Azure 

 

We are often underestimating the power of small little things in the world. One tiny atomic bomb would cause the destruction of a city. One small little spark could ignite the whole forest. 

 

And 4 minute pieces of glass shards had caused Top's vision to expire. 

 

It wasn't his fault. He happened to be walking by a tall building when an inconsiderate resident threw a whole piece of glass down from the window. The impact had caused the glass to shatter into smithereens and unfortunately, glass shards bounced into Top's eyes and his world was enveloped in darkness from that day onwards. 

 

He screamed; he yelled. He cried; he moaned. However, nothing could change the fact that he was blind, at the mere age of 26.

 

His family members decided to keep him warded in the hospital to let him receive "professional help" and "first-hand information for cornea donors", but in actual fact, they were just pure lazy to take care of a grumpy blind person in the house. Top knew that of course, but he remained quiet. His family had a reason to desert him. A blind person wouldn't be able to contribute to the family at all! Why would his family want to take care of an useless burden? Deep inside his heart he was hurting, but he chose not to retaliate. It was his family after all; as much as they didn't like him, he loved them back with all his might. 

 

One day, Top was awakened from his nap when he heard a faint voice humming the sweetest tune ever. It was rich of emotions and it reminded him of the clear, azure sky that he used gaze at when he was young. It had always been his greatest aspiration to soar in the sky, driving an aeroplane and he was on his way to to receive his professional pilot certification when the mishap occurred. However, the tune made Top feel at ease and he was surrounded by a sense of tranquility which he hadn't felt for ages. It seemed like the sky was right in front of his eyes and he could almost see the luminescent light coming from the horizon. 

 

As he was submerged in his fantasy, the humming stopped abruptly, jolting Top out of his thoughts.  

 

"Continue humming, please," Top whispered, tears forming in his eyes. The voice was amazing and it took his unpleasant thoughts of life away for that moment. He knew that he was escaping reality, but he figured that a little break from the harshness of life wouldn't hurt. 

 

"Okay, then," came the sweet reply. Then, the humming continued and Top leaned back in his chair, an unknowing blissful smile on his face as he drifted off to Dreamland again... 

 

That was how they met. Bom and Top. Bom had not made a dramatic entrance into Top's life, but she had her way of making him captivated. Though her lover was blind, Bom was more than happy to allow him to enter the deepest part of her heart. That was pure, genuine love, where Top loved her for who she was, and not for her looks. 

 

The days dragged on as the little couple held their hands tightly. Amidst the strong disinfect smell of the hospital, Bom's voice would make life seem so perfect, even though both of them had their own physical shortcomings. Bom had never talked to Top about it, but she had a large tumour in and it was stealing her life away. Soon, she would not be able to talk. Nor sing. Not hum. Her voice would be reduced to a croak and it would eventually take her life away from her. However, their lives were too beautiful to be disrupted. And so she waited, for the best opportunity to break the news to Top. 

 

Top, being a clever man, also somewhat guessed his girlfriend's troubles when she asked him one day, "Tabi, will you still love me if I am unable to talk someday?" He chuckled to himself and replied, "You'll be my eyes, and I'll be your voice." He felt something warm and wet on his hand, as Bom hugged him tightly. "I love you, Tabi," Bom crooned through her tears, as she leaned her head against his wide shoulders. Their fingers intertwined as they pledged under the azure blue sky their eternal love. 

 

Eternal love? Or maybe not. 

 

The days carried on speeding by. 

 

"I wish I could see," Top mumbled, tracing his hand across Bom's delicate features, "Then I could stare at your beautiful face everyday, knowing that you're mine." 

 

She choked back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Why, hadn't that been her greatest wish for ages too? However, her prayers remained uncalled as he staggered in the world of darkness, still longing for the light of hope. 

 

"I'm sure you will, Tabi. Someday, you would be able to see," she croaked, straining her voice to produce sounds. 

 

Someday. 

 

Exactly how far was that "someday" away from them? Bom had no idea, but all she knew was that the days were ticking by, and all she could do was to watch it slip past. 

 

She knew her days were numbered way too well. The doctors' secret shakes of head and her parents' tears were not unknown to her. However, she faked optimistic in order to allow her loved ones to have a great last memory of her before she died.

 

Before she died. 

 

Before she died. She had something to do. 

 

"What's your favourite colour, Tabi?" Bom asked, as the duo were talking a walk in the back garden of the hospital. Top smiled and replied, "The colour of the sky, of course." 

 

"Tabi, I've told you many times. The correct word to use is 'azure'. A-z-u-r-e. Azure." 

 

"Fine fine fine," he answered, throwing his hands up in mock defeat. "Azure it shall be." 

 

Gently holding up his hand, Bom held it up against the clear azure sky and whispered, "Tabi, always remember this, yeah? When you miss your loved ones, just hold your hand up in against the sky. Then, they would be able to feel your longings and reach out for you. In this way, your fingers can intertwine again." 

 

Discreetly wiping away her tears, Bom continued, "Remember this, Tabi. Always remember this." 

 

Top scratched his head and nodded in confusion. He had no idea what his girlfriend was up to. But decided to keep quiet. She was exceptionally sentimental that day and it was probably best to keep quiet... 

 

One week passed in a blink of an she's time. For the whole week, Bom had been missing from Top' life. It was like she had just evaporated into thin air, or she had never existed since the beginning. Appalled and frantic, Top went on a wild goose hunt for her but everyone in the hospital said that they had no idea of her whereabouts. Top felt that his life was in a freaking great mess, until the doctor told him that someone was willing to donate her cornea to him, specifically him and he would be able to regain his sight soon. Upon hearing the news, Top threw his head back and beamed like a little kid. Regaining his sight... It meant that he could see again and it would help him so much in finding his Bommie! 

 

The operation was a success. When Top finally opened his eyes again, he was dazzled by the sunlight filtering through the shades of the window. Blinking in disbelief, Top grinned ear to ear when he realised that he could finally see again. He could see the azure sky, the fluffy white clouds, and most importantly, his Bommie. 

 

"Mom, where's Bom?" He questioned, a tinge of excitement in his voice. His mother turned around and his face gently, her tears evident on her cheeks. Handing his an azure envelope, his mother finally broke down and began to weep. 

 

A bad feeling surged up Top's heart as he tore the envelope in a distressed frenzy. In the envelope was a letter, with only one line written on it. 

 

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” 

 

A tiny, nostalgic smile formed on Top's lips when he realised the truth. She had become his eyes, but he never became her voice. 

 

However, he was really glad of the memories that she had given him, and the various lessons that she had taught to him about optimism. She had gone to a better place, a place surrounded by the azure skies and fluffy white clouds with cherubs singing along to her beautiful silvery voice. And she still lived in Top's world, because he would be able to feel their fingers intertwining again when he held out his hand high up against the sky. 

 

"I love you, Bom," Top whispered huskily as a single tear glided down his cheek.