The Desolated Axiom within the Flowers
She stared at the marvellous garden of pure orange lilies arranged precisely in order around the fountain. Her eyes carelessly followed the free water flowing down the long slender neck of the ancient fountain. She came here every morning for her dance school. Every day she would be greeted by the enthralling sight of the tangerine coloured lilies, and the unascertainable hue of the roses. They seemed like a mixture of bright indigo and periwinkle. The roses, without fail, enchanted her like a snake is to its charmer. They formed a circle on the inner side of the fountain, making the fresh petals look calmer with the clear water droplets. Every day she fought the urge to pluck one off, but that could never happen. She would never ruin something for selfish reasons. Besides, she would get soaked if she were to break one off. She shook her head and took a long deep breath, the smell of those roses started her day, but she wished they would be with her all day. She sighed. It would be sinful to be selfish in the relation of her and the flowers. It was a sin to think that way; she had everything she wanted from life. She lived in the most charming town in Scotland, had the best aunt and best friend, and did what her heart wanted to; dance.
She is a vivacious girl who very rarely had a frown on her delicate complexion. Her face is as charming as the sun's rays, and her bold and expressive eyes added to her alluring elegance. She is a silent one as well. She does not really talk much other than to the likes of her friends and family. Mel has perfect flaws, yet she manages to radiate her optimistic energy. Mel still remains unknown of the reality of her.
She stepped into the school of her dreams, and like every other day she was greeted cordially. She hastily ushered a hello to everyone and went on about to the dressing room. Mel hated wasting time, so she simply wore her warm up clothes under her long red gown. Mel was a simple girl; she tried not to be fancy. Stripping her gown off her shoulder, she became ready for the final rehearsal. This performance was going to determine Mel's future and she had to give it all she had.
She entered the practice room with poise, and exquisiteness. With pious care, she began to twirl on her toes. Mel had amazing stability, and when she danced, it looked as though the wind were swaying gracefully. Dancing was her strength, passion, and her way of keeping calm, but today something felt off beat. Encouraged by her talent, she made crisp lines along the hard wood floor. Her hands smoothly traced the air as she swiftly glided across the floor. The cold oak touched her feet, as she drowned herself in the mystic realm of the Contempory dance. She slowly descended her arm and slid down the chilled mirror. She took unusual deep breaths, causing her to doubt her behaviour. Mel never got tired of dancing, and if she did, she never stopped. What was it today that made her halt her warm up?
From outside the window, he gazed at her aesthetical lines in the air. He never missed any of her rehearsals and shows. She was the only thing he had ever since he was four. He and Mel had grown up together. His parents died when he was four, and ever since then he has been living in her shadows. Sometimes he wondered what he would have done if Mel and her respected aunt were not there for him? His mother and Mel's father were college friends. He was awfully upset when Mel's mother had left her at a mere age of three. If he were not there for her the little soul would have crumbled, just like her father did. Mel's father, Mr. Ethan Gayle, used to be a wonderful man. After his wife Patricia left him and his three year old daughter, he had enclosed himself in his cage of sorrow and depression. Ayaan tried his best to help Mel cope with her surroundings, but he was just a little boy. Mel's aunt, Opal, had brought her up along with Ayaan. They were both closer to her than Mel's father. Soon enough Ayaan and Mel grew up, but they became inseparable. It was as if they were joined by the hip. Then when today he saw her do her usual dancing, why did he feel like he was going to be distanced from the best thing in his life?
He saw her melt into the ground, and he instantly knew that something was wrong. Hastily he stormed in, and knelt down in front of her.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked, sounding evidently concerned.
"Yes, fine. I just feel an alien sense of tired. It has never happened before Ay, I feel like there is no oxygen in the air. Has this ever happened to you?" she queried sleepily.
"Mel, get up. Let's take you to Uncle Perry's. He'll know what's wrong," Ayaan whispered to the half passed out Mel.
At Uncle Perry's office, Ayaan stood motionless. It was as if time had been put on sedatives, just like his Mel. Uncle Perry had tried his best to convince him that it was nothing but mere weakness. Ayaan could not seem to believe him. Not that he thought Uncle Perry was lying, he just knew that something terrible was to happen. Ayaan had never felt so restless before, not even when Aunt Opal had decided to get married. That day, both Mel and he felt that they were going to lose her forever. That never happened, but today it seemed he was going to lose his best friend.
He stood up straight when Uncle Perry came out. Ayaan trusted him; Uncle Perry was the best doctor in the whole town.
"Oh my dear child, there is nothing to worry about. Mel is just undergoing the symptoms of weakness. Just give her some time to rest, and she will be alright." Uncle Perry's words helped Ayaan cheer up a bit. He quickly bid him an adieu and walked in to check on Mel.
He sincerely hoped she would be alright for tomorrow. It was the biggest day of her life. He had to make sure she was in good shape. He walked into the kitchen to prepare her favourite hot and sour vegetable soup. He smiled at the memory of her gulping down six bowls of the soup he makes. He gave a quick ring to Aunt Opal, and strode into her orange and periwinkle room. He still did not know what inspired those two colours, but one day she came home and dragged him along to paint her room.
She gently awoke with the smell of her soup, and looked around to see him smiling at her. Had she really passed out, or was it all a dream? She pondered. She sat on her much too puffy of a bed, and grabbed the bowl out of his hands. As she burned her tongue with its steaming hot liquid she could not help but wonder why he looked as dull as a pastel today.
"What happened? Why so glum for?" she questioned with a hint of humour.
"Mel you lost your damn consciousness back there, and you want me to be shouting in ecstasy?" he chuckled at her imbecile side.
"Oh come on, it cannot be that serious. There is no way I was going to leave you. I still have to see you get married, have kids, and anyways, you can't get rid of me. I still have a lot of time to annoy you," she stated with amusement.
"Mel, you thought that I thought you were going to die? Oh god please, you have been watching way too many movies lately!" We both laughed when Aunt Opal barged in. She never had a polite entry. She was always entering without knocking or rudely pushed the door open. Mel and Ayaan never minded though, they were too close to have any secrets.
"Oh dear god Mishti, what have you done to yourself?"
That was their Aunt. She seemed too concerned for anything related to them. She had gotten married to a half Christian and Bengali man. From then on she preferred to call Mel Mishti. It meant as sweet as the honey from a honeycomb. Mel had been initially apprehensive to accept that name because she preferred Mel. No one but her aunt and Ayaan knew that it was short for Meliara. She believed it sounded too much like Malaria, the disease. Soon enough her aunt's insistence helped her accept the sweet nick name and gave in.
"Good god Ollie, you scared me!" Mel exclaimed as she jumped off the bed. She could not withstand the pressure though, and she sat right back down when she felt her body was going to crumble under its own weight. She never had felt so weak before. Almost instantly, she violently got up once again. Aunt Opal could not believe Mel's array of actions. Mel joyously reached her dresser to change her clothes. Her black tights and tank top seemed dirty.
"Ay, I know you will not let me go back and rehearse, so I am just going to make do here. You cannot stop me; I have been waiting for this for ages," she spoke to Ayaan while she pulled out a fresh new pair of dancing attire.
"Hey, calm down okay. Uncle Perry has said that you are weak. There is no way I am putting your health up for the showcase. You are perfect in every sense and you do not need to practice. Now before I tackle you to bed; you'd better close your eyes and dream."
Ayaan was always demanding when it came to Mel's well ' being. It annoyed her to bits, but she knew better than to disobey him. He lifted her up from her waist and settled her back onto the bed handing her the now cold bowl of soup to finish. Aunt Opal and he exited her room to let her rest. Tomorrow is a big day for her, but it mattered a lot to them as well.
The morning arose, and Mel sat up with a smile. Today was the best day of her life, or so she thought. She walked into the courtyard, and marvelled at the roses once again. She silently prayed that nothing would go wrong. She was not nervous, just a nervous wreck. Mel had this problem of underestimating her abilities. Ayaan would get tired of explaining to her that she creates magic with her dance. She was jittery and for the first time, Mel had not taken her heart's fill of the scent of the roses. She looked at the board that said ''Royal Academy of Dance'' and her heart filled up with warmth. This was where she wanted to be and she would make sure she gave her performance all she had.
As the curtains opened, she began to twirl with all her pent up energy. At the moment she could not thank Ayaan enough for forcing her to rest. She would have fainted here if she had not. Just as soon as she bowed down and appreciated the applause, the blood rushed to her head and collapsed. Mel had felt dizzy during the whole process of her dance, but there was not once where her face expressed her distress.
Ayaan and Aunt Opal rushed her to the hospital when they realized that this was serious. Mel was generally a strong girl, and she very rarely got sick. What was happening? Ayaan hurriedly told Uncle Perry of the situation and took a seat beside Aunt Opal to calm his over hyped nerves.
Uncle Perry came out of the room with her blood reports. He wore a straight yet somewhat of a sullen expression, and Ayaan could not quite identify what the news was going to be; good or bad?
"She has Leukemia." He had never been blunter in his entire life. It was not like he was not upset. Uncle Perry was very close to Aunt Opal. He was almost a father figure to the Ayaan and Mel. In order to keep Aunt Opal and Ayaan strong, he had to maintain a straight face.
"We will begin to a find match for a bone marrow transplant. Till then, please remain strong and don't lose hope," he stated and immediately ushered Aunt Opal in the blood test room.
Ayaan believed that the earth under him had made up its mind to abandon him. Resting his body towards the pale white wall, he stumbled into the orange chair and cried hysterically. He was debating whether to ask Uncle Perry to recheck Mel. It could not be happening to her. She is such a joyous person; he wondered how something so cruel could happen to her. He felt it wall all a cruel joke and everything would become how it was. He was mistaken. He had to be strong; if he shattered, his Mel would lose hope.
He went into the waiting room, and gave Mr. Ethan Gayle a call. Mel had not spoken to him ever since she turned fifteen. In those twelve years she had tried her best to bring her loving father back, but he had been adamant enough to push her out and stay cocooned in his world of misery.
"Uh, Mr. Gayle, it's Ayaan. I just wanted to let you know that Mel has Leukemia. Please come and take a test for a bone marrow match. It would mean the world to me," Ayaan answered the answering machine. Hopefully he will come he whispered. Hopefully he will realize his responsibilities now.
Mel always craved for a fathers love, and since her mother was not there, she needed him even more. She used to cry with him on father's day. She never voiced it, but he knew she wanted her father to be an important figure in her life. He went in to see if he was a match; it was a great disappointment that Aunt Opal was not.
Mel lay motionless in the room with several IV's connected to her arms. It pained him to see her half lifeless. The memories of the times they have spent together replayed as a slideshow in his mind. The time they went fishing and he feel in. They sound of her laugh echoed in his ears. Aunt Opal placed a comforting hand across his shoulder, but he knew she was crushed. She looked worn out and devastated. He knew she felt horrible for not being able to do anything, but that was life. Life is just a game, it makes the rules and you can just follow.
Mr. Ethan never came. It had been two days since Mel had been unconscious. Ayaan just eagerly waited for his reports to come. If he was a match, Mel would be able to live. People never believed that Ayaan was just Mel's 'good friend'. They always wanted to see them closer; Ayaan and Mel would both grimace at the thought of being 'together'. They had more of a sibling bond. Ayaan was always there for her like a brother would be. Mel was his innocent little sister, and he would let nothing happen to her.
The doorbell rang, as Ayaan travelled towards the kitchen. He changed route, and greeted Uncle Perry.
"Ayaan, dear, you match," he had said, and instantly, Ayaan engulfed him. Ayaan was not blood related to Mel, but today he was going to be. After today, Mel would actually be his younger sister. She would have his white blood cells inside her body.
Rushed into the operating room, he breathed a sigh of relief. Mel was going to live, hopefully.
The operation lasted a whole ten hours. Both Mel and Ayaan were exhausted. A bone marrow transplant is not an easy surgery, and it also results in a lot of pain. They were kept under observation for three days, and when they both finally were stable they gained consciousness.
She opened her eyes. She saw the world with different eyes. She had been through a lot; Mel had almost lost her life. He held onto her and Aunt Opal's hand and walked into their home together. Ayaan on the other hand could not diminish his smile. It invaded his face as he realized that everything was indeed alright for now.
They both lay on the bed exhausted from the past few days. Mel had won the showcase, and she had gotten the job offer. She was to teach in a university institute. She had gotten her dream job. Ayaan on the other side wishes to continue his military training and join the Royal Air Force.
Mel was very upset with his decision of leaving her for long periods of time, but she understood that it was his passion to help others. If he had supported her and encouraged her to dance, she could also help him succeed in the military.
Uncle Perry has said that if she doesn't relapse within five years, she will lead a healthy life. She is still under observation for bone marrow rejection. Mel was happy to be breathing, and Ayaan was just glad he could help. Aunt Opal on the other hand, believed she had the greatest responsibility of all; the responsibility to get Mel's father back. Aunt Opal was very upset that Mr. Ethan Gayle had not come to even take a glance at his daughter. No matter how hard she tried, he would not answer her calls. She would have to just go and find him.
Aunt Opal cheerfully graced the room with her presence with a bunch of orange lilies and bright indigo and periwinkle roses.
"Ollie! Thank you very much!" Mel exclaimed as her eyes lit up at the sight of her favourite flowers. She took a long deep breath, and rejuvenated her energy. The axiom within the flowers will possibly never be discovered. The axiom within the flowers continues to be desolated.
Heyya, all my favourite people!
This was a school assignment and I thought I'd share it with you. This is also the reason I have been every inactive. School is choking me. Also, I got a 99% on this, so I was ecstatic. Nothing matters more than you guys' opinions though, so please do let me know. I know this is not my regular ArSh but it would mean a lot if you guys would still press LIKE or leave a few words of kindness or criticism!
Jinszy :D
P.S. This was inspired by Mausam, if any one of you have seen the flick and adore Shahid Kapoor as much as I do!
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