Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Faded Colours

His life wasn’t all bad. But it was not exactly what you’d call extraordinary. He went to college, like everyone else; was an average student, like everyone else; had a decent number of friends, like everyone else; went out for an occasional booze party, like almost everyone else; all in all, life was good. But at times he felt there was something lacking. Something told him that his life could be a lot more colourful had it not been for that missing element. And he couldn't understand what it was.
He talked about it to his best friend. Well, best friend because he spent most of his waking hours with the person, and not really because he confided everything in him. His friend suggested maybe it was because he had no girlfriend. Most of the people his age had girlfriends, not any of his close friends but that was just because either they were not interested in the daily drivel associated with relationships, or preferred booze to girls or well, they had no takers. But him? He just had not felt that way about any girl. He didn’t have the so called Greek God looks but he was fairly good looking, presentably so. He had loads of friends, but none so intimate that he thought he could spend the rest of his life with or even attractive in that sense of the word. He considered this possibility for a while… well, it did sound plausible but then he was not the lovelorn types so he dismissed the idea almost immediately. Yes it would be wonderful to have a girlfriend, to have someone you found attractive, charming, loveable, smart, and all that, all at the same time. But that couldn’t be the reason for this void feeling. That was stupid.
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And that’s when he met her. Social networking sites have proven to be better at match making than matrimonial sites of late. As the trend goes, it worked for him as well. It was not love at first site (or first chat). It was a feeling that grew gradually and beautifully. He didn’t remember when it first hit him that he was attracted to this childlike yet occasionally mature whimsical girl. She was not ideal; she was not without flaws. But he couldn’t see them. He was the laconic, subdued guy and she was the animated, chatty girl. He was the guy who always obliged, never got on the wrong books of anyone, never hurt a fly while she was the girl who always spoke her mind. He was the patient listener; she, the vivacious speaker. He was the level headed bloke; she, the spontaneous spitfire. She filled his life with music and colour. She talked about places he had never seen, people he had never met, tunes he had never heard and cultures he had never known. He was amused by her endless stream of topics and her inexhaustible energy. He fell in love with her love for life. He knew then what had always been missing in his life. No, it wasn’t a girlfriend. It wasn’t just any girlfriend. It was her. It was her zeal. It was her presence. Was he in love? He couldn’t tell. For he knew not, what was love. But for now, he knew she was the single most important thing in his life. It was like his life had a renewed meaning now that she was in the world. He did not feel the void anymore. Nights were filled with the sweet tone of her voice; dreams were filled with the hues of her moods; and morning was another reason to talk to her, to see her.
And so they remained, for quite a long time- inseparable. He suddenly discovered a talent in him that he had never known existed before. He took to painting. He was, unlike her, the kinds who did not pour out his feelings to his near and dear ones, so he found another way to vent out his feelings. The sunshine that she was shone in his paintings; yellow and orange a beautiful mix. The night skies in his paintings lighted up with silver stars that were her laughter. It burst onto the trees as cherries in his next. Her hair ruffled in the wind that blew the scarf off the little girl in his painting. He listened to her as she spoke and he drew her in his paintings. He listened to his paintings as they spoke to him. A time came when he knew not what he loved more, her, or his rendition of her. Love, is such a beautiful thing.
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But, somewhere down that beautiful cobbled street, he failed to listen to her completely. Mesmerized by all that she was and all that he wasn’t, he did not see it. He did not see that she was the butterfly who went from flower to flower, giving it reason for existence. The flowers bloomed, bore honey and coloured the bushes in wait for the butterfly; it gave them a purpose, a meaning to life. The flowers lived when it was graced by its touch. It meant no harm, but it could not stay on forever. It had its own reasons perhaps, or maybe it didn’t. But the flowers had to live on.
It was late when he saw the signs. Her laughter did not sound so merry anymore. The colours started fading. His paintings started a transition from yellow to brown. The night skies became pitch black. The morning sun had set and the eerie moonlight cast ghostly shadows in the deserted alleys of his paintings. The bright sparkling waters became dark and still. The bells didn’t toll. The music stopped. The little girl in his painting had tears in her eyes.
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There was a note where they had found him lying- still as a rock and cold as a stone, bathed in a resplendent blend of colours. His palette lay beside him, upturned and empty. There was only one line in the note – ‘my paintings; they stopped loving me.’
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And somewhere a girl lost her laughter, silenced by a cruel fate.


pics courtesy: lizzy forrester

85 comments:

Mysterious Mia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mysterious Mia said...

am in a weird state of mind right now...

but ah, tat was sad :)

btw how r u babes....hope alls well

Sameera Ansari said...

That was mind-blowing!Loved the storyline,the description,the pics...everything :)

Very well written dear!

*Applause*

Vinz said...

you done it again..!!
nice plot..and ending was expected but you penned it in a unique way...

more and more..!!
write more and more..!!

Wandering Minstrel said...

bloody amazing!

PS: although i see a lot of history! Text me if i'm wrong!

Richa said...

pretty nicely framed..
I am feeling a li'l nostalgic =)

Trinaa said...

awesome! bloody brillaint gal..whr d hell hv u been hiding this story?!! :)) :)) :))

DMulan said...

@ mia

am doing alright babe :) thanks for asking :)

DMulan said...

@ sameera

thank you :D
yeah.. isn't the the first one pretty?

DMulan said...

@ vinz

thanks yaar :) yeah.. i guess ppl are getting used to me killing off everyone in my stories now :P

i will i will :)

DMulan said...

@ swati

thanks babe :)

yeah well.. there has to be a source of inspiration ;) will text u the rest :P

DMulan said...

@ richa

nostalgic?? :O i hope it was only during the first part of the story babe!
and thanks :)

DMulan said...

@ trinaa

eeeeee :D thankoo :D

yeah well.. mera dimaag bhi kabhi kabhi chalne lagta hai :P

Think Tank said...

likha to aisa likha ki auron ne jo bhi likha sab bhula diya. where did the inspiration come from? fallen in love? Or out of it? Just too good for being a normal peice of evryday writing.

yousuckprotonballs! - manthan said...

*leaves a comment* :P

yousuckprotonballs! - manthan said...

btw, why dont we join hands and start directin movies with your scripts? ;P
there, u already have an actor in me ready :P

Kartz said...

Ah..! Loved it... Very well written. *hearty applause* You are quite the raconteur, dudette... :) Cherio.

Peace.

Sarath said...

awesome divya... very well written.. though i don't usually like sad endings

Rakesh said...

hey well written girl

Gunjan Aylawadi said...

:(
i wanna read smething happy now
plissss

HP said...

whoa !!!! that was awesome !!!

waiting for the next one :D

DMulan said...

@ think tank

gee thanks re :) well.. i would be lying if i said it had absolutely nothing to do with me... let's just say inspiration is from everyday life and i added my trademark sad ending to it :P :P
no i am not in love, and i don't think i ever was.. but then again, how can one say for sure?

DMulan said...

@ manthan

oye good idea!! tu hero mein heroine what say??? lol... tu last mein mar jayega :P heeahahahahahaha

DMulan said...

@ kartz

thanks a lot :D you make flyyyyyy so highhhhhhhhh!
*ear to ear wide grin*

DMulan said...

@ sarath

lol.. no one does i'm sure... i need to write about something nice bright and cheery, wouldn't want people to think i'm forever under a bout of melancholia, would i? :P

DMulan said...

@ rakesh
thank you :)

DMulan said...

@ gunj

i'll make the next one happy happy... i promise!! pls do keep coming :( :P

DMulan said...

@ hp

thankooskoos :D

Pri said...

a beautiful yet equally disturbing piece....

keep writing!

RiverSoul said...

A sad, yet profound post.
Particularly loved the pics.
:)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

u murderer!!!!!!!!! dat was real cool..luvly...esp de pics...

but expecting more...!!!

:)

Rajesh said...

I never knew tat u possessed such gr8 talent...m glad u have come up with such a wonderful write-up...Kudos!!!!

As Vinz had indicated, the ending was quite on expected lines but must say, WONDERFUL narration...gr8 work...keep it up...loved it..

I wud rate it as ur best...and my most fav

Hemanth Potluri said...

first timer...:)...loved the whole thing..the pictures wer marvelous nice to read it ..:)..

urs..hemu..

DMulan said...

@ pri
thanks for dropping in :)
will do!

DMulan said...

@ riversoul

thanks to google for the pics :)
a change of pic i notice!

DMulan said...

@ nithin

lol... i know.. i'm doing it a lot of late na? damn... :P

DMulan said...

@ rajesh

why thanks a lot dude :)

DMulan said...

@ hemanth

welcome :)

and thank you so much.. glad you liked it!

yousuckprotonballs! - manthan said...

nah. we'll change the endin part alone.. and they lived happily ever after.. ;P
heehee xD

ROSA E OLIVIER said...

"love is the one who masters all things."

Mawlãnã Rumi...for you...

DMulan said...

yes manthan.. why not.. i lou you daaaahling! :P :D

DMulan said...

@ rosa
:)

Madhav said...

Yaar dony! Real Good Stuff but yehaan bollywood me sab Hapies Endings hona chahiye! Spare a second, Ur work has excelled. Gr8 job.. keep em up...

Priya Joyce said...

The plot was cool!
so a mastery in this art too wow!
wen is the nxt one of this sort coming.


ps:)
u hav brolled me for the blog see wats here. but dear I have combined my blog experiences to it so can u plz broll me for tat one as tat blog is no more active after its combi.

Anonymous said...

and yeah... i took to blogging.. similar experience man... and no turning back

Anonymous said...

Divya,

My first visit to your space. You write very well and keep reader engrossed. There is a tinge of sadnness in quite a few posts. I liked expression of your feeling about hostel and also while leaving home after semester break.

Take care

DMulan said...

@ mad

thanks maddy :) lol.. yes next one will be happys endings, pakka! :)

DMulan said...

@ priya

thanks babe :)
next one of this sort might take time, im trying to write some happily ever after posts :P although, me being me, there's a good chance i might end up with something similar :P

DMulan said...

oh and added your other blog to the fellowship :)

DMulan said...

@ chriz

gee... that's not nice to hear.. especially from you.. hope u're better now.. take care!

DMulan said...

@ niceguy251

thank you... am real happy to hear that you went through few of my other posts as well.. thanks! keep coming!

yousuckprotonballs! - manthan said...

quit bloggin and start studyin cat, dog n mice :x

Anonymous said...

eeep.... 52 comments already and i haven't commented??? what happened to me?? i must have missed the "excellent post" news...!! :)

i agree with tinni...where have u been hiding this classic?? awesome divvy...just bloody marvellous...!! esp the pics...

DMulan said...

@ manthan
i know i have to :(

DMulan said...

@ vinay

x( exactly! where were you?? :(

anyway, that comment makes up for that :P thankoooooo :D

Solitaire said...

Great story!!!

Nefariousoutlook said...

hats off!! simply brilliant :)

Anonymous said...

it was sd story yes... but the way u wrote it ... well it did not make it any less sadder ..but i was engaging and a pleasure to read... thts what counts in the end maybe...

a nice story with a realistic ending... not a sugar coated one....
and i really loved the way u compared that gal with a butterly.... moving around..blossoming and all... havent seen anyone potray a charater of the sart in the same manner before... well done..cheers .!

Anonymous said...

ok, first things first...ur reply asks "where were you"...
well, i was on a trip. with college pals...!!
and had some personal issues to take care of too...!!

secondly, am a mallu dearie... ofcourse i have seen thanmatra...very sad movie but i love the songs...esp mele vellithinkal and kannama...!!

Anonymous said...

ps: you missed my older post on IRWR as well as Cat's part 3...do visit soon...!!

DMulan said...

@ solitaire

thank you :)

DMulan said...

@ nefariousoutlook

thank you so much!

DMulan said...

@ thearmyguyspeaks
thank you so much for visiting and liking the post :)
hope the parallels were justified!

DMulan said...

@ vinay

aaaah.. thats good :) very very sad movie.. but LOVED it!!
yes will read them all :)

john said...

hii...great writing...amazing storyline...
btw have tagged you !!!

DMulan said...

thanks :)

will take it up asap!

Anonymous said...

wenz ur cat? :)

Diana Sahu said...

The post was beautifully structured. Well-packaged should I say.

Nice one.

Cяystal said...

The ending nearly had me clasp my breath!
And my,you really write well,dont you!!
I'm here for the first time,and mahn,you've left me speechless.

*applauds* fr ya!

DMulan said...

@ vinay

nov 16th :(

DMulan said...

@ diana
thank you :)

DMulan said...

@ crystal

thank you so much :D
do come again!

Anonymous said...

Thats really great........

http://fabulouspixx.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I liked your blog.......

http://fabulouspixx.blogspot.com

lizzyforrester said...

Hi - I am Lizzy Forrester.....!
yes I painted that painting. must admit am flattered but shocked. I thought it would at least be necessary to ask the artists permission to use their work. Was this taken from a website? Would like to know which one . thanks.LF

DMulan said...

hi lizzy
errmmm i don't know how to contact you any other way so here's hoping you read this!
i'm really sorry for posting your painting without your permission, agreed i should have asked you before doing so. very very sorry. i had thought, my mistake again, that it would suffice to accredit the picture to you, which i have done (after the post). my intention was not to copy your work. in any case, i am taking down the picture. people had loved the painting and if it is indeed ok with you, do let me know, i had thought it was perfect.

lizzyforrester said...

Hi Divya
It's ok. I am flattered although still shocked ... I would really like to know which website you managed to download it from as I alongside other thousands of artists upload hi pixelated photos of work to try to sell prints to make a living. If others can do it too! (not suggesting you are about to or this even comes close... ) Anyway ...
Thanks for the credit/ mentioning the name. Iam very happy you liked the painting enough to use it! I am ok if you want to leave it there.
I've allowed my work to be used for charity organisations eg Norman Arts Council Poster,(encouraging children in the arts )and presented work for Print sales to raise money for a little boy's plight/treatment, visit www.santafeartworld.com - they do lots to try to help.
but always with the OK - before hand.
Wish you well.

DMulan said...

i am so sorry lizzy, i really don't remember which website it was. i had posted this a long time back. if i ever come across the site again, i'll let you know for sure.
and i hope this is not lame, telling you now, but you are extremely talented. and beautiful painting this one! sorry again, really.
also, just to make things very clear, you don't have a prob if i put it up, right?

lizzyforrester said...

hi Divya,
Yes, it's fine by me, just so long as you mention the artist and ideally leave a link to artist's web? Maybe for the other artist too? here are a couple of links - you chose which you prefer.
http://santafeartworld.com/artists/forrester_lizzy/lizzy_forrester.html
www.fineartamerica.com/shop/lizzy-forrester.html
or www.cafepress.com/DMCNEILLGallery
or
www.lizzyforrestergallery.com
yes I'm happy if you post the
painting. As I said I am quite flattered.
wish you well.

DMulan said...

great! will definitely do so henceforth. :)

lizzyforrester said...

Excellent story telling - you have a great gift.
wish you well Divya
and thanks for what you have done. Lizzy

Mahul Bhattacharya said...

Wow! That was something.... Kudos!

Mysterious Mia said...

where have u disappeared eh?...comeon its high time u put up a new post...miss ya

Amused Alien said...

i m feelin so wierd i am like what?!

neways reall i am speech less i only read a few things i mean reading them from tip to toe n yes i did

dpakmote said...

hey
randomly came across your blog.. very interesting reads. Im no blogger but after reading yours, am itching to write !!

kudos :D

-deepak