Imaginary Love

By Lipa Behera

Once upon a point, there lived an emperor, who had a solitary daughter Sheilya, beautiful like the petals of a blooming flower. Maybe it would have taken at least a hundred days for the craftsman to statuing her so beautiful. No eyes can divert themselves from her beauty. The king used to wonder whom he’ll choose for her is there really exist someone in the living world, well-suited for her. It was not only her beauty of facade which made him think so; it was also her most elegant demeanor. Beautification of her outward show was the fascination of her golden heart. Her life sustained in a similar craze as the life of a princess should keep on. She was taught what was needed to rule over the kingdom after her father’s regime.

When she was eighteen, she turned out to be the best warrior of her companions. On the foremost expedition to a battlefield, she made her warrior side completely visible by winning the war. It made the ruler joyful but the father inside him felt the horror of war on her exhausted face. The king granted her a wish whatever she’ll ask for, but as a father, he restricted her to fight again. As she was the only heir to the throne, provisions were being made to keep the empire safe. She was not allowed to battle anymore neither she was allowed to step out of the palace. Her life flew inside the castle while her wings were desperate to touch the outer world.

Sometimes she used to spend her time, wandering inside the gallery of the palace, one day during the expedition of arts, her eyes stopped for a moment at the chance encounter with a portrait. A handsome face and eyes are like interpolation magnets. She was petrified for a moment, a bit of mystification in full swing inside her psyche. She felt, for a moment as if those eyes are speaking some hidden words. She asked her maid, did you hear anything. Her maid politely said no. She could not sleep that night as if a part of her longed to see that portrait again. Various eccentric feelings started troubling her as if that portrait was still talking to her. On the very night she saw a dream, “she was about to die, someone offered himself to death in return for her to live.” Upon waking up she realized the person in her dream was none other than the figure inside the portrait. Even if it was a dream which vanished the moment light flashed in her eyes but the love she felt inside her dream gave her a reason to believe in the portrait.

She asked her father about the portrait of who it could be. The king summoned the artist and sent him to the princess's chamber as his thoughts were being manipulated for a similar portrait of the princess. When the artist went to the princess's chamber, she took him to the gallery, her question was about whom face the portrait held. The artist simply said it must be my imagination. Because I’ve traveled throughout each kingdom I’ve heard of and I have never seen such an attractive face. So it must be my imagination. After the artist left, Princess stayed inside the gallery once again for a close look at the portrait, her eyes were looking at the eyes of the figure. Her eyes were speaking some unspoken words; her lips were smiling touching the corner of her cheeks. She told herself how an image can be this beautiful and perfect, can someone’s imagination is this perfect also. She felt an immersion inside that painting. As if a mirror was hanging in front of her and she is admiring her own reflection. A person who felt similar to her, his eyes felt nearer than her own. How come this is possible, she touched her heart and asked herself why it feels different than before. Why it feels lonely the moment I’m leaving the gallery, my loneliness is vanishing the moment my eyes are wandering inside this painting. Something which possesses no real existence feels very real. While the world around me even if it is real, feels imaginary.

After that day she never went to the gallery but her heart didn’t wipe out that portrait. As if her heart became a cage that didn’t let that face escape. What is this strange feeling? If this is love then how come I fell in love with an imagination? Is this really called love?  Or even this is also an imaginary world. 

The face got scribbled on a piece of paper by someone else's imagination, but it captured her heart. Her life got restless by an invisible presence of a human being whose existence is still unknown. She never thought love would put so many desires in front of her. An unwanted feeling started spiraling inside her. She wished for the portrait to become real.

 When her age riped, for marriage so many princes went for her hand. But her heart was as strong as an iron to be melted by any charm; it was never deceived by any prince who appeared for her hand. Maybe the eyes inside that portrait were more convincing than the real ones that went to look at her. She asked her father for the wish which was granted to her “the moment my love will appear in front of me then only I’ll marry” Her wish was approved on the very day it was asked.  At that moment king asked the princess to give him a complete picture of her love. She gave him an epistle with the portrait…

 My heart is submerging

                    Inside the ocean of your eyes

Hanging on the wall as you can’t blink

                   Nothing to hinder my entrance

Searching for your reality

                   Inside the grass of canvas

Touch of rainbow

                   Has made the grass alive

My reality is sweeping away

                   By the flow of imagination

Inside the grass forest

                   My heart is joining your features

To love you or not to love you

                  Is not my current dilemma

Inside an imaginary cloak

                 I’m forgetting my reality

His father got shocked by reading her love story. His response was, no imagination has ever turned into reality. If the portrait is itself imaginary, how come you fell in love with someone who does not exist in real life. Then it must be your love is also imaginary. It doesn’t possess an existence and besides the distance between imaginary land and real-world longs forever. Forget your imaginary love and marry someone else. Why you are choosing long-term pain by avoiding reality, my dear. You can wait for somebody but life won't wait for anything. The path you are choosing is giving us pain.

Father, I'm not in less pain than yours still my heart is reluctant enough to let go of my imaginary love even if my love is imaginary but my pain is real and my heart is also. My heart is telling me to wait for him. I’m willing to wait until his presence to touch my reality. I'm willing to cross this forever distance. As the king had already given words he could not say any further. His sorrow couldn’t amend the heart of Sheilya.

Finally, the king asked how you will endure this pain my dear?

I'll hope for the moon,

             to draw his face;

I'll wish for the sky,

             to read his heart;

I'll wish for the birds,

             to bring his message;

I'll tell the air,

             to tell him my story;

I'll hope for the clouds,

             to carry my pain;

I'll wish for the rain,

             to wipe my tears:

Looking at the portrait, she asked did I made the right choice...will you ever come?

By Lipa Behera