"But if nobody cares if you are present or not,if you are still breathing or not,when nobody calls your name out of want but only need,do you really exist at all?" Cathy was staring at Nova with an unreadable expression.
"What?"; asked Nova.
"Why does your thoughts have to be so sad all the time?Why don't you try writing something happy for once?Like falling in love,or strolling through the gardens of Eden or flowers in spring or how it is the heavens kissing you when it rains..."
"ok stop! interrupted Nova, "you are way too optimistic for me to digest,and i don't know why i write sad things,maybe because it just comes naturally to me.Anyways, let's go,it's time for class";Nova pulled Cathy by the wrist and they ran off through the corridors towards their last class of the day. Mr. Andrew-their literature teacher who was already present at the dias was quoting Oscar Wilde when nova and Cathy snuck onto their seats through the back door.
"Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace."
-Oscar Wilde.
Nova interrupted, "But death is not actually beautiful. It's ugly and...and tragic,right?"
"Now",argued Mr. Andrew, "would you like to "survive" in a world so cruel as this one that leaves even Satan shivering off the atrocities of human behavior each passing day or would you rather be somewhere...as Wilde says..."lie in the soft brown earth with the grasses waving above one's head",with peace engraved in your heart",Miss Nova?Mr. Andrew continued,"I think death is empathetic,if not kind,for providing eternal peace to the tortured souls,it's much kinder than life if you ask me,life can be so excruciatingly painful it'll give Hell a run for all it's circles."But that's what i think Miss Nova,you are free to counter."Mr. Andrew ended his "quite the speech",Nova was tempted to say,with a sardonic smile urging Nova to speak.
Nova looked hesitant as she felt the gaze of the whole class grooving holes into her like owls waiting for her reply. She scanned the class in one swift motion before speaking,"Well, Mr. Andrew,i don't think romanticizing autumn turns it into spring and will magically make the trees grow leaves and flowers. It represents loss,and ceasure of everything beautiful and so does death.Death may take all the pain away from us forever but it also takes away hope,and hope,sir,is the mother of life, and so to say,the kindest of all. And quite frankly,if death were so beautiful,our notion of the grim reaper would be one of someone who looks like Tom Cruise and not a clump of skeletons and he would be carrying flowers instead of a scythe." "So",Nova declared,"no,sir,i believe that romanticizing death does not make all the blood look crimson,it was always just red."
The class started clapping and whistling while Mr.Andrew struggled to quite the students down. When the noise subsided, he said,"well,i guess each for one's own, Miss Nova."
Mr. Andrew then gave the class an assignment to write a critique paper of a poem of their own choice and that the best one would be published in the college's yearbook's Review Columns.And as if on cue,the bell rang indicating the class was over making everybody move across their seats in hurry to leave. Mr. Andrew praised Nova for her critique and left the class.
"Hey,Nova,wait up please",a voice stopped her on her tracks as she was about to leave the class with Cathy. She turned around to see Will coming her way.
Will.
Nova always thought of Will as one of her fictional men from novels come to life. With dark raven hair that looked like silk complementing his chocolate brown skin and deep eyes black like an abyss,he looked ethereal. From the moment she had first seen him,she had been enraptured,unable to look away every time she had crossed paths with him ever since.
But this was reality. It was not fiction. There was no Mr.Saviour coming to comfort her,much less rescue her out of her miserable life. And she had known better than to believe that there was any chance for her on the topic of love after everything going on in her life,she tried to enjoy her own company and kept her life to herself. "Hey,you were great back there with Mr. Andrew...um...so i was asking if you were free on saturday?" Will's voice broke her trance as she replied,, "Oh,thankyou,well,yes I am, but why though?" Will faltered for a second before saying,"well,I was hoping we could do the assignment together,you know,i don't know how to write a critique paper and maybe you could guide me through it,since you've published a few before." He waited, hoping for a reply,while Nova contemplated before replying with a slight smile tucking at her lips,"I will help you,fine,but you've to answer a question first."Oh yes,of course,"said Will,eagerly. Nova then asked, "What do you think Will,is Death tragic or beautiful?" Will thought for a minute and then smiled before replying,"I think it is both,i think it is hauntingly beautiful, like fireworks,So?...I'll see you on Saturday,i hope?"Will asked with a small smile tugging at his lips.
Nova couldn't help but let a smile slip off too,"Sure, Saturday, at four, my place.",she said before exiting the class with a Cathy smiling at her suspiciously.
"Loose that look Cathy,i know what you're thinking",Nova said while sheepishly looking at her.
"Well",said Cathy,"I hope you don't die of happiness now that your crush asked you out on a date."
"It's not a date,okay,"Nova replied, half smiling, but at the back of her mind she replayed Will's reply of her question,and she couldn't ignore the fireworks at the pit of her own stomach.