Unforgettable Memories [OS]
by RossEureka

[M. Footsteps Challenge Entry]

Love has never been a question of who forgets but there is a definite pain on the one who remembers.

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She dwelled at the sophisticated architecture. No one knows the approximate perimeter aside from the legendary architect who designed the fantastic masterpiece. With all the glowing brilliance of accuracy of its well-defined edges and the coldness reflecting from its smooth curves, she had learned to call this place her home. The golden colour of the wall reflects the elegance her mother once possessed. Together with the majestic paintings of known painters who expressed their emotions in colourful hues in lieu of poetic words and phrases; the huge palms of the indoor plants resting snugly in the brown pots moulded in the heat of a molten crust; the antiquated archway in its pompous stunt in blocking the savage wind from the sea below; the gothic ceiling in its abstract pattern of warped rhythmic shapes that seem to sketch her actual feelings, she learned to grow. She lived her life in overflowing abundance like an actual princess in a real-life fairy tale.

But her fairy tale does not have a happily-ever-after.

She lightly pressed one key on the pianoforte; gleaming in a sparkling black as the rich light from the European chandeliers caressed its coat. The music is vividly sensible in her ears through her closed eyes, whispering lightly to ignite her enslaved heart from its snuggery. The room seemed to glow as she pressed another key to complement the first one in a sweet blend of high and low tones. She swayed along, as she played a music she mastered too well. The song isn't unfriendly, but it sent her heart back into the staid matrix that reciprocated her entire philosophy about life itself.

▓ F L A S H B A C K ▓

She sat coyly in the middle of a dark room. Her even breath justifies the calm flutter of her heart as she absorbed silently the clarity of the familiar setting. Her hands, resting snugly on her lap, are warm in kind confidence as she kept her eyes closed. She listened to the soft murmurs of radiating enthusiasm and excitement from somewhere she couldn't specify.

Just then, red shades clothed her eyes and a sharp yet sumptuous applause from the rejoicing legion strummed the sensitivity of her ears. Her hazel-brown orbs creased into a hearty slit and she scanned the indefinite number of bright, hopeful faces staring at her. A sincere smile blessed the vulnerability of her lips as she pressed a key. Melodic overtones played in the wind, chasing the unfriendly chills away. Her gifted hands played gracefully from one key to another in a sweet, buoyant harmony of charming notes. She closed her eyes once more and she let her fingers take the lead whilst she drifted to the warmth of her own paradise. It's a place where music alone has the ability to take her.

Colourful gossamer of webbed musical notes echoed across the hall, filling the empty spaces of the witnesses' hearts, as if healing a scar they didn't even know existed. Praises floated from the gaped mouths of awing viewers. Pressing one last key, she ended her composition and glowed a benign smile to the applauding audience.

Getting up from her seat, she bowed gracefully as the room began to darken once again.

▓ E ND OF F L A S H B A C K ▓

Tears gathered at her empty eyes and traced the softness of her subtle cheeks. It will be a matter of a lifetime before she could witness an alluring sight as such once again. For now, she would settle in the darkness of an empty sight, where stars aren't visible in the dark.

People say that darkness is the dwelling place of peace, where peace itself upgrades the sensitivity of the senses. And for that, the life in her heart turn from the glowing shine of white pearl to the sharp sparkle of red ruby. She felt her system respond to the ominous feeling and her logic felt useless, like her unfinished composition piece.

▓ F L A S H B A C K ▓

Her smile is unwaveringly genuine and bright as she bit her lips in excitement. She urged herself to ring the doorbell of a unit about the size of her entire room in perimeter. The paint is a mixture of white and brown. She trailed her eyes to the details of the edges as the wind carried the aroma of the potted roses lining the contours of the small lobby.

After a spin of five seconds, a husky, manly voice asked from the small intercom just below the doorbell.

"It's me, Chun," Ella replied almost immediately. Excitement is apparent in the sweet voice of the young lady. She played with her cold hands while waiting for the person on the other side of the door to let her in his domain.

A few clicking sounds reached her ears and she stared hopefully on the rotating doorknob. The door creaked open, revealing a man with a towering height erectly standing in a masculine gait. She rushed towards him and stood just a foot away from him.

Knowingly, she reached for his hands and placed them on her cheeks. She stared at his eyes, which are also directed at her.

But his orbs are blank.

As if on cue, his hands cupped her cheeks. He trailed his fingers gently, tracing the softness of her cheeks and the humble arch of her brow. Her eyes are fluttering in a slit when his thumbs coaxed slowly on her downy lashes, tracing their way to the straight line of her nose. She draw an inward breath, trying to stifle the mild tremble of her lips when he begun to trace his thumbs through them in an unconscious caress of a fluttering butterfly, and ended to the angle of her chin.

She opened her eyes slowly as the warmth of her gentle fingers hasn’t left her skin completely. Tilting her head, she saw him smiling. And for that, she knew that he recognized her.

"Ella?"

A sweet, eager smile blessed her lips, "Chun?"

He smiled wider and extended his hand to her, a silent plea for her to hold it. She reached out and placed her hand on his gently as he interlocked their fingers together, his thumb hers lightly. She led the two of them to the couch. The foam fluffed softly as they settled themselves in its softness.

"Your hands are so cold," he noted in a silent inquiry of concern. A frown etched the crest of his smooth forehead as he took her other hand on his and rubbed the back of her hands gently with his thumb.

A red shade rushed towards Ella's cheeks with his sweet gesture and she treasured the moment by allowing him to continue his genuine act of concern. "It's a little breezy outside," she reasoned out.

He stretched his arm and rested them in her shoulder and trailed his hand from her neck to her arms. "Why are you wearing something as thin as this one? Winter just left. It's still cold outside," he lectured her.

She kissed his cheeks playfully and pinched his nose, "It's been two months since I visited you and you didn't even welcome me with a warm hug. Instead, you showered me with lectures. How kind of you." She turned to stand but didn't succeed when Chun pulled her down the couch once again.

"I'm just concerned with you, all right? Okay, forgive me for that. Here," he opened his arms, motioning her to settle in between. Heartbeat racing, she rested her head softly on his broad chest and enjoyed his succulent proximity. His scent both lingered and played folly with her conscious thoughts and she let herself drift off to a place where no one else in the world mattered but him. Her Chun.

Excitement welled up in her chest and she heaved a deep inward breath. As if he could read her thoughts and feel her anxiety, he said, "What is it?"

Ella smiled softly and sighed in content, "I have a surprise for you."

She could feel her smile as he rested his chin gently on her ebony hair. She pulled aways slowly and turned to meet their foreheads together. With her heart plummeting on its ribcage, she cupped his cheeks tenderly with her hands and said, "I found you a donor."

▓ E N D of F L A S H B A C K ▓

Soft steps echoed across the hall as Ella reached for the balcony through the gentle assistance of her trusted, graceful maiden. The wind from the sea below caressed the essence of her being and she revelled on how it travelled soothingly through her nostrils.

That memory... she recalled the happiness blooming on Chun's face when after she said those words. And somehow, she never regretted anything that happened. Those memories she shared with him, no matter how she took them by heart, would always be treasured deep in her heart.

She wanted Chun to see the world the way she can see it. She wanted him to witness the lovely fact that there's more to life other than darkness. She wanted him to see how handsome and blessed he is to possess such looks and charm. She needed him to realize how lucky and worth loving he is. And she wanted him to see her as her. She wanted him to appreciate her as her. To love her as her, if ever she stood a chance on his heart.

But she surprised herself when the smile she tried to drew from her lips dissolved into a broken sob as she felt herself drifting to the most horrifying haunted past she have had.

▓ F L A S H B A C K ▓

She waited patiently, her hand clutching his reassuringly, her eyes closed, her lips smiling, her heartbeat racing. But she's happy.

Finally...

The doctor gently removed the bandages covering Chun's eyes. Ella held her breath, along with the uncontainable excitement bubbling inside her. Chun could only hold her hand tighter in his, as if drawing all her support in to him. As the final dressing was removed, Chun was ordered to open his eyes slowly and gently.

He did.

Slowly...

A warped image...

Gently...

A blurred view...

Tenderly...

A colourful vision...

Awe...

"Congratulations Mr. Wu. The surgery was a success"

He swallowed hard and an undefined sob escaped from his throat. As if he couldn't believe the state of things, he turned to look at Ella and drunk his self with her authentic features. With opened eyes, he traced the humble arch of her brow, the soft lashes that fanned her cheeks, the straight line of her nose, the vulnerable innocence radiating from her pink lips. She felt just as he remembered.

He smiled brighter when Ella reached over to whisper on Chun's ear, "I love you."

Through her closed eyes, she could feel her fragrant, minty breath brushing against her lips. She couldn't make much sense of what's happening or of what Chun's reaction to her confession. The unsteady beat of her heart is loud on her ears.

Before she could say another word, she felt something warm pressed against her lips, moving against it in a tender, loving, comforting manner. She felt his arm wrapping itself gently around her waist, pulling her closer still. She gasped when he pressed her closer against his body as his other hand caressed the soft curls of her nape.

Heaven?

She responded to the kiss, as and as passionate as he is. She drew him closer, bracing her arms through his neck.

After the passionate exchange of uncontainable emotion, Chun held Ella close to a possessing embrace and looked at her tenderly. "Open your eyes for me, Ella," he coaxed while tucking a strayed lock of hair in her ears.

Ella tensed in response, her heart raced even faster than before - not because of excitement but of worry.

"Ella..."

A sob escaped her lips and she said, "Sorry Chun but..."

She could feel him loosen his hold on her and she stumbled a few steps back.

There was silence.

"Chun?"

She could hear a door screeching open...

and close.

--

Torturous silence.

And she felt scared.

Lost...

▓ E N D of F L A S H B A C K ▓

She sprawled at the top of the hill where the meadow welcomes the fresh air openly. She had asked her assistant to leave her alone in the swing, where the budding leaves of the tree shadow her already-darkened eyes. The wind coolly blows the curls of her short-cropped hair as the tails of the winter breeze thread its chase to the coming of spring. She imagined the waves of the ocean from below as it vent its anger on the confounded beads of sand in its shore. It's singing on her ears, calling her to come forth-- a beautiful state of hypnosis where she doesn't want to wake up anymore.

She smiled and stepped out of the forlorn swing, taking tranquil steps one at a time. The sun greeted her face in a warm welcome against her closed eyes as she left the comfort of the tree's dark shades. The struggling grass upon her bare feet tries to build its newfound lives after the torture inflicted by the feasting snow. Rough and dark in the hue of green, she recalled. She sniffed the fragrance of the aromatic wind as it permeates the white innocence of her callow dress.

▓ F L A S H B A C K ▓

Ella sat silently in the middle of the dark room. The beat of her heart is deviated to the usual normal and serene pace it used to have. She couldn't make sense of what's happening through her closed, empty eyes. Murmurs echoed against her ears, unbending and unrelenting unlike the usual life and calmness before. The warmth was chased away by the gnawing chill, unlike the way it used to settle drift off when music started to fly through the air. She shivered slightly in response.

A few minutes...

The light applause from the crowd she couldn't specify in number was her only signal of when to begin. Pressing a key, she let her emotions roll out of the bottle. She swayed lightly, matching the beat and tempo of the gentle melody she's playing. The intricate coil of her emotions she set into plaid turmoil rushed over her and she let herself get carried away through the notes and soothing overtones on her melodramatic composition.

Whispers few through the open air, flooding with curiosity and awe as they watched the young lady dressed in light pink sway to the beat of the dramatic music. Tears gathered through the rims of their eyes as the feeling and the emotions laid through the notes reached their ears and pinched their hearts.

Pressing a final key, she heaved a deep sigh. Fatigue etched through her fragile features.

"This composition... was dedicated to the person I cherished and will cherish the most..."

Murmurs grew louder and they seemed more vivid to the senses through her closed eyes.

"Waves of complicated and heart-felt emotions were my inspirations in composing this piece..."

"Wherever you are, please take care of my eyes..."

The murmurs stopped almost instantly and the broken sobs of touched audience were the only barrier to the silence. Connoisseurs of music clapped their hands in an awing applause and respect to the composer. Cameras flashed through the stage as the light started to dim once again.

--

In a corner of the stage, a young man couldn't believe his ears as he stared at her in shock.

▓ E N D of F L A S H B A C K ▓

She blindly reached the spot where the grass is bent unwillingly in a declinational tilt. The land seemed to reach out to the briny sea, responding to its call, like her withered heart. She opened her thin arms like the insipid wings of a bird on flight and cordially let the slaps of the gnawing wind ade her drifting soul.

She could feel the terrifying invocation of the mute summonses of all the reverberated echoes of the words she once expressed in the vastness of the azure sea. Blackness covered her void eyes, something she wasn't used to before, something she once desired, something considered as a granted wish, and something she despises.

She wouldn't need those anymore.

She heard someone calling her name... the very voice of the masculine glory she rejoiced for so long. But she couldn't see him. Conscious thoughts fled from her wasted brain as the cold waves of the water conjured and conquered her all at the same time. The unsteady beating of her heart ached against her ribcage but she remained calm. The noisy torture inflicted by the angry waves was amateurish in comparison to the silent ignorance and negligence that Chun gave her.

A few moments later, air abandoned her and she smiled.

This is what she can call content, by her own definition of the word.

▀▀▀▀▀▀

A young man choke in fresh and unending tears as he held the fragile and limp body of the woman who meant the world to him. It's too late to be with her now. The unfriendly rebound of remorse consumed him in a painful mockery and he felt helpless. He blamed himself for doing it to her. She doesn't deserve it.

"I'm so sorry...” he thought as droplets of his tears joined the huge body of salty water surrounding them. It's hard to differentiate.

He can never be with her now. But he doesn't deserve to live. She allowed him to see the world the way she did. She granted him with the sweetest privilege to see the world through her eyes. And now, he's willing to go back to darkness again.

With her...

"I love you too, Ella,” he whispered.

Air started to leave him but he held her closer still...

"I love you so much..."

His final words echoed through the density of the salty water as they sink deeper - bodies reclined, hearts entwined.

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*P O S T N O T E S:

Okay! It's finished! This story was made in accordance to the rules given by M. Footsteps. Here they are: ▼

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Challenge #2 - Show your skills

•Instructions: Submitted challenges can be either a one-shot, or with a maximum of five chapters. This challenge is to test your writing skills as well as how far your imagination takes you, be as descriptive as possible. Try to appeal to the readers, make them feel like they can look from the characters' perspectives clearly, like as if they're the character itself.

•Title: Unforgettable Memories.

•Characters: Your choice.

•Storyline/Plot/Summary: Rejection. That horrible downhearted feeling you get after being rejected by the guy whom you love the most.

•Notes: Tragic ending, no happily ever afters. This way, it's easier to describe the emotional feelings the characters feel. You decide on how you want the plot to be like, but rejection plays the main role in this story.

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It's up for you guys to criticize whether I made a good job on this one or not. That was a little too harsh, wasn't it? That's why I considered this as Rated 14 because of the violence thing. I mean, kids aren't supposed to know how suicide is done, right? (Though I tried to describe it poetically to make it a little vague) After all, one mustn’t kill his/herself only because of love. I didn't even know why I made Ella kill herself in this story. It's just that I don't know how I'm supposed to end a tragic unrequited story without having the guy feel guilty for the girl. And I don't want Chun to appear like a jerk for not caring either, that's why I made him suffer by learning that Ella's the reason why he can see once again. Oh well, sorry if this is tragic but it's how it's supposed to be. I'm the one to blame. I could've just made Ella seek for another donor instead of giving her own eyes for Chun. Stupid me.

I would love to hear your comments, guys! Thank you very much for reading this! Happy New Year! ☺

[rossEureka]
123010|12:26,
-Philippines-