me during power cuts?"

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Arjun felt his own eyes filling with tears.

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"You'll call me," he said softly.

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"It won't be the same," Aisha replied.

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For the first time that day, Arjun cried.

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Not because he was afraid of the hostel.

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Not because he was nervous.

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But because he was leaving behind the people he loved most.

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Their mother began crying.

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Their father wiped away tears he had tried so hard to hide.

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And there, in front of the hostel gate, the entire family stood together, crying.

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Students passed by.

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Parents walked around.

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But for that one moment, the world seemed to disappear.

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There was only a brother.

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A sister.

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A mother.

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A father.

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And a goodbye none of them wanted to say.

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Finally, the hostel warden called Arjun.

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It was time.

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Aisha slowly released her brother's hand.

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The hand she had held for years.

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Arjun took a few steps toward the gate.

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Then he turned around.

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His family was standing there.

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Crying.

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Waiting.

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Watching.

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He smiled through his tears and raised his hand.

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"I love you all."

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The gate slowly began to close.

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Aisha ran forward.

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"ARJUN!"

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He stopped.

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"Don't forget us!"

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Arjun shook his head.

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"Never."

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The gate closed.

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Aisha stood frozen.

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For the first time in her life, her brother was on the other side.

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Far away.

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Yet as she looked through the bars of the gate, she could still see him smiling at her.

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And she realized something.

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Distance could separate people.

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But it could never separate hearts.

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As the family walked back to the car, Aisha felt a tear fall onto the notebook her brother had given her.

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She opened it.

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On the very last page, a message waited for her.

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"No matter where life takes me, you will always be my little sister."

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Aisha hugged the notebook to her chest and cried all the way home.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMH6MBvfVA

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