Short Story Entry by Maria S Haneef, 22, SUNSETS YOU PAINT


  • 20
  • 20
  • 11600

SUNSETS YOU PAINT 

To the most beautiful,

One of the things on her bucket list is to witness the sunset from a skyscraper. I didn’t ask her why or even bothered to know the reason behind it. You know I wasn't a nature-lover but, she is. Just like you, she wakes up half an hour before sunrise and sits on the roof to feel the first rays of the golden sun. You would close your eyes, envelop the warmth, and breathe in the fresh air and she does the same. I sit with her just to see the way her eyes twinkle and her lips curl up into a breath-taking smile. I am still not a morning person but I don’t mind waking up along with her just to see her happy. She reminds me so much of you, it's crazy. 

Today as I stood near the glass window of a skyscraper and I wasn't able to look ahead of me but when I heard the excitement in her voice, I couldn’t resist. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw that the sun was about to set. The sunset never looked so deadly to me. Like blood spilt all over the sky.  I remember, upon witnessing sunsets like these, you would say, probably the artist who painted today's sky wanted to experience with distinct colours and that's why the sky is in an unusual colour than the normal blue. 

A tear escaped from my eyes as I watched the sun's disk continue to disappear below the horizon. It would come back the next day as brand new. The sunlight will reach every corner of the earth eventually. But not immediately. Likewise, one day, I hope it will reach my heart too. Till then, I will spend my days in dark and my nights in solitude. The sun will never rise as it did on the days when you were by my side. The sunflowers you planted in our backyard have also given up on living. I didn't water them. I left them in the same state as you left them behind.

I didn't want anything to bloom after you passed away. For the sun may rise and a new day may come but I was still stuck on the same day. The day of your funeral. On that day, I saw the kind of sunset you used to describe in your poems. I believe, on that day, God let you paint the sky.

I have become a victim of time ever since. It seems like time is passing away like sand slipping away from my fist and I have no control. Simultaneously, time is going awfully slow and every moment that I get to live without you is excruciating. Every breath I take is suffocating. Our home doesn’t feel seem like a home ever since you have left. Your paintings on the walls call your name. Remember your favourite picture of us? The sun was setting behind us and we were smiling towards the camera with not a touch of worry about the future. I want those moments back. I want you back. The places where I go without you haunt me. I’d never want to be anywhere if you are not here with me. But I remember your words on the deathbed. You asked me to live. You told me to watch all the sunsets that you were going to miss. You told me to be there for her. For our daughter. And for you, solely for you, I will continue to live. With our daughter, I will continue to witness all the sunsets that you paint.

And to her, I will narrate about how much of a brave and empowering woman her mother was. I will make sure she knows that she has your brown hair and brown eyes. That she carries a sunset of her own too. I will make sure she grows up to become a woman like you. She will be a woman who is always ready for an adventure and she will never be afraid of her heart being broken. 

And when she will live the most precious moments of her life, from her prom to her graduation and until the day she gets married. I will let her know that she will always find me at every fork of her life. I will never let her feel as if she is missing anything without you by her side. It will be harder for me to fill your absence but for you, I will go on.

I am writing this to you, my love, as I write to you every single day. I miss you a little less than tomorrow and little more than yesterday.

 yours truly.

  • Tak Shabnam   10/22/2021 9:53:12 PM

    Beautifully written🌸 Maa sha Allah💞


  • Anum   3/12/2020 1:14:35 AM

    Such a beautiful piece of art 💜 Loved the words.


  • Ayesha    3/11/2020 9:38:31 PM

    Reading this felt like I was watching a sunset 💖 ما شاءَ الله


  • Marhaba   3/11/2020 6:59:37 PM

    MashaAllah beautifully articulated


  • Furqan   3/11/2020 5:50:46 PM

    Very well written. Haven't read something so good in a really long time!


  • Ronnie   3/11/2020 5:00:35 PM

    poignant Maria ...it really pulls on the heart strings ..well done


  • Nabeela Begum   3/11/2020 12:32:14 PM

    Wow, baji, wow. Just....mashallah. I CRIED LITERALLY, it's so beautiful and heartbreaking. Now I'm like, noooo I want it to be continued, I don't want it to be so heartbreaking, but then its realistic and should be the way it is. Some things are beautiful the way they are, and this is so beautiful the way you wrote!


  • Kristian   3/11/2020 10:25:25 AM

    This is amazing, Maria. Thank you so much for your submission!


  • Hajira   3/11/2020 4:40:39 AM

    Such a soul-stirring story. 😭♥️


  • Khullood    3/11/2020 1:19:09 AM

    Wonderful maria, loved it❤️❤️


Author Details

Maria

3

Articles

View Profile

7

Followers

UnFollow
Follow

2

Following

UnBlock
Block

"Somebody once told me that I should try to make a difference in the world and not be just another face in the crowd."

Writer by passion, d ....Read more

More From Author

Naseeb; Destiny (Adult entry, September)

  • Short Stories 17 Sep 2023  0  1  3249

Love Poem by Maria S. Haneef

  • Short Stories 8 Feb 2022  0  2  1299

Short Story Entry by Maria S Haneef, 22, SUNSETS YOU PAINT

  • Short Stories 10 Mar 2020  20  20  11601

You may also like

Sunrise reflections by Andaleeb.A.K

  • Short Stories Andaleeb 9 Apr 2024  0    1506

WINNERS 2023 / 24 - FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF CONTEST

  • Short Stories Stanley 7 Apr 2024  0  1  963

Cotton candy sky ( Poem ) by Andaleeb.A.K

  • Short Stories Andaleeb 6 Apr 2024  0    1144

Rushing to Conclusions: Why do people judge others so quickly?

  • Short Stories Ajeet 6 Apr 2024  0    696

Eidi | Adult Entry | Short Story

  • Short Stories Monisha 5 Apr 2024  0  1  981

"Sorry, kiddo"

  • Short Stories Anaya 28 Mar 2024  0  1  1409

February Month is Fab

  • Short Stories Arohi Jani 22 Mar 2024  0    1264

Operation Dead Final Chapter- A Murder Mystery by Armaan Bin Awaz

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 16 Mar 2024  0    1481

February 2024 winners

  • Short Stories Stanley 16 Mar 2024  0  1  2009

Operation Dead- A Murder Mystery by Armaan Bin Awaz, Bahrain Indian School

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 16 Mar 2024  0    1788

The Deficiency Of Capability ( Short Story Adult Category) I was just scrolling through Instagram or according to Gen Z and Gen Alpha on ‘gram’ where I saw an advertisement as I was over with my 10-year-old son’s handwriting. I was searching for an online handwriting teacher to improve his handwriting because he will use a pen next academic session. I cannot unveil the mystery of his handwriting with an occasional use of pen, which he is so obsessed with and excited to use but I am pretty sure he needs help. So this advertisement had their page bio as ‘ helping parents raise capable, skillful( in actual bio skillful was spelled as ‘skilful’), and happy children. I need to understand how a class or institution can help parents to raise children. Are our children lab rats? No offense but out of the many lab rats they conduct experiments on, the success is found in only a few after much trial and error. As a parent I tried handwriting classes during the summer holidays, of course, there is a fallback because subconsciously my son has fallen into his old writing pattern so he needs practice and patience to build it subconsciously. As a parent, I can only raise my child by making myself understand how much to interfere with and where I must interfere in my child's development. How can some institutes fool around by offering to help or misguide parents that this is the course they must take and they will make the child extraordinary? Many institutions like schools, classes, or any educational center are the labs where they conduct uniform experiments through various curriculums which they believe to be a formula for high-quality education to create successful adults might not work for every child. There is a need for certain elements in children which differ and which can only be offered by parents. Institutions can only give us signs that this is deficient in your thinking capability. Now to interfere in that development should be your call. It is much debatable theory. We are raising a character that cannot be done in one course or class. We know kids are observing us, but their brains are still too young to understand that we lied over the phone as we can not or do not want to attend the meeting or event. So if our children lie to us just because they don't want to share some part of their day and we catch that stuff to make the child stress about his/her character is not fair. At this moment, we have to tell our children what not to hide, being true to themselves and their parents is a source of faith and trust, how much ever they can understand according to their age. As an adult we lie to ourselves, we fake happiness but expect our kids to be ideal, happy, and capable when we struggle to be capable. In this world where no one not even the richest person can say that they are happy when they are capable of buying any luxury they want. Can our children be capable forever? The capability to handle themselves is an evolving feature. We have to focus on teaching our children evolution and acceptance according to the circumstances of life. Why did we lie not to attend an event? We are answerable to our children. They must know the scenario of why lying was a necessity in certain circumstances. What emotions are telling you to avoid that event, will make them capable of understanding themselves? So next time don't enroll your children at least in the classes where they are offering you capability because only a parent can make a child survive different kinds of situation, not the other way around. Classes or institutions can only teach idealistic, theory-based models. Application and circumstantial learning is in our hands. Children failing as children is far more correctable than a child failing as an adult. Adult life circumstances are too overwhelming and we expect our children to behave like adults whereas they are observing our imperfections every day. They are storing it subconsciously it is okay to lie or manipulate my friends as my parents are doing it. It is confusing for a child's brain how to accept their parent's perfections and imperfections in a month or year. Consistency and discipline if not seen and observed in the habits of a parent then how a child can do, will always be the question in a child’s mind. The capability of a person is based on their knowledge, intense pursuit, locus of control, resilience, and being practical. A parent and the environment at home is the only superpower that can build capability in children to become a capable adult.

  • Short Stories Anuradha 7 Mar 2024  0    1753

Plagued Love - Adult entry for March ( dedicated to the medical profession) She was torn apart with her handicap to balance her professional and personal life. The Hippocratic oath masked all other thoughts. The surge of patients in the hospital was rising by the hour. She was caged with ailing and infected patients. Her physical being was trapped in the ppt kit but her thoughts lingered between her loved ones and her duty. She was on the verge of breaking down and running away from all this ‘call of duty’ jargon. She overheard a few colleagues in conversation with indistinguishable tones of fear and complaints. Even the system was helpless against this fury of nature and wide spreading virus. The medical staff and team were under immense pressure. Yet we were the only hope against the fury of this monstrous virus. Her heart was heavy with guilt of leaving her spouse and her baby at home . She had not been home since a fortnight! Today she felt remorse for all those times she threw a tantrum at home, argued with him, hurt his feelings by vocalizing her regret of marrying him. How could she be so ruthless ? He stood by her in this crisis, her emotional war of choosing her duty over family. What were his thoughts at this moment? Is he regretting his decision too ? Is he going to be her forever knight in shining armor? She had been sitting in the canteen over a tepid cup of tea lost in her din of emotions. Her cell phone buzzed . It was her “only moral support”, her spouse. They conversed for a while and she felt a wave of calmness engulf her . His assurance to look after their child well,his faith in her capabilities, his love for her made her feel better. His words rang in her ears , his caressing voice made her nostalgic. She wanted to cuddle in those strong arms. She wanted his warm breath on her crowning glory. She wondered if she would ever have those moments again. Will she leave the hospital alive ? Her only solace remained that he loved her and her precious off spring was in safe hands. At this juncture she had to carry on till more help arrived and she would be able to go home for some rest and breather. There were many others like her who had chosen duty over safe confines of their hearth. She could feel their pangs of separation and stressing circumstances. She resolved to face the challenge with a renewed hope of going back soon with the precautions of isolation and regular tests. With masked face, warmth in the cockles of her heart and courage in her eyes she walked back to the ward to tend to her charges!

  • Short Stories Nivedita 7 Mar 2024  0    1359

"It's locked"

  • Short Stories Anaya 29 Feb 2024  0  2  2129

Cravings of Solitude and Nostalgia Allegory by Sir. Armaan Bin Awaz

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 29 Feb 2024  0    2048

‘Mis’-matched ( Adult entry for February 2024) Two mis- matched socks on a domestic help' s blistered feet were talking to each other. Spotted Green: “I miss my twin.. this feet is too rough for me.” Pink and Beige :” So do I .. but I am still thinking bout this feet I cover .. it’s blistered, it needs to rest “ Spotted Green:”I can’t wait I to be washed, the previous feet were soft and smooth, I loved the shoe .. I hate this broken slipper,yikes!” Pink and Beige :”this feet trudges and tires, you need to be kind to it, have a heart… green one.” Spotted Green:” my heart … I lost it to the shoe… I miss him” Pink and Beige :”forget him as beyond this you shall be a toy for the dog in the narrow lane here .. till you survive ! Spotted Green:” really ! No no … I need clean feet and a warm wash .” Pink and Beige : My new partner, let me be honest, this is the fact about sock life … it sucks.If you need to adjust and accommodate. We were born to cover, give warmth yet the choice of foot is not ours. I don’t know how much we shall last or be together, but as long as we are let’s smile through our holes ! These feet need us more than our previous owners. Are you game?” Spotted Green: “Yeah .. ohhk … I will try my best but tell me one thing , will this feet hurt each day ?” Pink and Beige: “ yes each day… each minute .. till some one gives’ her’ a half used tube or oil to care for the blisters.”

  • Short Stories Nivedita 27 Feb 2024  0    1867

Passionata Volume II. Seset 3.

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 24 Feb 2024  0    1775

Passionata Volume II. Sestet 2.

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 24 Feb 2024  0    1783

Passionata Volume II. Seset 1.

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 24 Feb 2024  0    2133

From City lights to County life

  • Short Stories Ilyas Ibrahim 17 Feb 2024  0  1  3708

Children's Playground

  • Short Stories Anaya 8 Feb 2024  0  1  3413

Sunrise reflections by Andaleeb.A.K

  • Short Stories Andaleeb 9 Apr 2024  0    1506

WINNERS 2023 / 24 - FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF CONTEST

  • Short Stories Stanley 7 Apr 2024  0  1  963

Cotton candy sky ( Poem ) by Andaleeb.A.K

  • Short Stories Andaleeb 6 Apr 2024  0    1144

Rushing to Conclusions: Why do people judge others so quickly?

  • Short Stories Ajeet 6 Apr 2024  0    696

Eidi | Adult Entry | Short Story

  • Short Stories Monisha 5 Apr 2024  0  1  981

"Sorry, kiddo"

  • Short Stories Anaya 28 Mar 2024  0  1  1409

February Month is Fab

  • Short Stories Arohi Jani 22 Mar 2024  0    1264

Operation Dead Final Chapter- A Murder Mystery by Armaan Bin Awaz

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 16 Mar 2024  0    1481

February 2024 winners

  • Short Stories Stanley 16 Mar 2024  0  1  2009

Operation Dead- A Murder Mystery by Armaan Bin Awaz, Bahrain Indian School

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 16 Mar 2024  0    1788

The Deficiency Of Capability ( Short Story Adult Category) I was just scrolling through Instagram or according to Gen Z and Gen Alpha on ‘gram’ where I saw an advertisement as I was over with my 10-year-old son’s handwriting. I was searching for an online handwriting teacher to improve his handwriting because he will use a pen next academic session. I cannot unveil the mystery of his handwriting with an occasional use of pen, which he is so obsessed with and excited to use but I am pretty sure he needs help. So this advertisement had their page bio as ‘ helping parents raise capable, skillful( in actual bio skillful was spelled as ‘skilful’), and happy children. I need to understand how a class or institution can help parents to raise children. Are our children lab rats? No offense but out of the many lab rats they conduct experiments on, the success is found in only a few after much trial and error. As a parent I tried handwriting classes during the summer holidays, of course, there is a fallback because subconsciously my son has fallen into his old writing pattern so he needs practice and patience to build it subconsciously. As a parent, I can only raise my child by making myself understand how much to interfere with and where I must interfere in my child's development. How can some institutes fool around by offering to help or misguide parents that this is the course they must take and they will make the child extraordinary? Many institutions like schools, classes, or any educational center are the labs where they conduct uniform experiments through various curriculums which they believe to be a formula for high-quality education to create successful adults might not work for every child. There is a need for certain elements in children which differ and which can only be offered by parents. Institutions can only give us signs that this is deficient in your thinking capability. Now to interfere in that development should be your call. It is much debatable theory. We are raising a character that cannot be done in one course or class. We know kids are observing us, but their brains are still too young to understand that we lied over the phone as we can not or do not want to attend the meeting or event. So if our children lie to us just because they don't want to share some part of their day and we catch that stuff to make the child stress about his/her character is not fair. At this moment, we have to tell our children what not to hide, being true to themselves and their parents is a source of faith and trust, how much ever they can understand according to their age. As an adult we lie to ourselves, we fake happiness but expect our kids to be ideal, happy, and capable when we struggle to be capable. In this world where no one not even the richest person can say that they are happy when they are capable of buying any luxury they want. Can our children be capable forever? The capability to handle themselves is an evolving feature. We have to focus on teaching our children evolution and acceptance according to the circumstances of life. Why did we lie not to attend an event? We are answerable to our children. They must know the scenario of why lying was a necessity in certain circumstances. What emotions are telling you to avoid that event, will make them capable of understanding themselves? So next time don't enroll your children at least in the classes where they are offering you capability because only a parent can make a child survive different kinds of situation, not the other way around. Classes or institutions can only teach idealistic, theory-based models. Application and circumstantial learning is in our hands. Children failing as children is far more correctable than a child failing as an adult. Adult life circumstances are too overwhelming and we expect our children to behave like adults whereas they are observing our imperfections every day. They are storing it subconsciously it is okay to lie or manipulate my friends as my parents are doing it. It is confusing for a child's brain how to accept their parent's perfections and imperfections in a month or year. Consistency and discipline if not seen and observed in the habits of a parent then how a child can do, will always be the question in a child’s mind. The capability of a person is based on their knowledge, intense pursuit, locus of control, resilience, and being practical. A parent and the environment at home is the only superpower that can build capability in children to become a capable adult.

  • Short Stories Anuradha 7 Mar 2024  0    1753

Plagued Love - Adult entry for March ( dedicated to the medical profession) She was torn apart with her handicap to balance her professional and personal life. The Hippocratic oath masked all other thoughts. The surge of patients in the hospital was rising by the hour. She was caged with ailing and infected patients. Her physical being was trapped in the ppt kit but her thoughts lingered between her loved ones and her duty. She was on the verge of breaking down and running away from all this ‘call of duty’ jargon. She overheard a few colleagues in conversation with indistinguishable tones of fear and complaints. Even the system was helpless against this fury of nature and wide spreading virus. The medical staff and team were under immense pressure. Yet we were the only hope against the fury of this monstrous virus. Her heart was heavy with guilt of leaving her spouse and her baby at home . She had not been home since a fortnight! Today she felt remorse for all those times she threw a tantrum at home, argued with him, hurt his feelings by vocalizing her regret of marrying him. How could she be so ruthless ? He stood by her in this crisis, her emotional war of choosing her duty over family. What were his thoughts at this moment? Is he regretting his decision too ? Is he going to be her forever knight in shining armor? She had been sitting in the canteen over a tepid cup of tea lost in her din of emotions. Her cell phone buzzed . It was her “only moral support”, her spouse. They conversed for a while and she felt a wave of calmness engulf her . His assurance to look after their child well,his faith in her capabilities, his love for her made her feel better. His words rang in her ears , his caressing voice made her nostalgic. She wanted to cuddle in those strong arms. She wanted his warm breath on her crowning glory. She wondered if she would ever have those moments again. Will she leave the hospital alive ? Her only solace remained that he loved her and her precious off spring was in safe hands. At this juncture she had to carry on till more help arrived and she would be able to go home for some rest and breather. There were many others like her who had chosen duty over safe confines of their hearth. She could feel their pangs of separation and stressing circumstances. She resolved to face the challenge with a renewed hope of going back soon with the precautions of isolation and regular tests. With masked face, warmth in the cockles of her heart and courage in her eyes she walked back to the ward to tend to her charges!

  • Short Stories Nivedita 7 Mar 2024  0    1359

"It's locked"

  • Short Stories Anaya 29 Feb 2024  0  2  2129

Cravings of Solitude and Nostalgia Allegory by Sir. Armaan Bin Awaz

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 29 Feb 2024  0    2048

‘Mis’-matched ( Adult entry for February 2024) Two mis- matched socks on a domestic help' s blistered feet were talking to each other. Spotted Green: “I miss my twin.. this feet is too rough for me.” Pink and Beige :” So do I .. but I am still thinking bout this feet I cover .. it’s blistered, it needs to rest “ Spotted Green:”I can’t wait I to be washed, the previous feet were soft and smooth, I loved the shoe .. I hate this broken slipper,yikes!” Pink and Beige :”this feet trudges and tires, you need to be kind to it, have a heart… green one.” Spotted Green:” my heart … I lost it to the shoe… I miss him” Pink and Beige :”forget him as beyond this you shall be a toy for the dog in the narrow lane here .. till you survive ! Spotted Green:” really ! No no … I need clean feet and a warm wash .” Pink and Beige : My new partner, let me be honest, this is the fact about sock life … it sucks.If you need to adjust and accommodate. We were born to cover, give warmth yet the choice of foot is not ours. I don’t know how much we shall last or be together, but as long as we are let’s smile through our holes ! These feet need us more than our previous owners. Are you game?” Spotted Green: “Yeah .. ohhk … I will try my best but tell me one thing , will this feet hurt each day ?” Pink and Beige: “ yes each day… each minute .. till some one gives’ her’ a half used tube or oil to care for the blisters.”

  • Short Stories Nivedita 27 Feb 2024  0    1867

Passionata Volume II. Seset 3.

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 24 Feb 2024  0    1775

Passionata Volume II. Sestet 2.

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 24 Feb 2024  0    1783

Passionata Volume II. Seset 1.

  • Short Stories Armaan Bin Awaz 24 Feb 2024  0    2133

From City lights to County life

  • Short Stories Ilyas Ibrahim 17 Feb 2024  0  1  3708

Children's Playground

  • Short Stories Anaya 8 Feb 2024  0  1  3413

Popular Tags

Login

Welcome! Login to your account




Lost your password?

Don't have an account? Register

Lost Password



Register

I agree to EULA terms and conditions.