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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Pain / Problems / Adversity
- Published: 08/15/2022
A Beautiful Kind of Fear...
Born 2005, M, from Muscat, Oman.jpeg)
A Beautiful kind of fear…
“These voices in your head… When did you start to hear them?” The therapist asked.
“Ever since I learned to breathe. Other kids cried when they were born cause they were in an unfamiliar place. I cried because I couldn’t get the boisterous noises in my head to stop. I could hear them all and I didn’t know how to ignore it,” Allen spoke.
“So you’re saying these voices… are the people around you? You can read minds?”
“In a way… yes,” He responded. The therapist jotted down some points in her notebook. Allen looked at her and smiled, understanding that she didn’t believe him. He quietly got up and walked out. The therapist asked him where he was going, but he didn’t reply.
It was tough for him to live like that. It was painful at first but as he grew up, he learned to control it. Making friends was tough because he knew what they were ACTUALLY talking about. All their darkest thoughts aren’t hidden from him. Of course, none of them knew Allen could read minds. He intended to keep it that way.
It wasn’t difficult. All you had to do was find someone who concealed themselves behind this fake mask they created. In this case, everyone he came across hid their true self from the world. They were fake, not being true to themselves or others. Every day he would come to class to see that one guy boast about his experiences. His mouth delivered the bragging but his mind gave out insecurity.
Dealing with bullies is the fun part though. They are the most insecure men to walk on earth. Their mind is like an open book. He would bring them close and whisper their darkest secrets, to which they get frightened. The others watched him in amazement as he walked on, minding his own business. It made him more dangerous than the others.
One day, Allen came across this peculiar girl. She was looking for directions to her new class. Allen pointed it out before realizing that this was his class. He told her that if she didn’t mind he would like to walk with her. She happily complied. The girl introduced herself as Harley. They walked across the hallways exchanging words of compliment. Allen enjoyed his time with Harley. The way she spoke tantalized him. Her laugh etched itself in his memory.
There was one more thing that made Allen enjoy his time with her: He couldn’t read her mind. No matter how hard he tried, her mind locked itself away from him. He felt free before her. Nothing to think about nor nothing to know about. But why? What made her so special that he couldn't enter her mind?
For the first time in his life, he felt a unique feeling; one that elevated him. It made him wanna skip with joy and prance around. He felt happy after what seemed like an eternity for him. This wasn't happiness nor was this contentment. It was beyond all that. Was this love? He loved how she made him feel that day, and from then onwards, he hung out with her. Harley was a part-time singer and Allen played the keyboard.
Getting involved with Harley made him think of a time when he had a crush on Jane White. He confessed his feelings to her. She took her time to answer and initially rejected him. Of course, Allen read her mind and what she thought of him broke him. She was a toxic character who wasn’t worth his time or love. He took time to accept that fact and became more depressed and aloof than usual.
Allen and Harley became close friends in a short time. They were there for each other at either's low. One day they were both invited to a party. He was hesitant to go at first but then Harley persuaded him. She promised that it’ll be fun. He accepted. That night he walked up to her house to pick her up and lo behold, he watched as she walked down the porch. It was mesmerizing. She tucked her hair behind her ear and walked in high heels. Together they walked up to the party. On the way, he gave her his jacket. They both laughed and lost track of time. Before they knew it, they reached. Allen went his way avoiding the drinks he was offered. But Harley, she was free. She drank to her heart’s content. After a while, he went to check on her. She was drunk as a fiddler.
He grabbed her and seated her on a chair, taking away the plastic cup of booze in her hand. As he took it, she called on to him. He looked at her but was surprised to see her passed out. Yet he heard her voice. He quickly put to pieces that her mind was open to him. He could read her mind. Being drunk brings your deepest thoughts from the subconscious to the conscious. Allen told himself no. No, he cannot do it. But the voice surged into his brain and there was nothing he could do to stop it. What he read, however, didn’t fail to please him.
Harley loved Allen. Her mind spoke greatly about Allen. She had immense feelings for him. He’s cute, a good listener, cares about her as a person, listens to the music he does, and wants to be with him. He looked at her as his heart melted. She wished that he made the first move. He got up and walked to the bar when he felt a hand pulling him. It was her. She pulled him and leaned over. The alcohol made her kiss him. His heart raced and reached for the skies. Should he stop or should he continue? Before he made the choice, she pulled back and whispered into his ears: “I love you”
Allen lost himself that night. He safely dropped Harley back at her apartment and went home. He couldn’t sleep that day as the kiss still lingered on his lips.
The next day, Harley woke up with a hangover. She didn’t remember anything from the previous night. That day, he made up his mind to ask her out. Harley ran late, still hungover. Allen eagerly waited for his chance. It took a while but she made it. They met up and she asked him what had happened yesterday. He told her that she got super drunk. To which she replied that she doesn’t remember anything from last night. His heart sank a bit. He tried to read her mind to see if she was lying. She wasn’t.
“Nothing too big happened yesterday,” He spoke and got up. He walked out of the class almost tearing up in front of her and walked to the washroom. Once making sure nobody was there, he cried. The pain he thought he could hide for long broke him. “Why am I crying? This isn’t new to me? Why the f**k am I crying?” He spoke to himself while wiping away the tears as they kept on coming. He looked over at the mirror in front of him and turned on the tap. After splashing himself with some water, he wiped his face with his sleeve and walked out.
Before going to her, Allen cheered himself up. It sucks because he never had anyone in his life, and when she showed him the tiniest bit of affection, he got attached. He sat down beside her and acted as if nothing had happened. This went on for days. He decided to endure the internal pain.
Love is a beautiful kind of fear. It can be hurting and soothing. It is the most mysterious feeling out there. Every field has got its definition of love. But none of them can agree on common ground. For some like Allen, it is the light in the tunnel of darkness. Falling in love is a lifeline. Had Harley forgotten the moment they had? Or was it all done under the influence of alcohol?
Allen walked back home that day all alone. He rarely talked to Harley since then. His phone was flooded with missed calls and unanswered texts from her. He didn’t ignore them. It’s just that he couldn’t face them. He wasn’t ready yet.
Hope is a bitch. It’s never there for you when you need it and when it leaves, it leaves you broken. Why? Then why do people still hang on to it? For the momentary feeling of happiness? Allen knew what he was getting into when he hoped. He knew the consequences as he faced them before and was ready to face them. But it still broke him. It shouldn’t have but it did.
One day Harley confronted him. She was worried about why he was ghosting her. He told he wasn’t in a mood to speak. She refused to leave him alone without getting a proper explanation. How could he tell her? It'll break her heart when she knows what she did. That is when she asked him about that night. His eyes widened. She told him that she began recalling that night slowly and by the time she truly did, she realized what she had done and it hurt her as well.
Allen asked her if any of what happened then had meaning. She was hesitant to answer. He read her mind but couldn’t find the answer he wanted to hear. Harley was someone who had huge trust issues. She has fallen in love only to be heartbroken many a time. She couldn’t be with Allen because she was afraid of getting hurt again. She hugged him and looked him in the eyes. Her hypnotic eyes stared into his broken eyes. He read her mind once again. No matter what she said, truth or lie, her mind spoke the real truth. She wanted to be with him. He made her feel like herself. He gave her hope in love. But she wasn’t ready yet. He took a step back and smiled at her, before walking away. She looked at him as he walked further away from her.
Allen gave it a real thought. He decided to change himself. All those depressive thoughts inside his head had to go. He had to get rid of the doubt. The root of all this was his ability to read minds. The same ability that crushed his self-esteem because of what he read from other people’s minds about him. It’s a curse he’s burdened to carry. That’s when it hit him. This curse could be a blessing in disguise. He already read what was in her mind. She wants to be with him. Her issues regarding love were the obstacles. And he knew how to solve it.
2 days later, he went to the pub where Harley sang and sat in a corner. Harley wasn’t aware of his visit. She went to the stage and grabbed the mic. After closing her eyes for a moment, she decided on the song she wanted to sing and sang. With each lyric, a smile born of raw happiness bore on his face. His heart felt this kind of unique pleasure. It was their song. The only song they would listen to for hours. She would occasionally sing it while he played the piano. Her eyes teared up as she was reminded of Allen while singing. He read her mind from afar, watching her memories of him with her.
Soon, a melody was heard. One from the piano nearby, the spotlight shifted from Harley to the piano. It was Allen. Harley looked at him and ran over, hugging him from the back. He kissed her hand as the audience watched. “We got a song to finish,” He spoke. She wiped away her tears and smiled. The duo sang their hearts out. The audience watches in awe as they felt the chemistry between them.
This is Allen’s story of how he struggled to live with his strange ability. One which made him devoid of feelings. Harley’s arrival brought back all those repressed emotions he never got to experience nor express. He learned to hate it throughout his life. But with the recent events, he’s decided to give his powers one more chance.
The song ended. The people clapped. He walked her backstage and asked her the one question that started this all. The one question that made him ecstatic. She stood there, waiting for him to ask what she wanted him to ask. Their song made her realize Allen was the one for her. He could never hurt her. Feelings of love surrounded the air. Cupid watched in awe as he asked her the question. The angels above awaited Harley’s reaction.
“Will you go out with me?” He asked her.
Fin.
A Beautiful Kind of Fear...(Alwin Baiju)
A Beautiful kind of fear…
“These voices in your head… When did you start to hear them?” The therapist asked.
“Ever since I learned to breathe. Other kids cried when they were born cause they were in an unfamiliar place. I cried because I couldn’t get the boisterous noises in my head to stop. I could hear them all and I didn’t know how to ignore it,” Allen spoke.
“So you’re saying these voices… are the people around you? You can read minds?”
“In a way… yes,” He responded. The therapist jotted down some points in her notebook. Allen looked at her and smiled, understanding that she didn’t believe him. He quietly got up and walked out. The therapist asked him where he was going, but he didn’t reply.
It was tough for him to live like that. It was painful at first but as he grew up, he learned to control it. Making friends was tough because he knew what they were ACTUALLY talking about. All their darkest thoughts aren’t hidden from him. Of course, none of them knew Allen could read minds. He intended to keep it that way.
It wasn’t difficult. All you had to do was find someone who concealed themselves behind this fake mask they created. In this case, everyone he came across hid their true self from the world. They were fake, not being true to themselves or others. Every day he would come to class to see that one guy boast about his experiences. His mouth delivered the bragging but his mind gave out insecurity.
Dealing with bullies is the fun part though. They are the most insecure men to walk on earth. Their mind is like an open book. He would bring them close and whisper their darkest secrets, to which they get frightened. The others watched him in amazement as he walked on, minding his own business. It made him more dangerous than the others.
One day, Allen came across this peculiar girl. She was looking for directions to her new class. Allen pointed it out before realizing that this was his class. He told her that if she didn’t mind he would like to walk with her. She happily complied. The girl introduced herself as Harley. They walked across the hallways exchanging words of compliment. Allen enjoyed his time with Harley. The way she spoke tantalized him. Her laugh etched itself in his memory.
There was one more thing that made Allen enjoy his time with her: He couldn’t read her mind. No matter how hard he tried, her mind locked itself away from him. He felt free before her. Nothing to think about nor nothing to know about. But why? What made her so special that he couldn't enter her mind?
For the first time in his life, he felt a unique feeling; one that elevated him. It made him wanna skip with joy and prance around. He felt happy after what seemed like an eternity for him. This wasn't happiness nor was this contentment. It was beyond all that. Was this love? He loved how she made him feel that day, and from then onwards, he hung out with her. Harley was a part-time singer and Allen played the keyboard.
Getting involved with Harley made him think of a time when he had a crush on Jane White. He confessed his feelings to her. She took her time to answer and initially rejected him. Of course, Allen read her mind and what she thought of him broke him. She was a toxic character who wasn’t worth his time or love. He took time to accept that fact and became more depressed and aloof than usual.
Allen and Harley became close friends in a short time. They were there for each other at either's low. One day they were both invited to a party. He was hesitant to go at first but then Harley persuaded him. She promised that it’ll be fun. He accepted. That night he walked up to her house to pick her up and lo behold, he watched as she walked down the porch. It was mesmerizing. She tucked her hair behind her ear and walked in high heels. Together they walked up to the party. On the way, he gave her his jacket. They both laughed and lost track of time. Before they knew it, they reached. Allen went his way avoiding the drinks he was offered. But Harley, she was free. She drank to her heart’s content. After a while, he went to check on her. She was drunk as a fiddler.
He grabbed her and seated her on a chair, taking away the plastic cup of booze in her hand. As he took it, she called on to him. He looked at her but was surprised to see her passed out. Yet he heard her voice. He quickly put to pieces that her mind was open to him. He could read her mind. Being drunk brings your deepest thoughts from the subconscious to the conscious. Allen told himself no. No, he cannot do it. But the voice surged into his brain and there was nothing he could do to stop it. What he read, however, didn’t fail to please him.
Harley loved Allen. Her mind spoke greatly about Allen. She had immense feelings for him. He’s cute, a good listener, cares about her as a person, listens to the music he does, and wants to be with him. He looked at her as his heart melted. She wished that he made the first move. He got up and walked to the bar when he felt a hand pulling him. It was her. She pulled him and leaned over. The alcohol made her kiss him. His heart raced and reached for the skies. Should he stop or should he continue? Before he made the choice, she pulled back and whispered into his ears: “I love you”
Allen lost himself that night. He safely dropped Harley back at her apartment and went home. He couldn’t sleep that day as the kiss still lingered on his lips.
The next day, Harley woke up with a hangover. She didn’t remember anything from the previous night. That day, he made up his mind to ask her out. Harley ran late, still hungover. Allen eagerly waited for his chance. It took a while but she made it. They met up and she asked him what had happened yesterday. He told her that she got super drunk. To which she replied that she doesn’t remember anything from last night. His heart sank a bit. He tried to read her mind to see if she was lying. She wasn’t.
“Nothing too big happened yesterday,” He spoke and got up. He walked out of the class almost tearing up in front of her and walked to the washroom. Once making sure nobody was there, he cried. The pain he thought he could hide for long broke him. “Why am I crying? This isn’t new to me? Why the f**k am I crying?” He spoke to himself while wiping away the tears as they kept on coming. He looked over at the mirror in front of him and turned on the tap. After splashing himself with some water, he wiped his face with his sleeve and walked out.
Before going to her, Allen cheered himself up. It sucks because he never had anyone in his life, and when she showed him the tiniest bit of affection, he got attached. He sat down beside her and acted as if nothing had happened. This went on for days. He decided to endure the internal pain.
Love is a beautiful kind of fear. It can be hurting and soothing. It is the most mysterious feeling out there. Every field has got its definition of love. But none of them can agree on common ground. For some like Allen, it is the light in the tunnel of darkness. Falling in love is a lifeline. Had Harley forgotten the moment they had? Or was it all done under the influence of alcohol?
Allen walked back home that day all alone. He rarely talked to Harley since then. His phone was flooded with missed calls and unanswered texts from her. He didn’t ignore them. It’s just that he couldn’t face them. He wasn’t ready yet.
Hope is a bitch. It’s never there for you when you need it and when it leaves, it leaves you broken. Why? Then why do people still hang on to it? For the momentary feeling of happiness? Allen knew what he was getting into when he hoped. He knew the consequences as he faced them before and was ready to face them. But it still broke him. It shouldn’t have but it did.
One day Harley confronted him. She was worried about why he was ghosting her. He told he wasn’t in a mood to speak. She refused to leave him alone without getting a proper explanation. How could he tell her? It'll break her heart when she knows what she did. That is when she asked him about that night. His eyes widened. She told him that she began recalling that night slowly and by the time she truly did, she realized what she had done and it hurt her as well.
Allen asked her if any of what happened then had meaning. She was hesitant to answer. He read her mind but couldn’t find the answer he wanted to hear. Harley was someone who had huge trust issues. She has fallen in love only to be heartbroken many a time. She couldn’t be with Allen because she was afraid of getting hurt again. She hugged him and looked him in the eyes. Her hypnotic eyes stared into his broken eyes. He read her mind once again. No matter what she said, truth or lie, her mind spoke the real truth. She wanted to be with him. He made her feel like herself. He gave her hope in love. But she wasn’t ready yet. He took a step back and smiled at her, before walking away. She looked at him as he walked further away from her.
Allen gave it a real thought. He decided to change himself. All those depressive thoughts inside his head had to go. He had to get rid of the doubt. The root of all this was his ability to read minds. The same ability that crushed his self-esteem because of what he read from other people’s minds about him. It’s a curse he’s burdened to carry. That’s when it hit him. This curse could be a blessing in disguise. He already read what was in her mind. She wants to be with him. Her issues regarding love were the obstacles. And he knew how to solve it.
2 days later, he went to the pub where Harley sang and sat in a corner. Harley wasn’t aware of his visit. She went to the stage and grabbed the mic. After closing her eyes for a moment, she decided on the song she wanted to sing and sang. With each lyric, a smile born of raw happiness bore on his face. His heart felt this kind of unique pleasure. It was their song. The only song they would listen to for hours. She would occasionally sing it while he played the piano. Her eyes teared up as she was reminded of Allen while singing. He read her mind from afar, watching her memories of him with her.
Soon, a melody was heard. One from the piano nearby, the spotlight shifted from Harley to the piano. It was Allen. Harley looked at him and ran over, hugging him from the back. He kissed her hand as the audience watched. “We got a song to finish,” He spoke. She wiped away her tears and smiled. The duo sang their hearts out. The audience watches in awe as they felt the chemistry between them.
This is Allen’s story of how he struggled to live with his strange ability. One which made him devoid of feelings. Harley’s arrival brought back all those repressed emotions he never got to experience nor express. He learned to hate it throughout his life. But with the recent events, he’s decided to give his powers one more chance.
The song ended. The people clapped. He walked her backstage and asked her the one question that started this all. The one question that made him ecstatic. She stood there, waiting for him to ask what she wanted him to ask. Their song made her realize Allen was the one for her. He could never hurt her. Feelings of love surrounded the air. Cupid watched in awe as he asked her the question. The angels above awaited Harley’s reaction.
“Will you go out with me?” He asked her.
Fin.
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Shirley Smothers
08/28/2022Sweet love story. I for one am glad I can't read minds. Very enjoyable read. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Lillian Kazmierczak
08/28/2022That was a beautiful story. Amzing how your true love can change you. Congratulations on short story star of the day!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Madhu Mangal Sinha
08/26/2022It is beautiful but it has some problems. Thanks for such a good piece of writing.
Reply
COMMENTS (5)