Nico and the World's Most Annoying Little Brother
There were many annoying little brothers in the world, but Nico was absolutely certain that Benji was the worst. He borrowed things without asking. He made sound effects during homework time. He followed Nico everywhere like a small, noisy shadow.
"MOM! Benji is breathing near my stuff again!" This was a daily occurrence. Mom would sigh, separate them, and the cycle would repeat within twenty minutes.
Then Benji got sick. Not regular sick — hospital sick. He lay in a white bed with tubes in his arm, looking smaller and quieter than Nico had ever seen him. No sound effects. No following. No breathing near anyone's stuff.
And Nico discovered something awful: the silence was worse. So much worse.
Nico brought Benji his favorite stuffed dinosaur, a drawing of their backyard (with Benji prominently featured as king of the sandbox), and a list titled "47 Reasons You're Actually an Okay Brother." Number 12: "You laugh at my jokes even when nobody else does." Number 23: "You share your Halloween candy even though you don't have to." Number 47: "The house is too quiet without your sound effects."
Benji read the list, looked up at Nico with enormous eyes, and said, "You think I'm okay?" Nico swallowed hard. "Better than okay. You're my brother. And I need you to get better so you can come home and annoy me again."
Benji got better. He came home. Within an hour, he was making laser sounds while Nico tried to read. And Nico smiled — because sometimes the most annoying sound in the world is actually the most beautiful one, if you almost lost the person making it.
Talk about it
Nico realized he loved his annoying brother more than he knew.
Three questions for lights-out
- What did Nico miss most when Benji was in the hospital?
- Why do you think Nico made a list of 47 reasons?
- Do you have someone who annoys you but you'd miss them?
Words worth knowing
- tubes
- thin plastic straws doctors use to help sick people
- cycle
- the same thing happening over and over again
- prominent
- standing out, very noticeable, in an important spot
- enormous
- very, very big or wide
- laser
- a bright beam of light that makes a zapping sound
Is this story about sibling rivalry?
Yes, but it's really about discovering that annoying people matter deeply to us. It shows how sickness can shift our perspective on someone we thought we couldn't stand.
Will this scare my child about hospitals?
The hospital is brief and not graphic. The story focuses on Nico's feelings and the happy ending when Benji recovers. It's more about love than illness.