The Idea

A short love story whose inspiration was a real life incident.

       “       His quill flew furiously over the coarse parchment. The dim candlelight did not trouble him. Writing in dim surroundings had become somewhat a norm for him and of course this time his task had a much stronger and unique inspiration. It was the result of an oath he had taken during an intensely emotional time. He rubbed his eyes and jerked his head occasionally, as a flood of memories came back to him. He swept his emotions aside and continued:

         “It was happening again. Sharp pangs of pain ominously announced the start of a headache that had become almost customary at such times. They had been happy for the first two, three months. Just recently, however, things had changed. Things had changed horribly…

                  ……………

        After Ilsa had retired for the night Adam sat at his desk, thinking… A number of flashbacks came suddenly. He went back to the time when they were in college…when they had first met. He had been animatedly discoursing upon some topic or other when…an angel swept into the room.

      Innocence shone out of those large, compassionate eyes. With cheeks like soft cotton, her skin had the color of the white snow. He had stood dumbstruck when Frank had brought him to his senses. His ability to speak had been lost temporarily; his eyes followed her around until she left the room with the grace and elegance of a swan. His ability to talk had been restored only to find out that he had forgotten the topic he had talked of so animatedly a few minutes ago.

       A jittery feeling of completion, a strange satisfaction and an ill-concealed joy were the only things he had felt at the time.

      About two years later they had become excellent friends. They never did anything without each other. A year passed, their gang now had two more members; Lily Evans and Max Atwood. They were invincible together. By then a strange bond had developed between Ilsa and him. Little did he know that he was falling in love with that beautiful creature of God.

     Three years later, Time saw him expressing his feelings of passion and desire to call her his own. He had seen fit to make a clean breast of everything and he had done so. At the time she had told him that she respected his feelings, but come to think of it, she had never really answered him. The next two years he had repeatedly explained his emotions. Only God knew how much he had suffered due to her ignorance.

    He had related these emotions of his to her the old fashioned way. Letters. It had been a long correspondence, if ever… At times he felt that she would be his, but there were also times when he despaired and lost his sanity due to agony and sorrow. When he felt his heart would break due to her indifference and wept tears of blood. Such moments took away a great part of his soul.

    He had slowly lost his sanity so that every moment he lived was for her, every breath he took for her so much so that everything he did was to please her in one way or the other. His life was for her… he had lost his mind in his intense love which was the only thing driving him forward. Such offhandedness would have crushed any common man. It was true that he lost the greater part of his sanity in his perseverance, but then… he had known the peril he had chosen for himself.

    If she had ignored him much longer he would have burnt in the blazing fire of passion and the gnawing desire in his heart. But he had been saved…God had listened to his repeated prayers. The day finally arrived…they had gone to a festival together. They were enjoying themselves when she had taken him aside. A deep, mysterious stare had been transfixed upon him, sizing him up, peering into the depths of his lovesick soul. Then she had admitted her love for him, whispering close to his ear. He had been able to bask in the fresh fragrance of her brown hair. His heart had leaped and tears of the joy he had craved for these past nine years had welled up in his eyes.

     For the first time in years, he had slept soundly throughout the night. He dreamt of lush orchards, filled with flowers and Ilsa’s face shining, encompassing everything in its glow, as if the Moon herself had descended down on Earth.

    They had been happy ever since and had begun to live together. They planned to marry once their studies had finished. Plans of future together, of trips around the world, of visiting beautiful places and beholding breathtaking spectacles had been drawn up. Just the two of them against the world…

     Then things had changed. Her trust in him had begun to dissolve. It was as if she had suddenly begun to despise him, as if…as if she regretted her decision, her choice, as if she regretted ever loving him.

      She would get intensely emotional and lose control over herself. She would in such times say things that hurt him immensely. But he had never given up on her before and he would not do it now.

      Their fights went on. They were mostly one-sided, and left her in a calm demeanor while he would have been reduced to smithereens.

      He kept up with this not because he had to but because he loved her. He bore it because if his sorrow pleased her he could go through it a hundred times over.

      A torrent of emotions swept him back into a sea of memories; when they used to confide their troubles to each other, whispering into each others’ ears, sitting close together…inseparable. He forced himself back to reality. Tears poured out of his eyes. He quickly wiped them away as Ilsa moved in her bed, smiling. “Probably dreaming of killing me.” Adam thought sarcastically.

     A few days after that, the same episode repeated itself. Only this time Adam had thought about what he would do. He wasn’t just going to listen anymore. He had had enough…When she stopped yelling, Adam had told her to get out of his house. He had let out all of his anger and said anything and everything that he could think of. It wasn’t him speaking, it was the jealousy. He had seen her with another man…

     When she had left Adam’s immediate feelings were one of remorse and regret. He regretted using such offensive language but it had been the only way of throwing her out of his life, once and for all. The first few days passed along slowly. Despair and sorrow were most of his emotions. He had had to change his life. His life wasn’t for her anymore, it was for him and he began to live it in the way he loved. Carefree and jolly… He partied had fun and did the wildest things imaginable.

     But at times he still felt her loss. He didn’t trust anyone anymore… there was no one to whom he could lend a supportive arm and no one to listen to his sorrows.

     When a friend of his died at a young age he realized that life was short and pledged to enjoy it to the full. Most of his time was now reserved for an old classmate of his, Florence Swift. After Ilsa had gone he now saw her in a different light. He had never really been that close to her but now he found a safe haven in her gentle ways and mild mannerisms. They shared a deep knowledge and unimaginable interest in art, books and sports.

     It was as if she had always been in the background waiting to be discovered. She had asked him to move on and forget Ilsa but in order to do so he needed someone to fill in the gap. His search ended as quickly as it had begun. He had found the person worthy of his love. Florence.

     But …”

      Karl stopped writing and looked at his notebook with admiration. He would complete it tomorrow. He couldn’t believe he had made such fine work of the story his godfather had told him tonight. He knew Adam would be proud…

      In the morning Adam was found dead in his bed… An incomplete sentence was scrawled on his bedpost,”Ilsa, why di…………”            

Author's Note

Please do suggest how i can make it better and more reader friendly.

Reviews

[Eddie Castaneda]

The part having to do with the main male character enduring his love's rants and raves because he loved her was very good. I thought for a while that the relationship between the main male character and his love was going to be better. As I read on, of course I realized that it was not going to be. I thought the parts having to do with the male character not taking his love's rants and raves anymore, him finding his love with another man, and him dying at the end because she was no longer in his life were very interesting. However, I would have liked to have read in detail of when and where the main male character caught his love with someone else. For example, it would have been good if it were written that he entered a café, restaurant, etc. and he saw his love and another man kissing, and tears falling from the main male character's eyes. Also, I would have liked to have read a little bit of dialogue, or a little bit more dialogue. Apart from that , I thought it was a good story.