My father once told me
When I was a little child
That all there is behind mirrors
Is silver and the wall.
Yet why do I see in the mirror
A distant silhouetted shadow
With yellow gleaming eyes
And rotting grey hands?
Oh devils and demons
Coming to take me away
I dare not close my eyes
Or they'll step out and seize me.
Turn the mirror around
And all there is behind mirrors
Is blood and the wall.
Our English teacher had asked us to write an essay. Well, it's not exactly a homework assignment. It's for a competition - I think. Anyway, I wrote it during the holiday since I don't have anything else to do. (What the heck am I crapping about??? I was freaking busy!) Whatever, here's what I wrote:
The Best Things in Life
Lia was ambling along a dilapidated corridor. Somehow, her legs seemed to know the destination even though Lia had absolutely no idea where in the world she was. At the end of the decrepit corridor, her legs took a huge step out into the light and came to a halt. As far as she was concerned, everything was white.
Lia squinted through the blinding sun and was startled to see a woman clad in white. The light dimmed slightly and after blinking for a few times, she could look at the strange woman properly. She was beautiful. She had very fine features and flawless skin. She stood tall and elegant with an aura of confidence and poise that swirled around her.
The woman smiled at Lia, the sides of her full lips curving upwards delicately. Wordlessly, she raised a slender hand and motioned for Lia to come forth. Intrigued, Lia obliged the woman and obediently took a few steps forward. Am I dead? Lia mused. Incredibly, she was not the least afraid. Not if she was with this mysterious, beautiful woman. It was strange how she could feel that protected in the woman’s presence.
“Dear child,” the woman said, the perfectly red lips of hers enunciating each word slowly. Her soft, musical voice rang like bells across the cosmic whiteness.
“Am I dead?” The question had broken through Lia’s lips before she could do anything to prevent it.
The woman chuckled softly, her laughter tinkling like wind chimes. “What makes you think of that, dear one?”
Lia stared at the ground, shamefaced.
“I’m afraid I cannot answer that question, my child. But what I could tell you is; you’re going to another place. A place where nobody ever dies.”
“You mean I would be immortal?” Her eyes widened at the seemingly impossible prospect.
“That is exactly what I am saying. But you might not find it the way you expect. I offer you a chance to decline. Do you want to stay there? Consider well.”
“Oh yes, please!” she said without hesitating. She had always dreamed of being immortal. She would never die. She would have infinite time. She could do whatever she wants. Time will no longer be an obstacle. She does not need to consider. Why does she need to do that when she knows perfectly what she wanted? She wanted immortality.
Lia stared into those deep, impenetrable eyes of the woman. “Very well. Now, do as I say. Close your eyes – and it’s vital that you do not peep.” Lia’s eyelids closed dutifully. “And don’t open till I say so. Is that understood?” She nodded with her eyes still tightly closed.
“Open your eyes…” the woman whispered.
Tentatively, Lia opened them and gasped.
It was beautiful. Lush, green grass covered the ground. The sweet-smelling fragrance of lavender and orange blossoms greeted her senses. Birds soared care freely in the blue sky. The cheerful bubbling of a nearby stream. The great meadow that stretched endlessly before her. A beautiful, little cottage with a blooming garden that was clearly meant for Lia stood somewhere near the stream. Lia was about to exclaim her thrill when she turned to find the woman gone.
She looked around her. There was no one in sight...
A week had passed by quickly and Lia had walked as far as she could and she couldn’t find a single person. It seemed that she was the only human staying in the immortal world. No matter, she thought, I have a world of my own! Unlimited power! It’s as if I am God…
Gradually, a month passed and Lia was starting to feel uneasy but she ignored the feeling and continued her life.
By now, Lia had turned into an old woman. Countless years had passed. As promised Lia was immortal, but she was not granted boundless youth. Long, white hair tumbled down her back and her skin was rough and wrinkled. Her back hurt from time to time and she was sick to death of being alone. Every morning, she woke to the sounds of the chirping birds, the warm sun shining through her window. And every day she did the same thing. Her life was dull and monotonous. It was the same routine every single day, repeated again and again. It was tedious and she loathed it. Despite the dazzling beauty of the immortal world she loathed it immensely.
She wanted human companions. She wanted her family. She wanted people who love her instead of the vast emptiness that had stretched on endlessly. Most of all, she wanted to go home. Home, to her family. She would never want to be immortal again.
Mortality…It’s the beauty of life. Would you appreciate life knowing full well that you are immortal, that you possess eternal life? Would you stop and smell the little flowers, stroke its dainty petals if you knew you had a never-ending lifetime to do that? And last of all, would you love and value your life if it is endless?
Lia understood it now. And she cried for the woman to bring her home. She had learnt her lesson. She would never want to end up in this hateful place ever again.
The woman had come. Her exquisite face emotionless as usual but it seemed that her beautiful eyes had softened a little at the pitiful sight of Lia.
“You wish to go home?” she enquired softly.
Lia sobbed uncontrollably. “Yes, oh yes! Please take me home. I’ve learnt my lesson!” She begged.
“Are you sure? There will be no more second chances. Once you leave this place, you’ll never come back again.”
“I’ll never come back for all the riches in the world! Please take me home!”
Like the first time she got here, Lia was asked to close her eyes. She shut them eagerly, keen to leave the horrid place.
“Lia!” she heard a familiar voice.
Her eyelashes fluttered open at once.
“Mother!” she jumped out of bed and hugged her mother tightly, breathing in her sweet scent, enjoying the feel of her mother’s soft curls brushing her cheek. It was such a warm feeling. It had been ages since Lia encountered a human being. She had forgotten the warmth and joy of being in the presence of a loved one.
Lia was delighted to be home again; mortal and youthful. She fully understood the message the woman had tried to send her. She knows now that the best things in life are her mortality and the love of the people around her.
I have always been interested in swords and guns. Ever since the day I was born, perhaps? I know that it might be a teensy-weensy bit unusual for a girl to like these things, so sue me. Because really, I don't give a damn what you think.
As I was saying, the sharp, shiny blade twinkling in the sun has always captured my attention. I love the way the blade winks. I love the way the ancients swing their swords in the air, how they managed to win an entire country using these metal pieces, how they end someone's life with just a little stab. That piece of metal had completely fascinated me, and though I have never touched one before I longed to. Ahh... Maybe when I'm older.
And of course, how could I not love that black little thing that roars so loudly when squeezed? You do know I'm talking about a gun. Yes, I like guns too. Who wouldn't? (Don't answer that.) If I had the time, I would probably have studied guns. Perhaps after I master my French and could recite the entire Roman history. I'm enthralled with it's mechanism. I would very much like to be able to identify a gun by it's caliber. That would be nice.
Between a gun and a sword, I think that using swords requires more practice. It requires a heck lot more skills than using a gun. And it definitely requires more strength. Of course I'm not saying guns are easy to use. I'm just saying that you need more skills to master a sword than a gun. And Chee Yi, bending a bullet is not a skill. You're watching too much Wanted.
And I know that by writing this post I'm violating a "WS's rule for girl behaviour" since he disapproves of girls working in an office because he believes girls should be staying at home taking care of their children. Sorry, dude. But I don't believe there should be any difference between males and females at all.
Therefore, I conclude that swords are cooler than guns. I think I can hear several objections.
P.S. I must admit, my view may be biased. But you can't possibly blame me, right? Have you seen the way Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector (Eric Bana) fought in the movie, Troy? Brilliant. Absolutely fantastic!
You know what, guys? I think that UPSR, PMR, SPM, STPM and all our exams are plain stupid. And I'm not saying that because I hate studying. Scout's honour.
I mean, it's absurd! We're not gods or some kind of genius, are we? They can't expect us to excel in all the subjects. They can't expect us to ace everything. Human beings have weaknesses. Like, for example, I'm weak in Chinese and some are weak in... say English.Nobody's perfect. Everyone has a weakness. (Even my beloved,seemingly perfect, Achilles.) And because of these silly exams, we have to work our ass off trying to improve ourselves and get straight A's. As the result, half of our lifetime is spent striving to get a few A's when we could have been enjoying our childhood more.
But of course, I don't mean we shouldn't have exams. Because you know what happens when we don't have exams - 99% of the student population will never study. What I'm suggesting is that we only take classes that we're interested in. And I certainly don't mean the form 4 and 5 kind of choosing courses because it really isn't much of a choice anyway. Either you choose Science, Mathematics, Art or whatever. It comes fully packaged. What if I like Science but I hate Add maths? What if I like literature but I hate arts? It's more of an ultimatum than a choice.
I feel that we would do better in our studies if we chose the subjects we like because how can we even appreciate studying it when we dislike it already? I hate Chinese and I definitely suck at it. I just don't comprehend how words seemed to flow from some of my friends pen. I sat there for half an hour trying to think of a sentence when my friend simply poured a whole paragraph out for me in less than 2 minutes. I don't understand how some could memorise everything in the KH textbook when I have to practically drill a hole in my head and stuff the book inside. I simply loathe it and I can't stand the sight of it. Which pretty much explains why I can't study it. Oh believe you me, I have tried in vain to like it. I really have, but to no avail. It has no effect whatsoever to me, if not deepen my hatred.
However, I do excel in those that I love. (I am not boasting.) I dare say I'm doing well in English although I probably have much to improve. I also excel in Roman history because I spend most of my free time reading it up in Wikipedia. And incredibly enough, instead of cramming the facts in my head like I do with Malaysian history, the facts were imprinted in my head after reading a few times. I told you interest is everything.
So why can't we like choose the subjects we like and study them? That way we'll not lose interest in studying and we'll definitely not waste our time trying to remember facts that will be forgotten as soon as the exam is over. I mean, what is the use of studyingsaliran paip when I'm definitely not going to be a plumber when I grow up? Okay so maybe we won't need to call the plumbers when we face these kind of troubles. But then, I thought that many people were jobless nowadays? If everyone knows how to fix their pipes we don't need plumbers, do we?
Why isn't the people in the Educational Department thinking about problems like these instead of changing the freaking BMtatabahasa system all the time? Don't they have better things to do than making our lives miserable?
Don't you agree???
I stared into the greenish, depthless lake. And suddenly, I was sucked into a horrible memory I yearned to forget. The memory shrouded me, like an icy veil, chilling me to my bones, suffocating me. The harder I struggled, the tighter it clung to me with its razor sharp talons.
It was twenty years ago; I was standing at the exact spot I am standing now, looking out into the same lake that stretched out wide before me. Two girls waved at me from the middle of the lake, their white, flailing arms protruding from the green, icy waters. They seemed to be shouting to me; but I couldn't make out what it is they're trying to tell me. I smiled and waved back at them instead.
After a while - I don't know how long - they stopped waving. Their hands lay on the surface of the water- dead, lifeless. And I finally realised what I should have realised sooner: they were not waving, they were drowning...
I screamed at the top of my lungs. Warm tears streamed down my face and dropped onto my duvet, leaving black, damp stains that looked like blood in the gloom. I was clutching the duvet to my chest tightly, sobbing like a little child.
It was the same dream again. The very dream that haunted me night after night but had never ceased terrifying me. The same emptiness, the same helplessness was simply too excruciating for me to bear...
I looked into the water, and he gazed back at me, his trusting brown eyes disappointed, disbelieving and betrayed but never angry. He was drowning, his flawlessly handsome face disappearing into the green darkness, and I was staring at him; helpless, pathetic...
And I could almost hear him whispering into my ear, if I drowned, you would pull me out, wouldn't you?
Like a green shawl,
She wraps me in a tight embrace,
With a thousand burning kisses,
She seals my death.
