Hope Of New Dawn

A short story about a pessimistic boy that is trying to find hope on the new year's eve. It will be entirely comes from the boy perspectives as he was the one who narrate the whole story.

It was a rainy day , The sky darken , the ambiance are bleak and filled with sound of raindrops. It ironic of the coming new year to be this depressing. While I woke up late at 4.23 at the afternoon feeling down and lonely. It was rather quiet at home since all of my family celebrating the new year at my grandfather house.

I never...really truly understand of why people celebrated the new year filled with happiness and high hope of everything going to be fine next year. For me it was the same thing , nothing going to change. All I'm going to find is more pain and more sorrow , adding more to my illusion of darkness.

I envied so much that people can find easily find happiness despite countless trials. I started to ask myself , why...why other people are happy? Why i does not feel happy? Why can't I find happiness? Is it i am the only one who feel this way? I ask myself those question while looking at the gloomy sky over my window.

10 mins has passed since I contemplating by the window , realising that i'm getting more and more melancholic , I started to grab my jacket and begin to walk out the house to prevent myself to self-destruct and thinking there was happiness on the afterlife. Forgetting my umbrella , I started to leave my house wandering aimlessly despite the incessant rain and coldness.

Times has passed and without notice , I already wander far from my house. I started to feel tired and my body are getting colder from the rain.
Maybe its better for me to head back home...but the thought of that was never in my mind so as I wandering , I found myself a spot.

It was an open area that has a lone big tree with a scenic view of a lake. I was never in this place before but it was a certainly an ideal place for me to rest. I take sheltered , taking cover from the big tree and watch the lake. The place was desolate and quiet as opposed to the nearby park that filled with people camping out waiting to watch the firework. Tired , I lay by the tree and taking a nap.

"Kai...Promise me that you will find happiness."

I abruptly wake up. It was neither a dream or nightmare...It was a memories. A dreaded memories. 3 year ago , I used to have a lover. her name is Aisha. She was a beautiful girl that envision me to have a meaningful life. I don't know what people think of us but for me we were meant to be together. We even make a promise that we lived life for each other forever. Such promises may seem very dreamy or absurd but I hold it as lifetime goal to make It happen. Although in spite of that ambition , our promise was never came true.

...Sigh , the thought of my past , pain me. So I distracted myself by noticing the surrounding around me. Well , the rain stop and looking at my watch , it already 7.14 at the evening and looking by the cloud , another rain may be coming.

Nevertheless , despite trying to distract myself with the environment , The thought of failure still linger on my mind. This year I have disappointed my parent for failing my in a very important exam which cause me to repeat a year again in school. This cause my parent to lose trust in me and treated me coldly since education was very important in my country. Those who excel are lauded. While those who fail are forgotten. It was alway like this. This is the reason of why a simple failure like this could put me to a greater extend of despair. Broken hearted , I was nothing more than a man in a empty shell...

Times has passed and without noticed a little bird has fallen from a branch above me , It seem the wing are broken as it tried to flap it wing back to back and wailing in pain. My guess , the bird are try to fly to the sky.

It was useless , I thought to myself. No matter what the bird do , it will never fly to the sky with the broken wing...there just no hope of that from happening. Looking at the bird , it remind me of myself. A failure. That is why I never look the bird to have a silver lining no matter what. It cannot fly. It impossible.

After awhile , The bird keep trying and trying and in the end , the bird manage to surprise me by able to fly further to the lake. However its only short lived and thus , the bird fallen again , but this time its on the lake. Hmph...As expected.

I contemplate at place of the fallen and I thought to myself , why trying , when you know it was never meant to be a try in the first place. Suddenly , there was bubble bursting in the lake and by my surprises...the bird manage to beat the odd , and fly...fly further to the sky...

I was dumfounded , I never ever seen a bird recover from a lake from a broken wing. In disbelief I keep watching the bird flying pass through the moon on the sky.

Seeing the bird , in which resembles me of an failure , to be able to fly into the sky despite all of the odds , Pain me...its pain me for not realize that believing in hope is a good thing...a good thing that I left behind year ago. In that moment I was suddenly filled with intense feeling. I don't what is this feeling but I was filled with tear. Maybe it a feeling of realisation. A Realisation of hope.

Not long since I dwell with my feeling , I began to stand up and began to walk back home , To face the place of my failure. The weather start to rain heavily and thunderstorm are imminently showing it sign. Knowing that I started to sprint toward home.

I reached home. Feeling hungry , cold and wet , I started to warm myself with a towel , find something to eat and take a quick shower. After I shower , I change into my sleeping attire and take a chair to look by the window. I start to noticed that the long 3 hours storm has finally calm down.

Unexpectedly , a firework was launched into the sky as I watched by the window. I was shocked to see my watch as it was 12.00 midnight already. Countless firework was fly over the sky with lots of colour and pattern. It was simply beautiful. I want to live my life like a firework...filled with beauty and stories. I waste my time observing the firework endlessly throughout the midnight.

"Live life with beauty...
and hope of a better tomorrow..."

I wake up. Amusingly I realise I have felt asleep at my chair by the window while watching the firework. It was 4.49 in the morning. I felt dizzy , feverish but strangely energetic. So with the reoccurring dream of Aisha , it make me realise to do something. It times for me to visit the place of my regrets. So I take a shower , change into my formal attire and borrow my brother's car. This times I'm ready to meet her once again. It been a long 3 years.

I arrived at her place at 5.45. I brought her favourite sunflower and walk toward her place.

. . .

2 year after in our relationship , Aisha succumb to severe anemia. She lasted only 4 days in the hospital. By now , I'm standing in front of her grave . She pass away smiling while i'm tightly holding her pale hand beside her. As I remember , Her last word to me was...

"Kai...Promise me that you will find happiness...live life with beauty...and hope of a better a tomorrow..."

That was the last word Aisha utter to me before she pass away. I never really find the right response for her word. So I lay down the sunflower on her grave , give my prayer and I said...

"Aisha...I finally understand of what your last word meant...you want me to a live with full of hope for life right? Then I will fulfilled your promises...I will my life , standing tall...with hope imbedded in my heart."

After that I watch the first rising sun of the year by the sea in amazement. Her grave by the cliff has given me countless hope of a better tomorrow and future.

As the sun was rising. I finally truly smiling from the past 3 year and thought to myself that hope will never betrayed to those who believed. So as I walk away by her grave toward the seamless tomorrow and future and understanding of why people to be able to find silver lining in every new year , I finally utter the belated word...

...Happy new year.

-The end-

Author's Note

Since this is my first time...any advice? Did I did good? please comment I really need to improve myself.