He stared off into the deep night sky stretching out in all its glory, showing off its beauty and supremacy in an almost mocking manner. Somewhere along the way his glasses had slipped from his nose, so the sight before him was kind of blurry. A low chuckle escaped his chapped lips as he continued tracing the blurry spots shining in the ubiquitous darkness surrounding him.
Life could be so cruel.
Slowly, oh ever so slowly, he tried to raise his left arm and reach in the direction of those far away tiny little spots of white, yet his body was as heavy as a stone thrown into an ice-cold swamp, sinking to its bottomless pit never to be discovered, never to be seen again.
And yet, a smile slowly crept onto his pale face, even though it was ever so faint on his moonlight-light, soft yet strained features. It was as if the pain penetrating them had become a part of the body itself, nestling into its deepest parts, forever unable to let go, inseparable.
However, even more so than the traces and scars of solitude and sorrow there was something else there in the dark, tightly clutched between deathly cold, slender fingers. A small book, seemingly old yet nevertheless well tended to, was being embraced ever so strongly by the other arm, taking all the strength which still remained in the one lying in the dark. It could almost be said to be cradled like a newborn, lying on a slowly heaving, and sinking, and heaving chest.
The pace was slowly decelerating, the moment it took between each excruciating breath stretching into two, four.
The beautiful hand so devoid of color was shaking slightly, yet it never let goof the treasure in its grasp. A glistening, clear pearl of wetness mischievously absconded from hazy orbs, the sheer endless ocean in them rivaling even the universe painted above. Slightly aggravated, he closed his eyes, a raven curtain of thick lashes casting a dark shadow on ashen cheeks.
How dare this body of his betray him even now, disloyal until the end.
A single drop had become a stream of glistening tears by now, splitter splattering onto the earthen ground, unheard by no one. Reluctant yet longing still, he opened his eyes one last time anew, unable to suppress the suffocating desire of gazing into the deity's art adorning its tenebrous, never-ending canvas only one more time.
Much to his regret, the sight had only worsened, the non-ceasing flow obscuring what seemed so close and yet was still so undeniably far, far way. The darkness enveloping his body like a velvety blanket grew thicker, creeping closer and closer with every passing second, taking an excruciatingly, teasing pace coming closer to what felt like infinity regardless.
His mind was blank. There was no such thing as ones life playing like a 60' black and white movie before the inner eye. No last happy moments.
No regrets..
Another low rumble in his chest, and his face scrunched up in pain. Yet the mocking sneer formed anyhow.
Bullshit.
And with this, the boundless dusk finally could hold back no more; giving in, showing mercy, reaching out its murky, greedy fingers, clasping his body
- and swallowing him whole, leaving nothing behind.
YOU ARE READING
Mono no Aware - The Fine Line between Reality and Fiction
Romance" Every time I lose myself, I open a new book - countless words crashing down on me; forcefully tainting me anew, pushing me forward and making me almost stumble in my steps." A story about a book-loving university student and his encounter with fa...
