A Bittersweet Life
He lay there in the midst of dead bodies, his handsome face streaked with blood. The fallen wires sizzled in the collected mixture of blood, alcohol, sweat and water. He stared into the empty eyes of his boss into whose head he had pumped bullet after bullet. All for what? For love? For honor? He did not care now. That fleeting feeling had been more important. It had made him human for a little while. It had shown what ‘normal’ life was like. It was not just obedience, guns and enforcement. There were things like music lessons, illicit love and what-not-stuff people indulged in.
The stranger stood to the side and waited patiently. He had turned up at the fag end of the proceedings but had extracted his part payment in blood. This was a cool customer, unruffled by the stale stench of death. He waited, with a certain amount of respect, for the right moment. He looked at the man in the middle of all the mayhem.
Dreams rolled over his eyes. She was there. Her large eyes, looking at him from a great distance, like beacons on some rocky outcrop. He had broken out of his shell but little did she know. It was better this way. Lesser emotional baggage all around. Her hands were playing the violin but he could not hear anything, a soundless dream carrying him along somewhere. Something rustled close to him. He slowly opened his eyes and could vaguely make out someone looking down at him.
The stranger saw the man try to focus his eyes on him. There was a look of such intense melancholy on his face that he hesitated for a second. But there was no time. He could hear the rising Doppler of the sirens coming closer. He brought his gun up and shot the man. Once. Twice. Thrice.
(note: a fictional episode directly inspired by the closing scenes of the Korean film ‘Dalkomhan Insaeng (A Bittersweet Life)’, Kim Jee-Woon’s moody meditation on loyalty, love and loss.)
November 24th, 2005 | Quote
Am glad to hear it… :-) but that was my point precisely - that this piece was well visualised and conceptualized enough to carry it through without the context. The blur makes the more intriguing!
There was a bigtime compliment in that comment of mine… :P!
November 24th, 2005 | Quote
I didn’t see the film but felt the terror and pain anyway. You write so well!
November 24th, 2005 | Quote
Geetanjali: Actually, yes, it would be clearer if you had seen the film as it is heavily linked to the last scene of the film I mentioned in the note below the post…didn’t you see it?
transience: hmm..strange you ask the same question as the name of the film is mentioned in the note below in the post.
Extempore: thank you dear for that frank feedback. no offence taken…I know this piece is not very tight, language wise. It is basically the first draft and I posted it without polishing it, so it will seem a little rough and loose. Again, as I mentioned above it is heavily linked to the film so the context will be apparent only if you see the film!
November 23rd, 2005 | Quote
I must admit I read this more than a few times over a few days because I wasn’t sure I understood the flow.
I really like it - esp the fact that the context of the action can be left out - it would be nice if I knew but I also think that the lack of clarity adds a certain intrigue to the whole piece.
Please don’t throw me out but I think the language could have been tighter - the texture of the action would have changed completely! But having said that, I must also say I love
Dreams rolled over his eyes. She was there. Her large eyes, looking at him from a great distance, like beacons on some rocky outcrop.
The poetry of these lines is superb - as always. :-)
November 21st, 2005 | Quote
dark and brooding. it is, as said above, quite cinematic. any particular inspirations?
November 19th, 2005 | Quote
Hmm…not quite sure I get the flow of this piece…it shifts very abruptly me thinks and the motives and bkgd are rather hazy. Is it meant to be that way - since you say this has been inspired frm a particular film (& thus genre)?