"Do you remember?" Erik asked with a huge smirk plastered on his cheek.
Laughing out loud, Erica held her chest tightly. "Remember what this time?" she asked with a smile.
"You know... the good old days, eh?" He answered with a twinkle in his eyes.
Giggling, Erica couldn't help laughing out more. "You mean the days where I enjoy beating you, right?" Erica asked, holding unto the laugh that wants to escape her lips.
"Beating who? You mean tormenting me... geez. I hated having a sister like you. You were so loud and so annoying that I couldn't believe I shared the same womb with you." Erik said with a faraway smile.
"...and then we would fight. Every day, we would thrash the house, and mom and dad would thrash us too with some nice beating... haha. Well, I never believed we were twins too cos… You were just a nice fellow, and it ruined my steezy look." Erica responded with a huge smile.
"You know you influenced me with your bad attitude. Do you remember the day I did miracles with your toothbrush?" Erik asked with a deep chuckle.
"That day is carefully planted and watered daily in my memory. I can't forget it...ever!" Erica responded with a thrill.
"I didn't believe I could dip your toothbrush inside the toilet and keep it back on its stand. If mom hadn't caught me, you would have brushed your teeth with it, and I would have been happy." Erik said with more laughter erupting from his lips.
"Ah...such good memories! Mom was furious and reprimanded your behavior. It was a sight to see." Erica replied with a giggle.
"...and the next day, you decided to pay me back." Erik added.
"Yeah... yeah. Geez. It is crazy that Dad had caught me adding coloured chemicals in your hair shampoo. If you had washed your hair with it, you could have had a peacock's feathered hair... gosh! That would have really made me happy." Erica replied while she stared at her twin brother Erik, who sat close to the bed in the attic while she laid flat on it.
She had gone to the attic to check out something or so she had told herself and her brother had joined her there, and they had both began talking as she laid on the small bed that was there.
"Mom and dad were so stressed with our attitudes that they just kept staring at us whenever we started our troubles. They must have given up. Haha." Erica replied, pulling herself from her thoughts on why she had come to the attic.
Staring at her brother, the duo burst into fits of laughter as they reminisced on their childhood days. The attic was where their childhood belongings were kept. She knew why she had come here and why her brother had also. They both shared the same womb anyway.
"But, you know, every time spent with you even when we were at each other's neck, I was happy. You only thought about scheming and carrying out something terrible to me, as did I. Those days memories created moments to laugh about now." Erik said with a slight blush.
"Wait! Did you just blush? Haha." Erica said in a teasing manner as they both laughed more.
"Childhood with you was indeed fun. But do you know what was more fun? Hehe, the day you cleaned my tears as I cried." Erica said with a deep smile as she stared lovingly at her twin brother.
A slight frown grazed Erik's face, but he pushed it off as he remembered that night. The night he had seen her crying alone in the attic. He had come over to look for what he could use to trouble his sister, but he met her crying instead. "I wished I was stronger and could fight so that I could be able to punish him." Erik murmured.
"Hey! You did super well. Despite knowing you weren't as strong as him, you went for him, and I am always grateful and proud of you." Erica replied with a smile.
"I think that did the trick, eh? You stopped troubling me endlessly, and I guess that was the day I saw mom and dad smiling so hard that it felt like their chin was going to cease existing, haha."Erik replied with a chuckle as he looked around the attic as memories of times spent together with his sister after that night surfaced in his mind. They had named the attic their safe place without saying it, and he had come to spend time there, but he met sister, which was an addition.
"Yeah. Well, you were busy training yourself to be stronger so you can fight off any guy that bullied me. Haha, I remembered when you started your training. And in my mind, I was like, "Maybe I should have told Jim that I liked him earlier." Erica said with a goofy smile.
"No one messes with my sister. He should have been grateful you summoned the courage to tell him you had a crush on him. Instead, he not only insulted you but also started bullying you. If I hadn't seen you crying that night, I wouldn't have known you were bullied. I am glad I became stronger and kicked his ass." Erik said boastfully.
"Haha, and I couldn't have been more proud of you. Ever since then, you have helped me grow, and thanks to you, I now have an amazing husband and two incredible children. You know, I am glad we both decided to bring our families together here to spend Christmas with mom and Dad." Erica said with a much cooler smile.
"...and so am I. We've been all busy, so meeting up together for Christmas this year was a great idea from you. My wife and two children were happy celebrating Christmas here. What if we make this a tradition?" Erik asked.
"Hmm, that'll be nice. I would have to speak to my husband, and whatever we decide, we will let you..."
"I knew both of you must be hiding somewhere." Anna, Erik, and Erica's mother said as she opened the door to the attic, cutting Erica's speech.
"Don't tell me you are jealous now, ma." Erica said with a chuckle.
"Oh, I have grandchildren now. I don't care about you two." Their mother replied with a smile. "Now, let's join the others in the dining room. Everyone is waiting." She added.
Staring at themselves, the twins let out a soft laugh as they made their way to the dining room with their mother to meet their families.
