By: Iman Waqas
“Stared at each other from across the bridge of dreams, so many unsaid words swirling in the air between them, yet the pull of love was too strong. Like magnets, they moved towards each other, slowly gaining momentum until they were sprinting, surety in each step. The prolonged separation and the immeasurable agony, they endured taught them, no matter the complications, they couldn’t live without each other. The boy who yearned for love and the girl who ran from love finally reunited underneath the starry moonlit sky, unchaining themselves from all the baggage that had previously dragged them down. There were no fireworks to commemorate their union, but of course that only happens in movies. The jubilant hearts, contented minds and the euphoric atmosphere are the only proof of the fairytale like happily ever after ending.” Vera sighed and closed the book to an awestruck audience displaying diverse emotions. Some exhilarated over the end, while some wept over the tragedies the devoted couple had to face. She bowed and left the stage with huge applause and repeated demands of encore.
Since she was a child, Vera had an enchanting voice whose siren-like quality bewitched even the most disinterested people. No one could weave stories or read them, better than her. She was titled as silver-tongued by her town’s people, as no one had ever escaped unaffected from the spell binding effect of her voice. For a few extra bucks, she would often read out aloud stories in the local cafes or bookshops. As she walked back home from her auditorium reading, with the sun boring down on her head, Vera decided to get a chocolate croissant for her brother Aaron, as a surprise treat. They were entirely identical, from their auburn locks, violet eyes to their pale skin, being born only seconds apart from each other. The only dividing factor between them was that, he suffered from congenital deafness since birth and was mute. Some said that her hauntingly beautiful voice was cursed and came at the sacrifice of her brother’s. All throughout her life, she had felt the burning accusing glares of people, who despite listening to her stories in reverence, blamed her for his impairment. Aaron however, never considered her at fault and cared for her like any other brother. She couldn’t ever express the depth of her gratitude and appreciation for him.
Contrary to what people believed, she despised her gift, viewing it not with hubris, but as the source of her brother’s troubles. It’s hard for one of the bullets to not hit, when so many are raining down. If it was plausible, she would bear all his burdens along with her own as well, but she had been portrayed as the evil in his story, with no hope of vindication. Upon reaching home, Vera saw that Aaron was sitting on the doorsteps, a letter clutched in his hand and his face like a thundercloud. “When were you going to mention that you got accepted in Dartmouth’s literature program with full scholarship?” he signed his hands a blur in the air. The croissant bag dropped from her hands in shock. She was sure that she had hidden it quite well, how on earth did he manage to find it, she wondered in amazement. “There is no way I’m going anyways, so what was the point in discussing it”, Vera signed back a little hesitantly, as his expression turned darker with her every word. He remained quiet, staring at her in that way cool and calculating way of his, which makes a person start to fidget and blurt out the truth.
“My cursed gift came at a great price, I can’t sink further in people’s eyes by using that very thing for my own success that took something so precious from you.”, she signed a crushed look on her face. “Oh, you foolish girl, it was never your fault, they just needed someone to blame and you just happened to be in the line of fire, for once with a clear conscience do something for yourself. “No, you need to hear this, till when will you feel guilty over something that wasn’t ever your fault,” he signed with a stern look, as she opened her mouth to retort. “If you still feel like you owe me, go to Dartmouth”. Although she averted her eyes, some tears still dropped out on her lap, until she was openly weeping. His face filled with elation, upon her nod. She realized, she herself hadn’t known how much she needed him to tell her that. Somewhere deep down, she had always felt that he had held her accountable. It was as if a huge weight was lifted of her heart and that relief was overwhelming. “Now let’s go tell everyone and celebrate,” he signed a huge smile on his face. That day, staring at the pride on his face over her achievement, she really understood, the power of forgiveness, letting go, acceptance about things out of your control and brotherly love.
(Image from here.)
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