The moment I fell in love with black!

I’m standing just behind the red curtain. Sweat popped out on my face. My head is dizzy with confusion, I can’t think anymore! No!… No!.. No!.. This dark world haunts me everywhere I go, I can’t breathe! I want to see the colorful world again, wanna get back to those different shades of colors, that define life- a true life!

    Suddenly someone entered into the room, I am listening carefully to the footsteps. I asked, “Who is this?” The woman with a soft voice replied, “There are only ten minutes left to rise the curtain”. She also asked me to get ready. I nodded. Though I am ready with my appearance, my legs are numb with terrible fear, stage fear! My heart is thumping wildly. If there were not the cage like ribs, I’m sure that my heart would have come out of my chest. I smiled at my own thought, but at the very next moment, that insecurity grabbed me again and left me into a dilemma. ‘Can I make it? Will my performance please them, just like it has done before?’-this all questions make my head heavy, every time. 

    The curtain will rise soon. I closed my eyes and amid the black, all those colorful memories which I had experienced before the accident flashed up! One by one on the canvas of my mind! What an exquisite gift our memory is! 

    My life was perfect! I was passionate towards dancing and in my mid teens, I had already touched the pinnacle of success. I was the favorite student of my teacher. Without her, my journey of dance and life both would have ended! I became a public figure soon. Everything was there in my life even love! I knew how to live everyday, with a new experience but that…that terrible accident flushed my life away. That snatched away all my happiness, all those dazzling colors from my life and left me in a locked dark room! My life is all black now, which I’m afraid of. That color which I hated since my childhood. I felt a severe pain in my forehead.

    ‘Briinnnnnnggggggggg…….’- with a shudder, I came back to the present again. This one is the first bell. Still there are few minutes left, for the second one to ring. My heart is pondering inside me. My hands are wet with sweat. ‘Should I leave this stage? All problems will get solved then. I will never show up my face again here’. But while walking out of the stage, my teacher’s voice echoed in my ears. ‘You have to get up, you have to stand and fight back all the adversities. All the colors of your life are awaiting, when you will ask them to return back into your life! Give them the way to return back. Why are you so afraid of black? Do you know that black absorbs all the color into it!. You are still living in the world of color; just try to see it from a different perspective. Be friends with black and it will show the magic! Gradually you will experience the miracles of other colors amid the dark ocean of black; just delve into it and make bright yourself again!’- She is such a nice woman and my inspiration! She never left my hand, never….

    ‘Briiiiinggggggggg…….’- the second bell rang and I shrugged myself. Someone again entered into the room from the opposite side and this time, I recognized the person from the fragrance. She is my teacher.

-“Charlotte! My dear, are you ready?”-she asked.

In a shivering tone I replied, “yes…yes! I..I..am..”

She pulled me into her arms and said in a caressed manner, “All the best!, fill the heart of everyone with your colors of dance.. goooo…. now!”

That moment in her arms, I felt that all my happiness and hues have returned back! ‘This moment I fell in love with black!’ -I’ll never forget the moment throughout my life. I Barely managed to say, “Thank you Ma’am!”

Now, I am all alone on the stage. Slowly the red curtain went up. I guess, all the lights are focused on me. Thousands of eyes are staring at me But everything I can see was black! My fear has gone away. I smiled prettily and with the music my feet started moving. All the happiness of world has been exposed in front of me, at this moment! After ten minutes the music ended. I stopped. The entire hall was silent. Negative thoughts crowded in my mind. Suddenly, few people started clapping, then the numbers increased gradually and the hall filled with the sound of claps. Tears rolled down on my cheeks. I looked up and thanked the Almighty God for saving me that day! I want to live…..

      I was fond of watching the enthralling beauty of sunsets as sunsets are the proof that endings can also be beautiful! That day when the accident took place, I was driving my car towards the sea beach to see the setting sun. Suddenly a car from beside came and knocked down my car badly. I didn’t die but I lost my eyesight and right leg for forever. I was injured severely. The girl who loved sunsets was now dwelling with the darkness of a new moon night. I wanted to give up on my life but my teacher aspired me to live, to survive into this new world that the Almighty God has gifted me once again. The destroyed leg was replaced with a wooden leg. Everyday after practice, that terrific pain was unbearable still I continued.

      Before the performance, I wanted to leave only because of fear. But ‘virtue’ and ‘belief’ always wins over fear! And I realized that today. I’m not afraid of black anymore, because only sightless people can understand the magic of black! Some moments make us stronger than before and to me this is indeed that memorable one!