cherish...
Saturday, August 26, 2006 (11:40 PM)
The vespertine fog overshadowed the stretch of landscape, occasionally revealing little portions of the countryside. Across the plains, the exhaust of a flivver could be heard. Amidst the near-silence, there were faint sounds of kids gambolling and frolicking like rabbits in a bed of carrots. As the clock struck 6, the sun turns red sending glitters off the surface of a vermicular stream that stretches all the way to the horizon. From above, the view is magnificent. One would jettison all plans just to be able to enjoy the mellifluous hum heard from afar and the gentle breeze that touches one’s face like a mother would to a newborn child. This kind of refreshing feeling would wake even a man who fought decades of war without rest.
Within this unknown town stood a redbrick house where a vexillologist lives. A man of integrity and genius he is, however, holding a doctorate did not help in his social life. Having a cantankerous nature, his integrity could not salvage even a bit of his sociability. He spent most of his time doing researches and his work, not even bothering about the happenings in his surrounding.
On this fine evening, a fever ran, high above 40 degree Celsius. All he could see was a phantasmagoria of fantastic imagery. The limbs refused to take orders and there was no way he could seek help. All he could do was lie on his bed and not a soul would want to peep into this man’s window. The silence became deafening. It was 6 in the evening and all of a sudden, the sun seemed to be defying the order of nature like a rebellious child would. It seemed to be rising and began hitting within the helpless man’s body relentlessly like a vengeful spirit. From the surface, it was tremendous cold. He felt like he was frozen right below the iceberg that sank the Titanic.
Just at this moment, the door of the old English home opened and in came a lady of tall stature. “Save me! Save me!” the almost-defeated man called out. “John! What happened?” the lady asked in an unfamiliar voice, yet she knew him by name. Tons of questions flashed past this man’s mind but no longer did he have the energy to question who she was and why she would help a man who would never compromise his work for town activities and he fell into a sub-conscious state.
He could no longer lift a finger nor talk but he could feel that the lady is not as tall as she seemed. Given a minute stature, this young lady struggled to carry this man to where he could be saved. The man’s feet dragged along the floor and despite the cool and gentle breeze blowing, she began to perspire. Her muscles felt tight and strained and her cheeks turned red. Soon fatigue could be seen from the small, adorable face. A few seconds later, the man fell into unconsciousness.
Daylight broke and the man’s fever went down. He woke up and saw the very same lady who carried him the previous night. He thanked the lady and tears began flowing down the cheeks of the man’s saviour. “Why are you crying, lady?” the man asked, concerned. The lady ran out and the puzzled man didn’t give chase. He stood up from bed, went over to the window and saw the lady running across the street. Suddenly, “BAM!” a thunderous sound was heard. The lady was lying motionless on the ground. No one knows what or who had hit her. She just laid there unmoving.
Paramedics ran frantically and began inserting all kinds of equipments into her body. A few minutes later, everyone stopped moving and one of the leading medics shook his head. A cloth was then covered over her body.
It was then, this man realised how short and unpredictable life could be. He decided to take this time to put down his work after a long time and looked around his house. Everything seemed too unfamiliar. Beside his bed, lay a beautifully framed picture with him in a tuxedo. He lifted the picture up, looked into it and smiled. His arms were well-built then and it was resting on a petite waist that women craved to have. The waist-length bridal veil led his eyes to the features of its owner and it bore a shocking resemblance to his saviour. Suddenly, there was a thumping rush of blood to his head and memories came flooding back.