NISE SHORT STORY COMPETITION

‘Now you’re gone…

I realised my love for you was strong…
I miss you here now you’re gone…
I keep waiting you here near the phone~
With the pictures hanging on the wall~
Now you’re gone~’

The song ‘Now You’re Gone’ from the Bass Hunter played as I turned on the radio. I felt
touched as I listened to this romantic song.

“You will be alright, okay?” Susan patted on my back. Trying to calm my miserable mind.
However, all I could ever do instead of crying were cry and cry. All over again. He was more
than a friend- Luke Brandon. He was the light of my light and now he was gone. My heart
was numbed. His existence certainly was my heart’s inspiration and responses’ direction.
Never in my mind I thought that it would end up like this. He was sent to wipe my sorrow
and tame my wild heart.

‘We were both young when I first saw you~’

Now the Taylor Swift’s song which was ‘Love Story’ played from the radio. I wondered how
understanding the deejay was, for running songs that perfectly fit my heart.

I opened up the memories, where the perfect life laid. When there was still him, when I felt
whole and complete. Nothing in this world could come close to the blissfulness I had when I
was with him. I was grateful to God for His Blessings because of his presence to fill up the
void in my heart.
He was a great gentleman; big, sparkling eyes with dimples in his cheeks. The only tall, dark
and handsome man who managed to melt my heart away. I was rather a bold type girl, the
one who will always rebel. My family could not even handle my mischievous behaviour.
However, when I was with him, I became easily touched and sensitive. I did not know what
had happened to me but I love this feeling. The feeling of contented, loved and needed…

I still remember the first time when we met. He brightened up my day with his flash of
smile. At that moment, I knew my heart had been taken away from him. I could feel a
glimpse a love, through his blue-sparkling big eyes and a sudden rainbow and romantic
music came from nowhere sparked the love between us. I would never forget this
moment…

***Flashback***

My school had an event that night at the glamorous hall. The hall was bustling with guests
excluding me. I was waiting outside of the hall, staking if he came or not. He was my crush
and I was always wondering his presence wherever I go. Always sneaked peeks at him to see
whether he was wearing the same colour as mine everytime during night class. Ironically,
we always bumped into each other, be it on the stairs, on my way to class and sometimes I
will intentionally go to the toilet with the hope to see him along the way. I just think that he
will distant himself if he knows a psychopath person is into him so that’s why I choose to like
him from afar. Okay back to the story…

It was such a failure because I did not see him even his shadow. Just imagine how
embarrassed I would be if he knew I was searching for him. I entered the hall with all-my-
heart-had-been-taken-away-style.

Suddenly, I tripped over someone. That hurts and I almost sprained my ankle.
I turned around immediately, aimlessly searching for the responsible person who bumped
into me. Shocked waves of consternation rocked me at the sight of him- Luke, my secret
prince of my heart. Truly said, I was so flabbergasted upon seeing him! His face was white,
as white as a sheet. As if he had done the most dangerous crime in the world and will be
sent to death in no time.

The scene however was unusual. He managed to praise me even when he was feeling guilty.

“I am so sorry,” He said heartily before continuing, “you, lady, has one beautiful face,” He
murmured and smiled meaningfully.

I felt like on top of the world at that time. As if all my burdens had been thrown away and all
my imaginative dream I created was not a waste. At that very moment, I knew he was not
an ordinary man. Wait, didn’t he think that it is too early to flirt?

“Oh. It’s okay. In fact, it was my fault! But I sprained my ankle.” I uttered seductively. Wait,
was I trying to seduce him? Oh, please remember your principle of love, Elizabeth!

He looked up in aghast. Suddenly my eyes fell on his and I felt a surge of energy. My heart
was thumping hard, my body was shaking and my leg was trembling. I felt like my
adrenaline’s hormone had raised to the highest level. However, my heart was thumping
harder when my eyes fell on his smart, glamorous and exclusively-designed blue coat. It was
wet! Why? I turned around and found out that a glass of cocktail had smashed on the cold,
hard ground.

“Oh my God! I am so sorry to spill your drink! I was being careless!” I blurted out. My eyes
were shining with a ray of hope, hoping that he will forgive me.

***

Since that day, we spent time together, ate together and did everything together. I really
loved his sparkling eyes, his romantic style and his scented body. Luke showed that he really
cared about me. The bad thing was, my family. They fully objected to my relationship with
him. They said we were still too young and love was not something that we should think
about. What an excuse! Why can’t the world just celebrate other’s happiness and spread
positivity? Why must they condemn every single thing that we did. Why must they object to
our love….
Our bond had come to an end… my family took my phone and locked me in the house- not
allowing me to go for a date with Luke let alone to contact him virtually. They said my
performance in school had dropped drastically since I knew Luke and Luke was the one to
blame. My little brother, Kevin kept messing with me by playing Dua Lipa- New Rule song
out loud;

‘talking in my sleep at night,

Making myself crazy,
Wrote it down and read it out,
Hoping it would save me,
Oh, he makes me feel like nobody else,
Nobody else’

I shouted at him angrily and he slowed down the volume. Ahh, I missed Luke deadly! Why
my family treated me like this? They tortured my feeling! My days were no longer bright
and shiny without his flash of smile. I felt like a wandering dead corpse trapped in an old, big
and antic mansion… Dull, hopeless and helpless…

Until one day…

I could not stand this any longer. I felt like everything went against me. I crept silently to the
kitchen and grabbed a tall, gigantic but dull stool. I opened the window slowly, making as
little noise as possible. It was a breezy cold night… I stared at the moon longingly and stared
at the stars in the galaxy greedily. Dear the universe, do you understand my feeling? Dear
the moon, is Luke looking at the same moon? Dear the sky, is Luke looking at the same sky
as well, wondering whether am I looking at you and wishing the same? I love the wide,
limitless and unadventurous expanse of the sky. It helped reduce the painful pangs of my
heart. In fact, it gave me momentarily satisfaction and relief.

“I am going to strive for our love, Luke. Wait for me in the paradise,” I mumbled to myself
and jumped out from the window. All I could ever remember about that terrible moment
was nothing but a painful heart. The pain that every heartbroken person would feel…

***

“She’ll be alright, will she?” My beloved father’s voice woke me up from my sweet dream.
Wait, was it a dream? I tried to ask my father but I noticed that there was no voice from my
mouth. Did I just lose my voice? How is that even possible?!

I had turned into an imperfect girl. I was no longer a beautiful, as beautiful as the rainbow.
My face had damaged badly in that awful incident. For the first time in my life, I felt small,
hideous and horrible. Doctor Rama said that it was not the accident which caused my voice
loss, instead it was assumed that I had been speaking of my feelings only in a whisper, and
the incident makes the voice deliberately loss completely. I could only listen to his
explanation, helpless to comment anything. I wish to die, but I ended up in this hospital with
hideous face and voice loss. God, am I being punished for my sinful acts?
“Luke deserve a better person. He is not perfectly matched with me,” My heart said. My
sister, Susan, informed me that there were thousands of text messages, piles of letters and
tonnes of voicemails from Luke when my family separated me form him. I restrained myself
from melting and touched with his concern because I knew…
He deserved a better person…

***

Years had passed and I lived my life in numbing despair. Tears had become my faithful
companion since that incident. My days were indeed gloomy but I could do nothing.

My terrible day started again when suddenly I receive an invitation card from an anonymous
man. I opened up the lovely, attractive and small heart-shaped card. There he was. He was
getting married. I cried and cried until I found out that I fainted. Again.

***Back to the present***

My family took me to the hospital nearby and here I was, with Susan by my side. Suddenly,
something glittering on the bookshelf near the bed caught my sight. It was the invitation
card. I braved myself to open it. I read the bride’s and groom’s name. Wait, who was the
bride? Elizabeth Morgan? Why did I feel that it was similar to my name?

I turned around and saw him. There he was- the man that I was longing for all this while.
The one who brightened up my days and made me contented with his flash of smile and
charming behaviour.

A sudden vision of ugly me paired with him in the wedding crossed my mind. No, this is not
right. He deserved better, remember Elizabeth? I covered my face with white pillow. To my
astonishment, he uttered;

“I know what had happened to you…your family finally agreed on our relationship because
they did not want you to do such dangerous attempt again. Elizabeth, please don’t make me
worry like this.” He said in his charming voice.

“Beauty is the eye of the beholder,” He continued, “no matter how imperfect you felt you
are, you still look gorgeous and perfect in my eyes.” He mumbled heartily, reached my hand
and continued;

“Everytime I look at my hand, I will feel sad. Because those spaces between my fingers are
right where yours fit perfectly. Will you be my wife? Together with me in the midst of
hardship?” He asked and took out a piece of dazzling diamond ring from his pocket.

I swore I could feel a rolling thunder on my fingertips. My face turned red and I carved a
smile. Ventured in delight, I cried tears of joy and nodded happily-as happy as a lark.

I understood that God gave me this opportunity to live longer because he wanted me to
redeem my mistake. I realised that I should not make the suicide attempt just because of a
man, as others still love me. If my heart starts to view things positively and love everyone
around me, the world will be such a beautiful place to live in; and that is the secret of
happiness.