Dear friends,
Isabel, thanks for your first greeting here! I'm so happy to see your e-cards and the Big Apple hanging on my window. :-)
On this special day of mine I am posting a fantasy story to continue the custom I have been keeping for three years in our forum family. ;-) It's been a quite long time that I haven't written anything in English that is called "an article." Hope my writing ability is not abandoned in the desert. Hope you enjoy this long story.
I made up this story for the purpose of reinforcing my hope as well as my remembrance, but remember, this is completely out of my imagination.
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The Magic Wish of Irene
A central park in a little town welcomes a nuclear family with which you meet in almost every fine summer evening on the street to the park. Bathed in twilight of red and gold they walk leisurely, talking and laughing. Between the couple strolls their daughter Irene, whose long black hair flows down on her back, jumping and waving as the girl now and then trots a few steps in joy. While her parents are talking Irene looks at their faces, mostly at their lips, and wonders in silence. How harmonious and happy the family are! You would think. You may not think, however, that the fair, slim girl, who appears to be around 20 years old, is voice-impaired, and that the couple has been under a magical wish that made them intimate at their twilight. The father John, in his thin build and fifties, always looks at Irene lovingly, while the mother Catherine, a plump woman, 51, holds her daughter's hand gently. They both love Irene so dearly that they would be very glad to compensate her for everything that would get her voice and hearing back. But as much as they tried, Irene still cannot utter a single sound. Along with great disappointment, tremendous regret had settled in their heart long after Irene was born, for they had made what they called a mistake, which had tormented them since they were married. It was a mistake of marriage. But now all has been forgiven.
John spent his childhood in a time when every one knew nothing better than the evil of hunger. More often than not he was so hungry, he stuffed up his belly with weeds and tree bark. He was even hungry to fainting to the ground several times. In such a cruel circumstance, what he needed---and lacked---was love from his family. His father was a man with little education, who cared for no one but himself. His mother died too early for him to remember her looks. With his father's little wages, John and his other four siblings lived in a broke, loveless life until he went out to work at an age youngsters today are engaged in studies. Among his four siblings he was especially fond of his youngest brother. Before Irene was born, there was no one who received more love and care than did John's brother; even to his wife he showed very little affection. He was willful and tough, but, thankfully, he inherited everything from his father but the old man's lack of responsibility for the family. John is a man with a strong sense of responsibility. He showed this at its best to his brother, and later to his daughter. For others, he was just a Cold Shoulder.
Catherine was luckier when compared to her husband. She was sent to her auntie's far from her family when she was quite young. Her new family was affluent enough to keep her warm and full. So good and caring as her auntie was, she was no more than a "guest," so, in a sense she was in the same situation as John in which she longed for real family love. It is perhaps the very situation that made her what she was like: A strong, willful, blameful woman with responsibility and love only to her child.
Through a matchmaker, they met and soon after, they married! No considerable time to search through each other for flaws and strengths, no time to be romantic, and even no much "attraction" to each other! They married as though marriage were in child's play, and didn't give it too much thought as seriously as they should have given. The two people who needed love now made a family in where they should build "love." But they did not, and little did they know that they were making the biggest trauma that they had ever made in their lives.
The trauma began when Irene was delivered into this world, almost at the same time when John's beloved brother suddenly became very ill. John's father didn't care at all about his sick son. John's eldest sister lived far, far away from them, and the other siblings were simply too young to be helping hands in the family. Hardly could the young father think up any better way than bisecting himself to take care both of them, but finally, he gave up the newborn and devoted himself to caring for his brother. As the Destiny would have it, Irene infected a very serious disease that caused her deaf and dumb. Her mother had never known a stronger heartache when she was told that, and never had it been so long that she turned the heartache to furious hatred of her husband, who was irresponsible for Irene. "If only John hadn't looked after his brother!" She thought bitterly, "If only he and I had given our girl extra care!" She didn't want to hurt the innocent child more so that, with the hate concealed in her inner world, she had paid so much effort not to break the family over the years. John was, in the meantime, also heartbroken to hear the terrible news. Regretting what he did, he kept the miserable marriage and had always been nice to his beloved daughter.
Before the child was born, the couple had chosen the name for her in the hope that she would be blessed to a peaceful life, for "Irene" means "peace" in Greek. But against their good wishes the Destiny cast its devil shadow over the child, depriving her of a noisy world. As she grew older, however, worries and fear proliferated in her quiet world of heart, and she had been far from peace.
She has two big, beautiful, healthy eyes, which "tells" what she thinks. Like a double-edged sword, they also tell the girl the things she doesn't wish to see. For example, her parents' quarrels and sometimes even physically fighting. The hate had not erased as the time passed, after all. It only grew stronger as there was no known cure for her deafness. Worse than her deafness was the torment Irene had been experiencing to see her parents hurting each other because they loved her! Throughout the years, every time John and Catherine argued and fought virulently over some seemingly small trifling things, Irene shivered and cried in the corner when she was little, and as she began to comprehend the matter, the cries were gradually converted into pure anger and helplessness.
She saw a saying about marriage one day: The yoke of marriage is to try pleasing one another for certain purposes; the grave of marriage is to demand one another at the one's will; to understand each other is the Heaven for a marriage. Then my dad and mom must live in the hell built up by themselves! Thought the girl, with tears swimming in her eyes. She knew what happened when she was born; she understood how both of them felt; she felt sympathy for both her mother and father; she believed all was arranged by God, and for no one should be blamed. But she did not have the least idea of why they could not forgive each other for the things of the dead past. Why did they turn the love for their girl into an invisible knife poking straight into her heart when they quarreled? The girl felt that their parents were like two little beasts falling into a trap, helpless and hopeless. The trap was not set by some others but rather by themselves. The girl, watching them struggling with pain, was grieved at her inability to help them out, because she knew the bait in the trap was nothing but herself.
Three rather than two had been hurt in this tragic marriage.
"Your father never cares about me!" Catherine would complain to her daughter, using the sign language, "When I feel ill, he does not even notice it."
"Your mother is driving me out of the nuts!" Irene would be told, "She seems to have endless things to whine about. She never considers how I feel!"
Irene wished to have her eyes blind! She appreciated, though, that her family didn't break apart.
The gloomy was once again filling the air in the house one night after John announced that his brother, who was unaware of Catherine's hate, was going to come to their home with his daughter for a summer holiday. Old memories had been brought up and it saw to a new quarrel. Irene ran to her bedroom, leaving behind John's stern face and Catherine's sobbing.
It was a bright night, and shining upon the skies were millions of stars. Irene looked at them for a while, said her prayer, and went to bed. But she did not fall fast asleep. Instead, she stared into the sky, wandering in her world of thought.
After what seemed like an eternity, in half consciousness she heard a voice breaking the silence, "Irene, Irene, Irene."
"Y...y...yes?" she answered in fear.
"This is Angela, a messenger of God. I am bringing you a wish, my dear child, for you have suffered so much. I give every one on Earth a wish to reward for their bearing in life. Now make your wish." The voice said in a heavenly tone.
"I wish my parents could forget the hate they have kept for so long and know what the marriage is really meant." Said the girl, her voice nearly choking in frenzy.
"Oh, dear, you can only make a wish once. Don't you wish that could you hear and speak?" Asked Angela.
"No," Irene said firmly, "My parents bear so much in life just because of me, and I shall make a wish for them. I believe it's the best choice to solve our problem."
"OK," replied the voice, "if that's what you wished for." No sooner had the room fallen into silence again.
When Irene woke up next morning, the sunlight danced its gleam into the room through the window. What a strange dream I've dreamt! She thought. Remembering what had happened last night, she dressed herself quickly. She was ready to welcome John's brother and his small child.
Angry and uneasy as Catherine was, she had to welcome the guests with smiles on her face, for she did not wish to disturb her family harmony, if there was any. In the early morning the guests arrived. The family decided to have a picnic in a park of the city.
They picnicked on the top of an artificial hill in the park. John, his brother, and Catherine enjoyed the meal, laughing and talking as if nothing could be hated. Irene ate silently; she could not help but recall her dream. "It really seemed so real," sighed the girl, "but how could I hear the voice and speak to it? If only this could happen!" After the picnic the family were about to descend from the hill. Just when she got up and took her first step, Irene felt someone falling behind her. Swiftly she turned around and what she saw frightened her. Catherine was rolling down the hill!
Fortunately, she only got her left wrist slightly broken since the hill slope was gentle. But she still had gypsum bandages tightened around the wrist. One hand didn't support her to do every thing on her own, such as washing her right hand.
One day shortly after that, Irene came back home from school. She pushed the door open as usual, but what did she see! Right before her eyes she saw Catherine and John standing close at the basin in the washroom, John tenderly scrubbing his wife's hand, much more like playing with it, and so genuine Catherine's smile was! Water jumped on their hands, twinkling with rays of the setting sun. John's wrinkled face was brimming with glee.
Suddenly Irene remembered that strange dream. No, it was not a dream; it was real. Overjoyed, the deaf girl had learned what a true marriage was to be like through her bright eyes. At this time, every corner of the house seemed to be teeming with the red-golden twilight.
***********************************Corrections from David:
"...welcomes a nuclear family with which you meet in almost every fine summer evening."corrected into "...welcomes a nuclear family which you may meet in almost every fine summer evening."
"John spent his childhood in a time when every one knew nothing..."".....everyone... (every one means every single one rather than the general and common term for all of them)"
"He was even hungry to fainting to the ground several times." "He was even hungry enough to faint several times."
"...she was in the same situation as John in which she longed for real family love."" ...she was in the same situation as John; she longed for real family love. (the semicolon is better here)"
"..., and even no much "attraction" to each other!""..., and even not much "attraction" to each other!"
"... and didn't give it too much thought as seriously as they should have given.""...and didn't give it as much serious thought as they should have given it."
"... that they were making the biggest trauma that they had ever made in their lives.""...that they were to become involved in the biggest trauma of their lives."
"As the Destiny would have it...""As Destiny would have it..."
"...infected a very serious disease that caused her deaf and dumb.""...infected a very serious disease that caused her to become deaf and dumb."
"...and never had it been so long that she...""... and it was not long before she..."
"...hatred of her husband, who was irresponsible for Irene.""...hatred of her husband, who had acted irresponsibly for Irene."
"...., she had paid so much effort....""..., she paid much effort...."
"....kept the miserable marriage and had always been nice...""...kept the miserable marriage and was always nice..."
"... in her quiet world of heart,...""... in the quiet world of her heart,.."
"...she had been far from peace..."."... she was far from peace..."
"...healthy eyes, which "tells" what she thinks." to "...they also tell the girl the things...""...healthy eyes, which "shows" what she thinks." to "...they also show the girl the things...(I think this is a better word)"
"...the grave of marriage is to demand one another at the one's will...""...the grave of marriage is to demand one's will of another..."
"Then my dad and mom must live in the hell built up by themselves! Thought the girl, with tears swimming in her eyes.""'Then my dad and mom must live in the hell built up by themselves!' thought the girl, with tears swimming in her eyes."
" ....by God, and for no one should be blamed.""....by God, and no one should be blamed."
"...driving me out of the nuts!""...driving me nuts! (or 'driving me out of my mind')"
"The gloomy was once again filling....""The gloom was once again filling...."
"...been brought up and it saw to a new quarrel.""...been brought up and it brought a new quarrel."
"...kept for so long and know what the marriage is really meant...""...kept for so long and know how marriage is really meant to be..."
"What a strange dream I've dreamt! She thought.""'What a strange dream I've dreamt!' she thought."
"No sooner had the room fallen into silence again.""Again the room fell into silence."
"....and talking as if nothing could be hated.""...and talking as if nothing was hateful."
"... the family were about to descend." " ....the family was about to descend."
"Water jumped on their hands....""Water sprayed on their hands...." "....a true marriage was to be like..." "....a true marriage could be like.... "
"....every corner of the house seemed to be teeming with the red-golden twilight.""....every corner of the house seemed to be teeming with a red-golden twilight."
