Trying Something New, How Was It?

Somewhere far away, there lived a man whose beauty was so irreproachable. Yet so amiable, that it could resurrect even a courtesan's, hollow heart. Albeit behind his facade laid eyes as cold a tomb. Drenched in sorrow he mourned his loss and dreamed of a better life. But what is life without love?

One fortunate night, in front of his house he encountered a woman clumsily sleeping by the house’s gate. As he walked vigilantly towards her, she arose from her slumber and smiled baring all her teeth. The man startled backed away, but to his surprise realising that he was smiling as well.

He was perplexed as never before had he felt such ardour, an impulse to talk to get to know someone. And before he could let logic and apprehension get the best of him he started babbling on like a fool, like a fool in love.

Before they knew it they were in love, he felt the warmth and her the thrill. All they could think about was being together. One fine day he asked her to be with him forever, till death tore them apart. Although he knew his love was destined to be tragic as all he had ever experienced until then was heartbreak and tragedy, yet he decided to do it nonetheless for she was now his entire world.

Years had now passed, their lives spent together. Perhaps it was his fleeting memory or his distrust in not just the world but himself, that he was plagued by haunting visions of death and tragedy. His mental prowess debilitated and his only confidants he believed were the ones who disappeared when he tried to confide in them. Leaving him alone with those he had concocted in his head.

One fateful night as he felt more agitated than ever he went to see his wife, touch her, feel her warmth so he could calm the demons that plagued him so relentlessly. He saw her, her beautiful face, her warm smile and that was when a loud laughter burst behind him, drenched in fear he turned around only to see a man that he would become, a man without love. All he could see was a pale man whose soul had been burnt leaving a black hole instead of the heart. He examined this distasteful image of himself as the former glared back at him. As he stared at himself he saw his counterpart pick up a knife and come at him with gusto and stab him in the heart, only to realise that he was the one who had stabbed his wife in the heart.

Before he knew it his vision became his reality, for what is life without love?