Another Zim Hanukkah
Chapter Seven: Day Seven - Exposure
-step step-
-creeeeeek-
-SLAM!-
"Gaz, I'm home!"
Dib walked slowly to the couch to put his backpack down, engulfed by the sound of the silence. "Gaz? Hell-o?"
The house said nothing, but softly creaked in the wind.
Dib found this most odd. He hadn't seen Gaz come out of skool, so he figured she had rushed home to get inside a few minutes earlier, but instead she was nowhere to be seen. Dib had no idea WHAT she could be doing, but he didn't really worry about her, so he felt no guilt about grabbing a slice of leftover pizza and plopping down in front of the TV, remote in hand.
Around four o'clock Gaz came inside, slamming the door with a harsh BANG.
"Hey Gaz," Dib said casually, "Where've you been?"
She threw her backpack at him. "Out."
"That's... nice..." he muttered from behind her canvas bookbag as she stormed upstairs.
Dib pried the zipper pull out of his nose and ran to the edge of the stairwell. "Man, I wonder what's gotten into her?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"...Ha-Hem U-Va-Z'man Ha-Zeh." Dib finished and cleared his throat. He rose to his feet and delicately reahed for the Shamish to light the candle for the Seventh Night.
Gaz growled under her breath; he was taking it too slowly! "Here, let me do it..." She pushed him out of the way with her hip and performed the lighting.
Dib raised his eyebrows. "Man, someone's touchy tonight..." he said to himself as he reached for Gaz's gift, which was tucked safely in his pocket. Gaz hastily took it and shoved Dib's in his face.
"Wow Gaz, another rubber band..." he said sarcastically.
"To keep your other one company," she replied and tore into her packaging.
It revealed itself to be an ornament. It was in the shape of a car, a pine green sedan. "It's for the Christmas tree... if Dad remembers to buy one this year," Dib explained. "See this button on top? If you push it, the headlights turn on!"
Gaz just stared at the trinket, recalling the cold night five years ago. "Dib... this looks like Mom's car."
Dib searched for the words to say. "uh...I know..."
"And today..." she looked back and forth from the ornament to the Menorah, her face slowly growing more angry.
"Gaz..."
"HOW COULD YOU?!" She held her hand high above her head and threw the ornament at Dib's head. He ducked, and it crashed against the wall, breaking apart. "You DARE give me THAT today of all days?!"
"Well, ehm..." Dib's gulped nervously as he backed to the wall.
"Are you that stupid, Dib? Have you forgotten what happened!? Mom DIED on the seventh night of Hanukkah!" Gaz screamed. "TONIGHT is the SEVENTH NIGHT OF HANUKKAH!! Doesn't that SAY anything to you!?"
Dib paused a moment before replying, letting the tension die a bit. "Yes," he said slowly, "It's telling me that you're forgetting the meaning behind this."
Gaz raised an eyebrow in question. Dib explained.
"You forget that that Hanukkah is a time to celebrate the freedom of our people, the Jews. Gaz, if your just confided in me a little more... talked with me a little more... you, too, could be free of the emotional conflict thats weighing you down."
Gaz scoffed and looked away. "Nothing is keeping me trapped," she said confidently, crossing her arms.
"You're lying, and I know it."
She said nothing.
"Gaz, look at the Menorah."
"...no."
"Please, just look at it."
Sighing, Gaz let her arms fall to her side. She turned around slowly to face eight gleaming candles.
"Why do we light the candles, Gaz?"
"Oh, c'mon Dib..."
"Why do we light the candles, Gaz?" he repeated, ignoring her comment.
She sighed again. "To commerate the miracle of a day's worth of oil lasting through 8 days and 8 nights."
"EXACTLY! It was a miracle."
"...I still don't see how this ties in--"
"Because tonight is the best time for me to explain this. Death is just as big a miracle as life is. Mom is in the afterlife, which is a miracle all its own." His tone immensely softened, Dib walked forward and placed his hands on Gaz's shoulders. "We should be happy that she was able to escape this world."
Gaz turned her head again, refusing to look at her brother.
"Tonight is the night we can celebrate her passing, and be glad that she doesn't have to suffer."
"...ohhh..."
"...Gaz?"
Suddenly shaken by a sob, Gaz threw her arms around Dib's shoulders and cried. "Oh Dib!! I'm so sorry..."
"I-it's okay, Gaz..." Dib said, slightly taken aback by the girl's action.
"You're right Dib, I was afraid... it's just... I miss her so much, and... ever since she died, nothing has ever been the same, and..."
Dib tilted her head to meet his gaze. "Gaz... we can't really expect things to be the same after such a tragic loss. But what we can do is start to become a family again, for her sake at least."
Gaz nodded and wiped her tear-stained cheeks. "...you're right, Dib," she said quietly. "I've been looking at this the wrong way... I've been to selfish..." She walked over to the couch and picked up a purple hand-held device. "Here... Happy Hanukkah, Dib."
Dib dropped a jaw. "But... Gaz, this... this is your... your GAMESLAVE..."
"I know... and I think the best test of sacrifice for me would be to give it up. Besides, I can always ask dad to get me another at Christmas."
"Gaz..."
She sighed. "Alright, alright, but it's going to be a hard habit to break, you know... being obsessed with material posessions."
Dib smiled and gathered Gaz up in a hug. "I think you'll find it to be easier than you think."
"Fine, but... one thing."
"What?"
"LET ME GO!!"
Dib sweatdropped. "Right..." he said, releasing her, "I guess we'll both need some time to get used to this."
Gaz sighed.
"Are you okay?"
Another sigh. "...I wish she was still here, Dib..."
The house creaked against the wind again, and the children felt a rush of cold air encirculate them. At the same time they exaclaimed, "THE WINDOW!"
They both rushed forward to protect the Menorah, but when the window was shut, the candles were still.
The children of the Membrane household sat and stared in utter horror. This had never happened before... the candles weren't supposed to go out....
Then, one by one, starting with the Shamish, the candles' fire came back to life, in the order that they had been lit up to that night. Gaz was relieved immensely.
"You know, Gaz..." Dib said softly as he held his little sister, "I think she IS still here."
Chapter Seven: Day Seven - Exposure
-step step-
-creeeeeek-
-SLAM!-
"Gaz, I'm home!"
Dib walked slowly to the couch to put his backpack down, engulfed by the sound of the silence. "Gaz? Hell-o?"
The house said nothing, but softly creaked in the wind.
Dib found this most odd. He hadn't seen Gaz come out of skool, so he figured she had rushed home to get inside a few minutes earlier, but instead she was nowhere to be seen. Dib had no idea WHAT she could be doing, but he didn't really worry about her, so he felt no guilt about grabbing a slice of leftover pizza and plopping down in front of the TV, remote in hand.
Around four o'clock Gaz came inside, slamming the door with a harsh BANG.
"Hey Gaz," Dib said casually, "Where've you been?"
She threw her backpack at him. "Out."
"That's... nice..." he muttered from behind her canvas bookbag as she stormed upstairs.
Dib pried the zipper pull out of his nose and ran to the edge of the stairwell. "Man, I wonder what's gotten into her?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"...Ha-Hem U-Va-Z'man Ha-Zeh." Dib finished and cleared his throat. He rose to his feet and delicately reahed for the Shamish to light the candle for the Seventh Night.
Gaz growled under her breath; he was taking it too slowly! "Here, let me do it..." She pushed him out of the way with her hip and performed the lighting.
Dib raised his eyebrows. "Man, someone's touchy tonight..." he said to himself as he reached for Gaz's gift, which was tucked safely in his pocket. Gaz hastily took it and shoved Dib's in his face.
"Wow Gaz, another rubber band..." he said sarcastically.
"To keep your other one company," she replied and tore into her packaging.
It revealed itself to be an ornament. It was in the shape of a car, a pine green sedan. "It's for the Christmas tree... if Dad remembers to buy one this year," Dib explained. "See this button on top? If you push it, the headlights turn on!"
Gaz just stared at the trinket, recalling the cold night five years ago. "Dib... this looks like Mom's car."
Dib searched for the words to say. "uh...I know..."
"And today..." she looked back and forth from the ornament to the Menorah, her face slowly growing more angry.
"Gaz..."
"HOW COULD YOU?!" She held her hand high above her head and threw the ornament at Dib's head. He ducked, and it crashed against the wall, breaking apart. "You DARE give me THAT today of all days?!"
"Well, ehm..." Dib's gulped nervously as he backed to the wall.
"Are you that stupid, Dib? Have you forgotten what happened!? Mom DIED on the seventh night of Hanukkah!" Gaz screamed. "TONIGHT is the SEVENTH NIGHT OF HANUKKAH!! Doesn't that SAY anything to you!?"
Dib paused a moment before replying, letting the tension die a bit. "Yes," he said slowly, "It's telling me that you're forgetting the meaning behind this."
Gaz raised an eyebrow in question. Dib explained.
"You forget that that Hanukkah is a time to celebrate the freedom of our people, the Jews. Gaz, if your just confided in me a little more... talked with me a little more... you, too, could be free of the emotional conflict thats weighing you down."
Gaz scoffed and looked away. "Nothing is keeping me trapped," she said confidently, crossing her arms.
"You're lying, and I know it."
She said nothing.
"Gaz, look at the Menorah."
"...no."
"Please, just look at it."
Sighing, Gaz let her arms fall to her side. She turned around slowly to face eight gleaming candles.
"Why do we light the candles, Gaz?"
"Oh, c'mon Dib..."
"Why do we light the candles, Gaz?" he repeated, ignoring her comment.
She sighed again. "To commerate the miracle of a day's worth of oil lasting through 8 days and 8 nights."
"EXACTLY! It was a miracle."
"...I still don't see how this ties in--"
"Because tonight is the best time for me to explain this. Death is just as big a miracle as life is. Mom is in the afterlife, which is a miracle all its own." His tone immensely softened, Dib walked forward and placed his hands on Gaz's shoulders. "We should be happy that she was able to escape this world."
Gaz turned her head again, refusing to look at her brother.
"Tonight is the night we can celebrate her passing, and be glad that she doesn't have to suffer."
"...ohhh..."
"...Gaz?"
Suddenly shaken by a sob, Gaz threw her arms around Dib's shoulders and cried. "Oh Dib!! I'm so sorry..."
"I-it's okay, Gaz..." Dib said, slightly taken aback by the girl's action.
"You're right Dib, I was afraid... it's just... I miss her so much, and... ever since she died, nothing has ever been the same, and..."
Dib tilted her head to meet his gaze. "Gaz... we can't really expect things to be the same after such a tragic loss. But what we can do is start to become a family again, for her sake at least."
Gaz nodded and wiped her tear-stained cheeks. "...you're right, Dib," she said quietly. "I've been looking at this the wrong way... I've been to selfish..." She walked over to the couch and picked up a purple hand-held device. "Here... Happy Hanukkah, Dib."
Dib dropped a jaw. "But... Gaz, this... this is your... your GAMESLAVE..."
"I know... and I think the best test of sacrifice for me would be to give it up. Besides, I can always ask dad to get me another at Christmas."
"Gaz..."
She sighed. "Alright, alright, but it's going to be a hard habit to break, you know... being obsessed with material posessions."
Dib smiled and gathered Gaz up in a hug. "I think you'll find it to be easier than you think."
"Fine, but... one thing."
"What?"
"LET ME GO!!"
Dib sweatdropped. "Right..." he said, releasing her, "I guess we'll both need some time to get used to this."
Gaz sighed.
"Are you okay?"
Another sigh. "...I wish she was still here, Dib..."
The house creaked against the wind again, and the children felt a rush of cold air encirculate them. At the same time they exaclaimed, "THE WINDOW!"
They both rushed forward to protect the Menorah, but when the window was shut, the candles were still.
The children of the Membrane household sat and stared in utter horror. This had never happened before... the candles weren't supposed to go out....
Then, one by one, starting with the Shamish, the candles' fire came back to life, in the order that they had been lit up to that night. Gaz was relieved immensely.
"You know, Gaz..." Dib said softly as he held his little sister, "I think she IS still here."