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1. Write a story about lifelong best friends.
People, Poetry & Passion
Ross lived in Melbourne. He had formed a good friendship with one of his brother David’s, school colleague’s, Earnest von Munchausen as they lived in close proximity to one another. He, Earnest had contacted Ross as he wanted to pass on a message he’d received. Eve, one of David’s very good friends, had passed away. He needed to let David know. It was important to him, but he did not have David’s address or e-mail; as David was now living in Sweden.
Ross did not know the ramifications of the news nor the connection between David and Eve but he passed on the message right away in his next e-mail to David.
It was dawn on a cold January 2023 morning in Sweden when David received the message.
He recalled the complete saga of his early youth and remembered the words of the Bard - William Shakespeare from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
“Lysander: Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth;…”
He went for a long walk in the snow.
----
Many a fascinating story of love, drama and adventure has started with ‘Once upon a time’, or with like words alluding to the time span prior to the start of the plot’s beginning. It is no different with this one; it unfolds in reverse.
David was now 75 years old.
He smiled to himself as he recalled these events.
It is reported by population survey that the happiest and most content people are those between the ages of 70 and into later life; before any medical emergencies or problems take away the sunshine. They have had experience at the anvil. They have lived, loved, excelled, failed and won to finally triumph with freedom to bless their living with wisdom, space and time for anything they want to do in retirement.
--
David was a dreamer an artist and writer. He lived in Newcastle for some years after leaving school and university in Canberrra then, later moved to Sydney. It was there that he again struck up correspondence with Eve. She had demanded his attention by letter and announced that they must meet again. She now lived in Canberra and had married.
David departed from Sydney and travelled by train to Canberra where his mother lived after the death of her husband.
David now found that he was looking out into the Garden of his mother’s home with the cool sweet scent of the Gardenia flowers carried on the breeze. This day, Saturday in the month of May, 1978 he would be meeting the woman he had come to treasure deeply without reservation. He was young then, not married, with a twinkle in the eye, mischief on his brow and he wore long locks of hair, a waistcoat of brown leather, bell-bottom trousers and a yellow long-sleeved shirt frilled in front with a red cravat.
Eve would arrive by car to a neighbour’s home whom they both knew and where they would meet.
He waited.
A car appeared at the end of the road, passed his house and parked in the driveway of the appointed neighbours’ premises. David made his way to the house. He arrived on the porch and rang the bell. Ans their mutual friend opened the door, greeted him and ushered him inside.
Neither of them was prepared for what was about to happen. This was the first time they would be face to face in 10 years.
He saw her as she approached, a beautifully formed woman with long golden hair, a stunning deep blue penetrating gaze and facial features to lure the saints.
Eve!
David!
They stood there, transfixed.
Ans saw it! “I’ll leave you two, I’m sure you have a lot to catch up!”
They left the house together. Walking towards Eve’s car.
The amount of discipline she summoned up surprised David. He saw that look is her deep blue eyes he remembered from school; she loved with great abandon but, now with maturity. It struck deep into his tranquil treasured thoughts.
The power of the moment and the two beings together eclipsed all meetings he’d experienced up to that moment. The fire in her soul could not be hidden either, like destiny itself, unalterable except by personal decision from her alone.
David saw the strength of her resolve, her love and integrity beamed from her face as her thought shifted from complete abandon to reality and she said: “David I am married now and I have two beautiful daughters.!”
He saw she had to leave! Temptation was too great. No introduction of their own love for one another would vanquish the physical universe obligations they currently both enjoyed.
He could see she was ‘running’ before she lost control. Her own love surprised her and her respect for their love towered above making the devastating changes it would take; to bring them together now. Words were not necessary.
She got into the car and looked up at him, an absolute haunting desire and compassion radiated from her presence. There was nothing else to say between them they had fully understood the moment.
“Good bye Eve!”
“Good bye David!”
The car moved off and she was gone.
David walked back to his mother’s house and the lines of a famous poem occurred to him as he measured his steps to the home where he had grown up as a kid.
------
How had these things come to be. It seemed so much like they were meant to be together. But life took a different course of action. Then, he was young, but what did that mean.
Life was at first a mighty big place to find a space and a direction as a teenager, which only developed into a complex web with many interconnecting strands that eventually formed patterns that could ultimately be understood. But what were the subjects and where was the data that could resolve just those things for which there were no answers in the early years. Only brushing shoulders with events, incidents and different people and situations told the story of life.
----
In 1960 David went to class on the second floor of the Canberra High School. It was Geography.
He was standing in line as was the routine before the start of the next class. Students walked between classes to each new subject for the day. They would then wait for the teacher to appear or open the class from within.
There was a rumour that one of the girls from previous years’ classes has been placed in their class. At that moment there was no recognition of anything special, but the males were intrigued. She was the idol of many of the males at the school and some tried their utmost to gain her favour and attention. She had a reputation of popularity and a presence that would cause a blood bath if this was Ancient Greece, Rome, Thebes or even Carthage for that matter.
She was a legend of her own at school.
David spent the rest of the day listening to the Wows, Qohs and Aahs from around the class, but something else happened in his own life that had him stumped. He threw himself into his study and learned all and participated in all activities at sport. He played tennis, cricket and rugby and participated in gymnastics.
He read widely in Literature, Philosophy Music, History and Religion were the subjects that fascinated him.
Him and Earnest spent much time together although, Earnest was not a sporting man. Aside from being school friends they also had a mutual interest in Eve.
But there was that strange feeling again that he experienced that day waiting in line in front of the Geography class. Had he been here before…. or had he recognized something that he had seen or known before.
These things had happened before to him. This time it was very marked, but what was it! He was not sure what! He thought it was just schooling itself. Then mused on the very real and academic life that they lived at the school, it seemed to permeate all living and learning. No! None of this fitted with what he was experiencing. It puzzled him for some time.
Then one day they were walking again between classes and Eve made a personal comment to him while walking behind him. It was something about him that she just could not have known. He turned and their eyes met and instantly there was a flash of an of instant of time spent together and he realized IT WAS HER! They knew one another more intimately than he first recalled. It was like fire in a windstorm it was merciless, hot and ravaging. Who was she really! His whole body was tingling with the recognition of her. But what was that!
How could she have known that he wrote poetry! No one at the school knew of it nor had been told. It was one of his very private and well-kept special past-times that he indulged his creativity with at home. He had started writing poetry out of the blue one day and he felt that he was an accomplished poet. But he put this down to simply being an ability he had. An ability that he … just had. That sounded really strange. How does one acquire such an ability without any schooling or training. But Eve knew!!
School, study and living went on but during the times between other activities David began to feel her presence and miss its absence more than he wanted toadmit. She sailed into his life like a stately man-o-war sleek, trim, beautifully proportioned, and she was a dare to any opponents.
One particular day towards the end of the year, a school tour was organized. It was to a water treatment and purification plant ine the Blue Mountains. For the outing there would be a number of vehicles driven by the teachers to the venue where a guided tour by the personnel at the water purification facility would officiate.
David rode in the back of a covered van with another 4 students. The tour was part of an educational venture and reward for the class as they had done well had completed all of their school assignments. The trip was to be the subject of an essay for merit with a prize and publication in the school magazine for the best submission.
The tour went well and on the return trip, Eve volunteered her presence for the covered van in which David was travelling. This was a seemingly unobtrusive move but it was the one that cemented a passion that had never died and was again awakened between them.
They rode together for a while as the transport got underway back to the school.
“How did you know I wrote poetry?” David asked.
“You have always written poetry! Eve answered astonished.
It did not take long and Eve was in his arms and they behaved like lovers from times immemorial. Those in the van who knew both of them were drop-jawed at the match. It was the talk of the young people in the district and at school later.
That was the start of many visits to the home of her father who played brass in the Canberra symphony orchestra.
They were young inexperienced not trained nor schooled with Earth’s tasks, talents and the torments and talons of Financial Empires, Economic Cosmoses and Political Powers that seemed more important, mightier and able to swamp their bright futures with floods of restrictions responsibilities and radiation.
So! Times changed and the world intervened with demands to work and get qualified and make a career. Life was not for the feint hearted nor filled always with love after the second world war. Times also changed distances and decades went by but what remained true was what between them was a fellowship and a love unbroken, despite separation in time, distance and commitments. They got word of one another now and then from the one who knew both and kept a close tag on the movements of both: Earnest von Munchausen. Earnest never understood how come they were not together and would remind them constantly that they should contact one another or see one another.
That they were intense and knew one another was a mark and confirmation that they must have been together. At first it was something that could be explained away. But deep inside, David knew, that they had been together in a successful relationship or project. It was not possible. He had just met her recently?
Then one day long after both were married to other spouses and living in separate countries David was visited by the presence of Eve in his studio in Europe with the familiar intense care and passionate attraction of the woman he never gave up and never lost nor forgot. The affection was mutual and unchanged
He felt the grip in his body of lament and a soaring exhilaration as he became aware of her freedom from the Earthly realm which she came to announce. He rose up and went outside with her and they were together for some moments before she left.
The next day he received word from his brother in Sydney that Eve had passed on.
David recited the’ Arrow and the Song’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as he walked down an avenue of European Aspen through the snow in Stockholm where he now lived.
“I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of a song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.”
The End
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