Fisherman Horizon...

His glorious days were finally over. He turned down the offer of being the commander of his country’s army despite having led his battalion to war which ended in a miraculous victory over the invaders. The king was most pleased with his sacrifice and loyalty that he wanted to give him the most prestigious award a soldier could achieve. He refused to accept the king’s offer instead he asked his king if he could just leave since he has carried out his duty as one of his subjects. With a heavy heart, the king allowed him to move on with his life. The reluctant hero left his war suit, weapons and everything he owed from the army. His followers were saddened with his departure after all; he had made a legacy, he became a legend of his country. The townsmen paid their respect and gratitude by assembling along the pathway of the city’s entrance as he walked away, empty handed. They cheered him and sang lavish praises, showering him with blessings now that he had to go. As he stepped out of the city gate, he gave a deep sigh but did not turn back to face his hometown that he has just liberated. It was his personal choice to find peace after he had completed his duty and everyone respected his decision. He set his feet forward upon the scorching earth and never came back.

He endured blinding desert storms, torrential rains, burning sensation from the sun and even Mother Nature did not seem to be on his side. Nevertheless, he finally arrived at the long forgotten village. Situated away from the mainland, the village rested itself in the middle of old railway on a long, concrete bridge connecting his country’s frontier to another unknown region, surrounded by the great ocean. The railway has been out of service therefore, he had to make his own way to the village on foot. When he arrived, he was welcomed by cheerful children playing hide and seek near the outskirts of their humble village. He thought that perhaps he could stay here. With ocean waves hitting the walls of the bridge, fresh ocean waves, rejuvenating his spirit, the warmth from the village folks there was no place like this he had ever known. He thought maybe this was the perfect place to find peace away from his past, to start a new life, to begin writing the prologue chapters for his twilight years. He stepped into his newly acclaimed hometown with a new identity. He believed that the hero he once had been was better untold so that he could lead a normal life in this new haven.

He met many new people, made some faithful friends and of course, he found someone who stole his heart. She was dark haired with pure conscience and kind soul, alluring smile, full of elegance and grace wherever she went. He asked her out one evening to have watch the sunset over the horizon and they rested by the edge of the bridge, sitting back to back with eyes overlooking the reddish orange water surface. They talked while enjoying the scenic view and soon fell in love. It seemed unbelievable for such feelings to develop in such a short time, but it did. Fortunately or unfortunately, fate had decided that they were meant for each other at least for a few years. He was devastated that she passed away a few years after their blissful marriage. They did not even have the luxury of time to have children as they had hoped for. He had just lost a wonderful woman of his life and it was obvious that there was never anyone like her after her death. He remained single in the end. He commemorated her death every evening at the place where they made feelings known.

He would come with his rod and live bait, sat where he once rested and waited for the bait to be hooked by some live fish. It was pitiful of him to be that way. The villagers knew that she was everything to him; to them it was unfortunate that he was reduced to such wretched state. He was a good man without a smooth sailing life. So they left him as he was because there was nothing they could do to bring the dead back to life. He sat alone most of the time. At times, children would come by his side and watched sunset together not realizing that he was actually drowning his sorrows by letting time went by as if the past would be rekindled just by being where he used to be with her. He asked himself, “Is this what peace meant?”

He was alone but he never felt lonesome because he believed that perhaps this was the kind of peace he was looking for. Sunsets’ magnificent panorama which he had never seen before, the feeling simply calmed the rocky past he experienced. The place had a lot of meaning for him and so many memories were left behind in the same, exact location. It was where time just stopped, where he could let his feelings drift away by the serene sounds of the ocean. The serenity he felt was undeniable. He would repeat this cycle year after year. With his twilight year nearing, he realized that he had had a good life despite her loss. He buried his glorious past when he entered this village, led a simple life as a common fisherman, treasuring sunsets every evening and now, he was left with white hairs covering the top of his head. He left his home spick and span, neat and tidy. He knew it was time to embark on a new journey. So he left a diary back at his home. Inside it told his lifelong tale from a boy to a soldier, to a man and finally an old, fragile elderly. He noted how life was like in precise details so that someday, someone who stumbled on it could find peace like he did. He stood on the edge of the bridge and looked at the picturesque sun setting on the distant horizon for one last time. He gave a sigh, closed his eyes and pretended as if his late wife was beside him, holding his hand. In his heart, he told himself, “Peace has guided me this far, I’m glad I came to this place. I have got nothing to lose because I have lived in peace far too long that now I could not repay what it has blessed me with. I know I can finally rest in peace, farewell and thank you for finding peace in my lifetime.” He loosened his grip and he made himself fall to the ocean, knowing that he could not swim. Time just stopped then as he fell from the edge of the bridge.

Children who accompanied him before told the townsfolk that they could see him and his wife by the place they used to be, sitting back to back facing the sunset every evening. They replied with a smile, “Yes, of course, they were good people who have managed to find peace in their lives.” The tale of the old fisherman who embraced the sunsets on the horizon went on and became folklore in the village. Although he left in silence, his tale would still remain in the hearts of those who read the writings in the diary he left behind. At the end of his diary, vividly written, “As such, I would like to end this by entitling my journey as Fisherman Horizon…”

My Treasured Moments...

There are things in the world which are worth more than money can buy. There are things in life we often forsake. There are things so ordinary and simple yet bring a whole lot of meaning to people's lives. There are things we can find if we just open our eyes and start feeling from the heart. There are more fulfillment you can experience in life if you just treasure every moment...

Inspired by "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.

Imperfection...

He held his mother’s hand and took a final look at his home from outside the gate. It was where he grew up but now, he has to go; he has to leave the place he had always called home. “Come, we must go or we will be late for the flight.” His mother said. He stepped up to his old, wrinkled nanny who has been taking care of him ever since he was born. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to her. The almost toothless nanny could not help but to weep as she hugged him for the last time. As the car left for the airport, he took a peek from the back window of his car, only managed to see her slowly fading out from his view.

The airport was packed with tourists, locals and air crew. The smell of smoke choked him on many occasion. He would never miss the sight of smokers all around him and to him; this was like a torture chamber filled with poisonous gas coming from a lighted cigarette. Seeing the pain carved on his face, his mother tried her very best to check in as soon as possible. And he finally could breathe fresh air once again at the waiting room. Having born with an outgrowth that blocked almost his entire nasal cavity, she was glad that her son did not have to suffer from the cigarette smoke. Excessive exposure to cigarette could probably increase the rate of the outgrowth, causing a fatal result.

All around him was passengers of the plane. He looked at his younger brother beside him and asked, “Are you ready? We are boarding the plane soon.” He replied with a nod. Neither of them had traveled on a winged aircraft before, so the first experience of flying proved to be difficult to overcome. Nevertheless, they boarded the plane, greeted by friendly air stewardesses. Comfortably sitting on the seat, he peered out of the window, thinking that this was goodbye for good. With seatbelt fastened, he was prepared to leave as the plane made its way to the run way. The plane fired its booster and heated engine, the pilot controlled the lever such that the plane would be able to make a dash on the run way and finally, piercing its way towards the sky. He closed his eyes in fear that something might just go wrong. When the plane has finally stabilized from sudden turbulences, he opened his eyes with tears flowing down. He was glad that he was safe and sound. It was just that he could not bear to leave his loving relatives, fellow friends and especially his aged nanny.

Such was the distant days he recalled a few years after. Living in another country has brought him a new environment to adapt to its weather, food, rules and regulations but mostly its people. He lost contact with all his friends he made back in his hometown since he left abruptly without giving them any notice so, finding himself all alone in a new ‘habitat’ surrounded by strangers made him feel so uneasy. And to make matters worse, he could not speak their language. He knew he has to pick up the foreign language or perhaps perish since everyone in the new country could only communicate in that language. Considering his age of eleven years, learning a new, foreign language he has never spoken in was a nightmare. He had to endure people’s laughter when he tried to converse with the locals. Well, probably that caused him to have a low self-esteem.

However, if there was something he liked about this new ‘habitat’, it would probably the fresh air. He could now breathe easy since the number of smokers was minimal. His mother was glad that with this atmosphere, the outgrowth would likely stop growing or slow down. This could only mean one thing, the operation would not be necessary. Due to this reason, she thought it would be better to stay here so that he would be better of. No more trips to the specialists; no more breathing difficulty; no more irritating sneezing. That way he could lead a normal life. And hopefully, the outgrowth would disintegrate although she knew that the chances were slim as doctors had prescribed. They suggested surgery to ease his breathing difficulty, thermal radiation to shrink the size of the outgrowth and chemical sprays to slowly reduce the active outgrowth cells. But his parents decided not to follow their suggestions mainly because they thought that a young boy could be traumatized or possibly would not survive the surgery since it involved blood capillaries to be cut off. Furthermore, the outgrowth could appear again even after removal through surgical methods. This was the outgrowth called ‘sinusitis’ which was common. It affected the patient with variable allergy such as dust or pollen, continuous sneezing, excess production of liquefied mucus, breathing difficulty when exercising and sleeping causing more fatigue and the outgrowth simultaneously kept growing as he got older till it would fully block the nasal cavity. Although it was not inheritable, he would have to carry it all his life unless he went for surgery.

A blessing or a curse one might decide, he only knew that this imperfection was already with him since he was born. He decided to move on and let go of the desire to remove this little imperfection. After all, it could be a gift from above which made him to feel inferior in some ways so that he would humble himself. Until he received the calling from above, he planned to live with it all his life, why alter one’s imperfection when it made him more humane, less boastful about perfection, always believing that every imperfection has a perfect reason behind it.

Years passed and he finally mastered the foreign language, enabling him to socialize with the local islanders with confidence. They no longer laughed at his pronunciation or grammar mistakes or even comprehending what he was saying. After years of adapting to a new culture, new place to live in, he began to grow fond of it. Well, not entirely because his hometown would remain in his heart. The thought of the nanny he had lost made him feel so down at times. Though now, he has grown into a fine, young man, part of him still was attached to his nanny. He thought that he could now repay her tireless effort bringing his up from a toddler but he has not heard from her for quite a long time. His departure would probably mean the end of her services and loyalty to the family.

The author wants to remind smokers out there to stop their addiction because for every cigarette lit, not only you will suffer, others like the character mentioned above are likely the ones who have to bear the consequences he did not cause. Smoking is never a must; it is a choice which one can turn away from. So when someone offers you a cigarette, it is always courageous to say no and turn away. You do not need to be a peer to someone who branded you as a coward for turning away because they do not know it takes a whole lot of courage to uphold your beliefs.