Chapter 6 - TWO RINGS AND A SMILE

Pain has a way of camouflaging itself with pity, as much as the sun pities the moon for its tiny time in control, the moon pities the sun for it shines harshly with time to no end, while the moon radiates its beauty through every era. For beauty and pain are different sides of the same coin.

(TWO RINGS AND A SMILE)

Gazing at each other intently, as they struggled to start the conversation again, Messie asked promptly, “So how do you feel about the whole situation with your sister?” and with silent eyes, she said, “I don’t really know how to put everything into words, Jess genuinely looked happy, amidst all of the chaos and the blood, she really looked happy. Her eyes were as beautiful as the hug she embraced me with one last time, as beautiful as each sunrise on a summer’s day, awaiting to light every inch of our hearts with beauty.

And as beautiful as that sounds, and it does warm my heart, but, but why would she do such a thing and not tell me about it?”

“I understand what you mean Anna, what you said makes total sense, what I don’t understand about the whole situation is why, why you would even bother to notice her happiness when she was making such a sin?”, asked Messie as she looked at Anna with eyes of worry and confusion.

“When you watch yourself carefully enough, you see things which aren’t visible to the naked eye, Jess was a mirror for me, and although she always had a smile on her face, I had never noticed any happiness from it, not even once. So, when I did notice a spark in her eyes, I could not help but feel content and happy myself. It was an image I had imagined many times before, but …… IT WAS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN I HAD EVER DREAMED IT WOULD BE.

Although you might not understand, I just could not take my eyes off such a beautiful scene, although it may have been short lived, it brought great joy to my heart, it warmed my starved heart and, … I was finally complete.” Anna said, as she slowly started wiping the tears which fell endlessly on her face, with a pitiful smile and no regret in sight.

With starry eyes, peached by the number of tears she had shared, she picked up the cup in front of her and started drinking from it.

And with a little chuckle she said, “Hot chocolate! Interesting, you make it the same way Jess used to make it. Three small marshmallows, my favourite.” And tears fell once more from her eyes, as a race from time, endlessly wondering of the place they were to end up on by the end of the journey.

“What do you mean by, ‘she never smiled before’, how can anyone possibly not smile?” said Messie as she interrupted Anna while she was engrossed in her thoughts and memories well enough to ignore her surroundings and circumstances. “Jess had a very quiet nature, although she seemed very warm and down to earth, she always kept most things to herself, she believed that if something doesn’t concern anyone, there isn’t a need to speak of it in the first place. And because of this most people believe that she didn’t have anything which bothers her.

But I knew my sister very well, although she could put on a strong face everyday, she had very shattered eyes, and because of that she would share most of her things with me even her thoughts. And the very first and last time I ever saw her really, truly happy was that night, and that’s why I still believe that she never regrated doing it. I don’t regret seeing it either. Does that answer your question Doctor Messie?”

And with a hesitant voice, Messie answered with a quite yes, while keeping a close eye on the little girl in front of her, a girl who she was still not able to fully understand herself. The kind of thoughts which exists in Anna’s mind are what’s mostly baffling, no ten-year-old should ever have that kind of mindscape. And yet this girl, … this little child with beautiful eyes, had such thoughts within her.