There Was a Boy

                                    Once upon a time there was a boy. He was skinny, lanky, of an average height and not much to look at. He was what you would call ordinary.

Or so it seemed.

Beneath this plain person was what people would call a heart of gold. A heart that would shine and sparkle with so much life and joy, you end up find yourself basking under it. But more on his heart later.

He liked to be called the jack of all trades but master of none. He liked to be thought of a normal teenage boy who mused about life and people.

Ah, people.

They loved him, truly. And the funny part was, they never knew why they did. They loved every part of him except some would call him playfully cocky. He thought he knew almost everything because he used to read. He read a lot.

He was loved mainly because he gave love. Unconditional love was what he taught and selfless love was what he believed. It’s the same thing, you say?

I know.

So this boy, without knowing it, was popular. Everyone he talked to, he showed genuine interest in. Everyone he made friends with wanted him to be in their lives forever.

Or maybe that was just me.

He was loved by everyone. I mentioned this twice. I wish I could mention it more.

Now it’s funny I would call him plain and popular. But that was the truth. And the reason was also because of the words he used when he talked to people. They seem to entrance them in such a way which mystifies me till date.

He had this way of connecting with the most strangest of people by saying the most simplest of things. It was a gift; a real, true, gem of a gift. Well, he had this other gift too but that’s also for later.

And just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, something bad happened.

He had to go away.

Now this boy was sad. He had to leave the people he cared about- his friends. Those carefully selected few, as precious to him as a personal garden to a man with a green thumb, where every unique flower represented a unique friend. He treasured them so, and with promises of keeping in touch with each other’s lives, he left.

Now this boy was plain, remember? Ordinary, some may call it but he had a heart of gold. I prayed he kept this heart of gold no matter where he went. I prayed he would still continue to be the boy with stars in his eyes and warmth in himself, with the power to bring happiness to whoever he met.

So remember about the other gift I was talking about? This boy had another extraordinary gift.

He could write.

No, that is not ordinary, it is extraordinary. What’s the difference you ask?

The difference was he could not only write words on paper, he could write emotions like happiness, sadness, courage and fear, he could write them all on plain white paper. He would paint these feeling in your heart and make them feel so tangible and real, so you cannot help but immerse yourself in the world of his words.

Yes, a pretty powerful gift it was. And he used it very wisely. He would orchestrate such pieces with the art of letters that just trying to think of matching up to his caliber would be nothing but a farfetched dream.

Sounds a bit much? I don’t think so. Because after all his stories taught me was what could be the most important thing in writing, to write what you feel.

So year after year, I prayed and prayed to not let the shine of his golden heart fade away. Don’t let the glow diminish to a yellow hue. Keep it shiny and sparkly for eternity.

But one thing I learned in chemistry class that all metals including gold doesn’t stay shiny forever.

And that was when this boy, this plain, ordinary boy, who had this child like enthusiasm, whose thoughts and words could make you taste freedom and life, who I thought would always bring happiness wherever he goes, let the world change his heart of gold.

It wasn’t much at first, the change. He was merely growing up and learning to live the way of life as an adult. Shouldering responsibilities, solving those down to earth problems we all face, it all seemed fine at first. He was just dealing with his life.

But then it became severe. No, not the problems, but the change. They started weathering his heart of gold. That also wore him down, and the serious problems he faced were no longer tackled with his strong perseverance but merely a shrug or a deaf ear.  

This wasn’t him. He was slowly slipping into the darkness life always seems to present itself with. The very same darkness that takes away the true essence people are born with, turning them into like every other being in this planet, cold and still living, just barely living.

What was going on? How do I make it stop? How do I bring him back?

And then I realized, I can’t because….

I don’t think he knows he is slipping into the darkness himself.

 

 

Once upon a time there was a boy. He was skinny, lanky, of an average height and not much to look at. He was what you would call ordinary.

But I still tried to save him.

Why?

Because he taught me how to live and I think he forgot how to do so himself.

Author's Note

So this was a little simple. Plain. Boring. I think that's how I feel right now whilst slowly getting back to my usual stint of writing. Which I hope is in the near future of course.

Also, this is to that boy who i wish I could show this piece to. Except I'm afraid he might not understand it... or maybe I'm not that good with words to make him understand it.
To that boy who wish to see again.

----Niki

Reviews

[Warrior]

Great story telling. This did justice in the realm of getting the message across. Great message. There's lot of times where a story can have a great message to aim for, and have a lot of under lining things but then no one gets it, and if no one gets it, then the point has failed. But in my opinion this did well to get the message across. You made it clear, which is why I think it's good. Keep up the good work. What was also great was that I could imagine the story as I read it, and that is also a strong point of stories. The ability to have the reader imagine it because after all we're reading not watching it, but it was as if I was there as I read this, and that is great. Great visuals and great story telling. It had plot and substance. When you add substance to writing it gets that much better. It gets the reader hooked on it and make them feel as if they are part of it. As long as their is that emotional connection between the reader and the story then it's good. The connection you were able to established in the writing gives the reader a sense of comfortably that they are in tune with the writing. So that way when the writing is over, the reader wants more, and wishes it didn't end. I feel the same way when I watched a movie or tv series that I get so attached to, I never want it to end. And for this writing, I didn't want it to end. You had me hooked, and I am sure everyone else who read it was hooked as well. That is good, that is what you want for people to keep wanting more. The way you put the story together makes me feel like my life is different for that moment in which I read your story. I love it, and it was beautiful. Just keep posting stories like this, and you'll have a good following.

[JUSTWRITING]

This is a simple, yet profound piece of yours- and what makes it more special is that its coming straight from your heart. Brilliant and so you! Glad to see you writing again!

[Jetta Zippora]

Brilliant, brilliant writing. That's all I have to say, friend. Bravo. Great write. Touching, dramatic, worthy of a standing ovation.

[Tony Russo]

I actually didn't think it was boring. It drew me in and made me wonder where it was going. Was he going to get killed? Was he going to snap? The way the narrator wrote, I wondered if the narrator was jealous, obsessive, or something else. At the conclusion, you learn it is concern. I think you should add one more description in it... something that eludes to what in his life has effected him. That will feed the readers hunger and give you something to connect with your friend. I cant see how he can take this the wrong way, but then again, I dont know what it was that has him dragging...

[Jade Mayhew]

Wow. Just... wow. This blew me away. The way you described him was unbelievable. Not just writing-wise (although your descriptive terms and way of explaining everything about him was incredible), but the way that I felt I knew this boy. I wanted to be one of the flowers that you mentioned. I wanted to feel how it was to have him write emotions into my heart. This is an extraordinary piece of writing, and I absolutely loved it. Fantastic, fantastic job. I hope you find him, and I hope he sees this and understands.
And most of all, I hope he learns to live again.

[Collette Paige]

I very much like it. I know that's a dumb thing to say and I should probably go into specifics of why I like it, but some of the reasons I like it are personal reasons.
Nonetheless, this was a great piece, it gave me an essence of both hope and sadness, but it was just very beautiful to me.

[hannah]

I finally got around to reading this. My finals just finished today and the first thing I did when I visited this site was read your work.

Aside from a few grammatical errors which can be smoothed out, this was a simple but truthful piece. The world can really change a person. Life can be moving too fast for a person to be able to handle it and sometimes, said person gets carried away. I appreciate how you write such honest pieces but this could have been elaborated more. It's on the brink of reaching out to its reader, just an inch shy of doing so. Nonetheless, it's an amazing read.

[Becky C Strukamp]

I like the way you ended this by tieing it to the beginning. Bringing all home at the end so to speak. Very nice story and so true.

[Fontane Wong]

I think it's neither boring nor plain. The idea of this story is quite interesting. It've been a long time I haven't read your stories. But the skills and emotions are just right. Another piece of wonderful writing. :)

[Rose of Gondor]

This put a smile on my face but made me try to cry. It's not boring. It's certainly plain and simple, but that's the beauty of it. This is pure, raw emotion you're putting out here, words on paper. These are feelings that are hard to express to the world, especially when you know anyone could be reading it. By putting things like this you're writing with your heart. I'm touched by the power of this story. You moved me to laugh and cry at the same time. Bravo. Maybe I'm just being silly but I want to wish you good luck and I hope that someday, you might be able to show this piece to that boy you're dedicating this story to, and I hope that someday he might understand it.