Black and White (Short Story – Part 3)

She tried to ask him again but then stopped. Maybe he needed sometime she thought. She waited until his tears went dry and his smile crawled up to his lips.

“Did you see the red color?” She asked quietly. “No!” He answered bluntly.
“Why were you crying then?” She asked back. “I… I felt overwhelmed.” He answered remotely. “What? Why?” She inquired.

He didn’t answer. All he did was waving his hand gently in front of her face and whispering: “Close your eyes and eat your cotton candy”.

She did as he said and as soon as tears started to slide out of her united eyelids he walked away slowly and silently.

Walking further away from the girl he could only hear her yelling and asking him where he went and why he left.

He arrived home and went directly to bed. He didn’t feel alright, everything was weakening him and ripping away his power. He laid down trying not to think of anything and faded away in his sleep.

“Fire.”
“Fire is orange.”

He woke up repeating those words. They came out of nowhere in his dream. He squeezed his head trying to remember what he was dreaming about but all he could remember was darkness and those whispers about fire.

He got up, walked to his desk and pulled out a cigarette then grabbed the lighter and lit his cigarette.

“Fire.”

That was what he heard in his dream. He lit up his lighter again and looked at the humble and little fire dancing on top. To him it was light grey. He looked closely then pulled it closer to his eyes.

He, suddenly, screamed and covered his burning and aching eyes. He hardened his fingers on his closed eyes and screamed louder. They hurt him so much. He couldn’t open them or the burning will increase.

He kept on screaming until he realized that the pain is gone.

He opened his eyes slowly. No pain. He closed his eyes then opened them again. No pain. It was gone and he felt relieved.

He thought some more sleep would help him relax. He walked toward his bed and stopped after few steps. They told him before that his bed is green but he never imagined green looked this good and bright. What is it? Is he seeing colors now? He couldn’t believe
himself. That blue carpet on the floor. That brown door at the entrance. That gold vase on that table. Colors were gorgeous. He screamed trying to scare the illusion away but it didn’t go. It was reality. The colors he was seeing were real. As real as his five skinny fingers in his right hand. He couldn’t believe it. He went out of his room running. He reached the street and started to hop from one spot to another. Trees were beautiful with their new green colors. He was the happiest person on earth. How can he not be and now he can see all the colors he ever wanted?

That girl was right. The cotton candy was magical. That girl? Oh he must tell her. He ran crazily to the park, seeking the circus. Entering the park, he realized that it was silent. He looked here and there. Nothing. The circus was gone. His enthusiasm went low as he thought he might not find that girl again.

He turned back to leave the park when he heard a scream coming from the other side of the park. Another scream blew again and he started running toward the source. The screams got louder as he was getting closer. And he saw the girl. She was fighting with two robber. One of the robbers was holding a knife and waving it in her face while the other robber was trying to pull out what was in her handbag.

He shouted and screamed at the robbers and ran toward them. When they saw him running their way, the robber with the knife stabbed the girl and ran away while the second robber pushed the girl down to the floor and pulled what he could of money out of her bag dropping a few dollars on the ground while running away.

All that mattered back then was to save the girl. He ran faster to reach her and maybe he can save her. A few meters away from the girl, he stopped. That terribly red blood was sprouting out of her chest in a fascinating speed. it was red but agonizing. He got closer to her. He sat next to her, held her head and tried to wake her up. That red blood seems so evil. It was draining her life away.

He started to cry and looking away. If colors were as fierce and evil as the girl’s blood he doesn’t want to see colors anymore. He looked away. He looked away and where the robbers headed. He thought of running after them, avenging the girl, but then he saw the money that one of the robbers dropped. It was green. Money on the floor was green. That green was evil too. Unbelievable. Now that he is able to see colors, things turned out to be evil and deadly.

He closed his eyes. He doesn’t want to see colors again. He just doesn’t want them anymore. He wants his peaceful black and white world again. He opened his eyes and looked at the girl. She is dead now, her red blood is getting dry and the green money is still on the ground. It hurt him. He screamed. He screamed louder and louder until his voice was gone.

It was like his mind was shut down. His face turned hard. He let go of the girl and stood up. Raising his hands to his face, he saw the blood on his hands and went into a frenzy.

Not thinking and unconsciously he started to hit his face. He kept on his his face and his eyes. He just wanted to take the colors out and they were not leaving. There was only one way. Hitting his eyes was not enough, he put the tips of his fingers on his eyes and started to push as hard as he could until his skin was wounded. He didn’t stop, he then started pulling his eyes until he couldn’t handle the pain anymore. But, death was more painful. He kept on pulling and disconnecting his eyes completely.

And everything went dark. No more eyes to see colors and no clue what to do next except walking endlessly.

He kept on walking until he suddenly bumped into someone.
“I am sorry.” He managed to speak out of his pain.
“But, I am sorry, stranger.” The old woman he bumped into replied.
“I didn’t hear you coming, I am sorry again.” He apologized.
“You needed no ears to hear me coming, stranger.
What you had was a blessing, and what you couldn’t see was a bigger blessing. It is a shame that you have wasted that.”
She yelled and went away silently leaving him standing alone with no clue at all.

The End