What is your name?

 He called me Light when I was thirteen, the time that I was at the height of everything in my life.

I graduated from Primary school with many awards. I was the lead praise singer in church at such a young age. I was the perfect example of good conduct and an obedient child. So, you shouldn't be surprised whenever you hear my name on the lips of many parents in church as the "good, well behaved, intelligent and cultured girl." In a nutshell, I was an all rounder.

I was an all rounder during the day but I was helpless during the night. I started sleeping alone when I was nine and I think that was the time that it started. 

The time that the whole drama started.

The whole drama of having restless nights, the whole drama of struggling for breath, the whole drama of waking up covered in my sweat, the whole drama of not being able to really explain what happened to my family. The whole drama of not looking forward to night. The whole drama of staying awake most times. 

I couldn't understand what was happening to me, I couldn't understand why I couldn't sleep peacefully at night. I couldn't understand why my brother in the adjacent room would always keep his door opened every night and would be groaning.

I couldn't understand why he would not sleep when others would be sleeping. His groans could not be heard by our parents who were in the other wing of the house but I could hear them clearly every night.

And every night, when he groaned, I would be able to sleep. It was funny. Funny that I wouldn't be able to sleep in perfect silence but I would be able to sleep when someone was groaning directly opposite my door.

I couldn't understand his smile every morning when he would cast a long look at me and ask me about my night, if I slept well. I couldn't understand why he would say "surely" whenever I told him yes. I couldn't understand his humming on our way to school and why he would rub my head and kiss it before going to his class.

I couldn't understand why he would always say Light whenever we were to depart to our different classes. He would hold my hand in his and place his lips on my head not minding the hair cream I used and he would say "Light."

I couldn't understand any of it.

I couldn't understand why my parents stopped bothering themselves and would only smile at me. They stopped checking on me every night to make sure I slept well. When I challenged them about this, my father said "you're covered"

I couldn't understand any of it. I couldn't understand what was happening. I couldn't understand why they kept acting strange.

Until one night. 

One night, shortly after I bade them goodnight and moved to my room, I found out the door of my brother's room was opened but I couldn't hear any voice. It was quiet which was strange. I couldn't hear anything no matter how hard I tried. Feeling something was off, I walked to his room and met it empty. Not knowing where else he would be, I wobbled to the sitting room and there I saw it.

The joint hands of my mother, my father and my brother groaning on their knees. I knew something was just not right. I stayed for almost five minutes looking at them. When I felt it was enough, I turned back and started to move to my room and that was when it hit me.

My eyes went shut, my consciousness went down and the last thing I remembered was the shrill that left my lips when my body was collapsing. 

When I woke up, there were still holding hands but this time, they surrounded me. I was in their midst. I guess my father knew I was back because he opened his eyes almost immediately and he spoke which made everyone to stop. I touched my forehead. I touched it again. And again. If there was a mirror nearby, I would have gotten it. I kept touching it. And that was when I found my voice.

"Light. He touched my forehead like this, like one would tap a friend casually and said Light. And........ And..... He smiled. It was the most captivating smile I have ever seen. He said Light."

And my family smiled.

So, yes, My name is Light.

What's your name?