The language is so vivid that I can practically see the regretling being contained. It reminded me of my childhood watching and being terrified of the movie Gremlins. Beautiful. Almost involuntarily, my lips muttered a prayer for Jin in whichever realm he's in.
Omg Dipankar I might have watched The Gremlins too--not looking it up--when I was young. The horror movies gave me nightmares 😬 But thanks for the support. It made a difference and brightened my day!
That means a lot to me, Karena! Trying something a little different from my first piece. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts. Let's hop on a call soon after the fall leaves settle.
Linda, thank you for your kindness - it’s easier to share these parts of myself when readers like you make it feel less like oversharing and more like connecting :)
Cindy, I’m honored my words stirred something in you, though I do hope you didn’t need an entire box of tissues. There’s something oddly universal about “swallowing them whole” really. A diet of unsaid words is popular, but it’s terribly hard on digestion..
What a beautiful piece and touching tribute to the beauty of friendship, and pain and longing when life slips away so suddenly.
I recently lost a childhood friend and it was so unexpected. I’ve looked back on our last interaction with the dreaded what ifs and if onlys. When I see our old pics, I get the strangest mix of warmth and sorrow, to know our happiest times aren’t ahead of us, but preserved forever in our childhood.
Thanks for sharing this fantastically creative memoir, Kuriakin.
"And there are moments when I wonder if I’ve forgotten how the world looks beyond midnight blue. The other colors seem muted, tinged with blue. Like they’re submerged in deep water. Like half-remembered dreams. Like trying to recall a friend’s laugh after too many years of silence."
I love this paragraph - so vivid. You made me see my surroundings tinged in blue, it struck a cord, so many emotions! Thank you for sharing this. It's a very creative way of blending personal memoir and "fictional" writing. I look forward to reading more.
Francesca, thankfully, your words glow brighter than the midnight blue - thank you. It’s strange how emotions have colors isn't it? I’m thrilled it struck a chord with you and brought the story to life. More to come, I promise.
Wow. Even having read it a few times and knowing what was coming, the punch still hit me the same but it's so vivid, I can feel the monsters and the emotions and the relationships between you and them and the memory. Beautiful it's really cool how much this evolved without losing any of what made it so memorable the first time.
Phil! you’re proof that even when someone knows the punch is coming, the swing still matters. Thanks for sticking with this story as it morphed - I worried it might lose its heart along the way. I’m so glad it didn’t.
Reminds me of Dante--in the Divine Comedy he cannot enter heaven until he goes through the River of Lethe where he forgets( washed away by the water) his past, his mistakes, sins regrets, all the bad stuff. We all get dogged by our regrets, some more than others--I wish peace at last for Jin--and you too. This essay is a tribute to him.
The language is so vivid that I can practically see the regretling being contained. It reminded me of my childhood watching and being terrified of the movie Gremlins. Beautiful. Almost involuntarily, my lips muttered a prayer for Jin in whichever realm he's in.
💯 ready for screenplay or anime series. Actually like Enders Game, a portrayal won’t do the original words justice
Thank you once again Justin! I'm so glad you think so!
Omg Dipankar I might have watched The Gremlins too--not looking it up--when I was young. The horror movies gave me nightmares 😬 But thanks for the support. It made a difference and brightened my day!
?
?This is what showed up? I am lost for words. Impressed, sad, happy, proud. I'm sure it was not easy. But it is beautiful.
That means a lot to me, Karena! Trying something a little different from my first piece. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts. Let's hop on a call soon after the fall leaves settle.
What a magical way to express what goes on in our minds. Thank you for exploring these parts of yourself and then sharing them with us.
Linda, thank you for your kindness - it’s easier to share these parts of myself when readers like you make it feel less like oversharing and more like connecting :)
Thank you. You brought me to tears, but it was beauty and goodness. I have too often "swallowed them whole."
Cindy, I’m honored my words stirred something in you, though I do hope you didn’t need an entire box of tissues. There’s something oddly universal about “swallowing them whole” really. A diet of unsaid words is popular, but it’s terribly hard on digestion..
What a beautiful piece and touching tribute to the beauty of friendship, and pain and longing when life slips away so suddenly.
I recently lost a childhood friend and it was so unexpected. I’ve looked back on our last interaction with the dreaded what ifs and if onlys. When I see our old pics, I get the strangest mix of warmth and sorrow, to know our happiest times aren’t ahead of us, but preserved forever in our childhood.
Thanks for sharing this fantastically creative memoir, Kuriakin.
Marisa,
That mix of warmth and sorrow you mentioned really hit me - it’s exactly how it feels!
Like those photos are holding on to something we can’t get back but don’t want to let go of either.
Maybe it’s not about what’s ahead but what we still carry, even when it hurts.
Your friend sounds like they left you with pieces of them you’ll always keep, and that’s something, isn't it?
Thanks for sharing that - I feel it.
"And there are moments when I wonder if I’ve forgotten how the world looks beyond midnight blue. The other colors seem muted, tinged with blue. Like they’re submerged in deep water. Like half-remembered dreams. Like trying to recall a friend’s laugh after too many years of silence."
I love this paragraph - so vivid. You made me see my surroundings tinged in blue, it struck a cord, so many emotions! Thank you for sharing this. It's a very creative way of blending personal memoir and "fictional" writing. I look forward to reading more.
Francesca, thankfully, your words glow brighter than the midnight blue - thank you. It’s strange how emotions have colors isn't it? I’m thrilled it struck a chord with you and brought the story to life. More to come, I promise.
And once we realise they have colours, we never feel them the same way either :)
Maybe that’s why some memories feel so heavy; they’re carrying all those hues with them..
Wow. Even having read it a few times and knowing what was coming, the punch still hit me the same but it's so vivid, I can feel the monsters and the emotions and the relationships between you and them and the memory. Beautiful it's really cool how much this evolved without losing any of what made it so memorable the first time.
Phil! you’re proof that even when someone knows the punch is coming, the swing still matters. Thanks for sticking with this story as it morphed - I worried it might lose its heart along the way. I’m so glad it didn’t.
Stunning, sweet and beautiful.
Reminds me of Dante--in the Divine Comedy he cannot enter heaven until he goes through the River of Lethe where he forgets( washed away by the water) his past, his mistakes, sins regrets, all the bad stuff. We all get dogged by our regrets, some more than others--I wish peace at last for Jin--and you too. This essay is a tribute to him.