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I am sharing my first attempt at writing. Please don't mind the grammatical errors. It is kinda long too.
Love Thy Sinner
Lined with bushes, trees and steep slopes, the hill stood majestically in front of the Sinner. The hill looked scornfully down at the Sinner and dared him to conquer it. Sinner merely smiled and accepted the challenge. As the Sinner began to climb through the treacherous slope, he could feel the resistance in form of strong winds blowing down the hill, sun beating down his back and fatigue tiring his cramping legs. He took a quick gulp of whiskey from his flask and calculated the time for him to reach the summit. With the fresh burst of energy infused from liquor he should reach the top before sunset.
The sinner rummaged his bag and took out his SLR camera. It was a modest looking camera
compared to the high end lenses used in his line of business. He wanted to capture the scenic beauty of his home town. Though his town was not that famous for attractive landscapes like other hill stations ,but for the sinner it was as beautiful as a mother is to her son. A feeling of warmth engulfed him as he thought about the memories which this town has bestowed on him. It was his birth place,the place where he learned to speak,the place where he learned to appreciate nature,the place which introduced him to God,the place which cultivated the passion of photography in him,the place where he first learned to love. It was the place where his love was getting married. The thought of his love made his knees weak and got him gasping for water. He sat under a tree nearby and drank some liquor to wash away his pain.
He took out a letter from his pocket and started to read. It was the letter from his love, as a matter of fact it was not a love letter. The sinner was reading it for the 15th time and yet he is unable to comprehend what he was reading. Though his mind understood the letter,his heart could not soak in the message. His love was getting married. And it was to this wedding where the sinner was headed. He felt the writing on the paper with his hand and just stared at his hand for some time. He was the sinner. He had sinned all his life. And now he was on his way to perform the biggest sin of his life. He had started the journey with an intention to claim what is his. He had been away from his sweet heart for such a long time that his heart ached just to see his love once more. He just wanted to feel his love in his arms again. He sincerely prayed it wasn't too late.
The pager hanging on his belt came to life. It was from his pal,who also happened to be the producer of brand new National Geographic show. He felt bad for ditching him at the last minute. He was supposed to travel to depths of Amazon with the crew tonight. If he were a cat, this show was an once in 'nine' lifetimes opportunity for a budding videographer like him. It was his chance to switch from world of magazines to T.V. He remembered the disappointed look in Bob's face when he informed he was pulling out of the project. He had to set his priorities right. If he is lucky enough,he might get an another opportunity to prove his mettle to the T.V. world, but if he missed this wedding he will lose his love forever. He clicked a few sceneries on his way up the hill. With every click and flash of the camera, memories of his beloved rushed to him like a Japanese bullet train.
Twenty years ago, on a calm Sunday morning,two children were almost run down by a truck as they tried to save the puppy stuck in the middle of the central square junction outside the Central Square Church. Luckily no one was hurt. That was the day when eight year old Sinner promised his mother never to do anything stupid which would hurt him and in turn hurt her. That was the day when Sinner met his soul mate. Mr and Mrs.Mathews were both doctors whereas Mrs.Davis had a tailor shop. But they had one thing in common. All the three were devout Christians and never skipped the Sunday mass,which meant the kids met at the Central Square church every Sunday and friendship blossomed. Though Mr.Davis had abandoned his wife and his child,Mrs.Davis never made her child feel inferior or insecure. The year after they first met,Mrs.Davis sent Sinner to the same school where his 'Church' friend studied. Together they fought bullies at school,participated in school plays and flunked tests. Mrs.Mathews was like a second mother to Sinner and her kindness was exemplified by the fact that she paid for Sinner's trekking trip which was expensive for Mrs.Davis to afford. Sinner was only eleven when he went for the trek to the hill along with his 'best' friend and 15 others. He took with him the only thing which his father had left - his camera. Though it was an old fashioned roll camera,Sinner loved it.This trekking trip brought him close to nature,to photography and to his soul mate. He wished the trip would never end. Sinner's life had changed forever.
As adolescence set in, the kids were caught in the web of 'coolness' and to show off they started to smoke. Visits to church were rare as 'God' was not in fashion those days. Sinner and his partner in crime used to sneak up to the hill and smoke weed listening to Bob Marley classics in the radio. During smoking sessions, they made it a ritual to utter these lines which they had heard so often in church "Love Thy Sinner,Hate Thy Sin". They secretly prayed to God to forgive their sins by uttering those words. They confessed their sins and discussed their problems with each other amidst the smoke. The feelings had started to develop but none of them spoke their heart out. They became so close that they enjoyed the perfect silence between them gazing at the setting sun from the branch of a tree,without feeling a pinch of uneasiness. Sinner had reached the top of the hill with the help of whiskey,clicks and nostalgia. He gazed at the sun setting down the horizon casting a reddish light on his town. He sat down on a rock sipping whiskey,walking down the memory lane.
Time flew and soon his soul mate left the town to pursue higher studies leaving Sinner longing for company. Meanwhile Sinner got into a photography course at a local institute to keep himself busy as he waited for the return of his lover. Cell phones were new to the market those days and the tariffs were sky high. Since Sinner couldn't afford to have one,they exchanged the happenings in their lives through letters. Even now they spoke only through letters as letters are more personal and the person reading it can feel the affection of the writer. Once in every fortnight Sinner would feel the words written by his love on paper and would reply back with latest updates of his life. Whenever his love came back to town for vacation, they would roam around the town in Mr.Mathews old motorcycle and spend some priceless moments of togetherness. They used to discuss everything from marijuana to God to future plans. His heart would cry every time when his soul mate left the town after vacations and he would eagerly wait for the postman to bring letters full of affection.
Sinner was only 20 when his mother got really ill. It was Mr.Mathews doctoral precision and Mrs.Mathews motherly care which kept his mother alive and lessened the sufferings of Sinner. She died a year later leaving Sinner inconsolable. He asked the God to repay the injustice done to him. A week later,God sent his angel back to town to console Sinner. Sinner cried in the arms of his love and in the heat of the moment they confessed their love for each other. Mrs.Mathews witnessed the two fooling around and was taken aback. She met Sinner privately and begged him to go away from her child. Sinner always knew the world can never understand their love. He agreed as he can't say no to a woman who is like a mother to him. He left the town with his heart searing with pain of separation from his love.
After struggling in the big city for a year or so doing odd jobs,he landed into a job of an assistant to a renowned photographer. He constantly received letters from his lover,but he seldom replied back. He started drinking to ease the pain in his chest,which he convinced himself was from acidity and not love. Through letters,Sinner could feel the frustration and love of his soul mate but all he could do was to pray to God to ease the pain in their lives. He dreamed to be with his love but the cruelties of life had turned it into nightmare. He worked hard, made new friends and tried desperately to sever ties from his past. But letters flooding at his doorsteps never allowed him to forget.
Years passed and Sinner established himself as a young talented photographer with a keen eye for wilderness. He bagged a job as a wild life photographer in a reputed magazine and life started to look up,atleast career wise. Frequency of letters started to decrease as this distance between them and the cold shoulder of the Sinner started to wear out the patience of his love. About an year ago, he got a letter stating that there was some one else in his lover's life and that feelings for him are making things complicated. Sinner didn't know from where he got the strength to say it but he said it. He asked his love to go on with this relationship and that what they had was nothing but childish infatuation. After that he never received a letter from his love for a long time. A month ago, when Sinner returned back to his apartment after his stint in the wilderness, he was surprised to find a letter from his love.
He read that letter again and again unable to come in terms with it. After weeks of sleepless nights and days,he arrived at a decision. He did not care what the society said. He did not care what he promised to Mrs.Mathews. Only thing he knew was love. And it swelled in his heart melting the stone that he had kept in his heart for such a long time. He prepared to risk his career for his love. By going to the wedding and reclaiming his love he was also putting himself in great physical danger. He had to do what he had to do.
With these thoughts,Sinner descended the hill and went into an actual lane of the town from his memory lane. He searched for an internet cafe as the night began to sink in. He found one at the corner of a dusty lane and marched towards it. Meanwhile not far away from this internet cafe, preparations were at full swing at the Central Square church for the wedding that was about to take place next morning. Flowers, lighting, seating arrangements and other props for the ceremony were given finishing touches. Sinner drank and cried all night looking at the church from his hotel room. A little alcohol would give him courage he thought, but it was never enough to overcome the fear. He was not afraid of Mathews or the society,he was afraid of the rejection from his love. What if he was too late and his love was already taken. He slept by the window all night and was woken up by bell ringing at the church. The wedding board read 'Ryan weds Mellisa'. He saw the cars filling the parking lot,the band playing songs,the happy faces dressed in their best and then he saw his love. Dressed amazingly,his love came out of the car and the people ushered his love into the church. He looked at the face of his love and saw jubilation. His heart broke and he knew he had been a moron all his life.
Tears rolled down his cheek as he looked at himself in the mirror. He wiped the tear and sported a pair of sunglasses as he could not see his eyes welling up. He got dressed in a nice tuxedo and checked out of the hotel. He was glad no one recognized him in beard and sunglasses. He quietly approached the girl who was ushering guests inside the church. He gave her an envelope and asked her to deliver it to the bridegroom. The girl looked a little tentative but the word 'Please' from the Sinner did the trick. The girl walked down the aisle towards the best man and the bridegroom. She gave it to the groom and pointed near the doorway. But there was no one to be seen. He opened the envelope. It had a picture postcard of the hill surrounding the town. Ryan noticed something scribbled at the back of the postcard. As he read, his eyes welled up all of a sudden. There was drop of tear on the card that created a smudge. He ran to the doorway trying to find the owner of that hand writing, but the Sinner was nowhere to be found. The groom read the letter again:
Dear Ryan,
Congratulations on your wedding. It was so good to see you after such a long time. I have really missed you...I know I have hurt you, ignored you and pushed you to the edge. I am sorry for everything Ryan. Please don't hate me.
All the best for the life ahead. Good bye
"Love thy Sinner. Hate thy Sin...
"
Lots of Love
Jack
Love Thy Sinner
Lined with bushes, trees and steep slopes, the hill stood majestically in front of the Sinner. The hill looked scornfully down at the Sinner and dared him to conquer it. Sinner merely smiled and accepted the challenge. As the Sinner began to climb through the treacherous slope, he could feel the resistance in form of strong winds blowing down the hill, sun beating down his back and fatigue tiring his cramping legs. He took a quick gulp of whiskey from his flask and calculated the time for him to reach the summit. With the fresh burst of energy infused from liquor he should reach the top before sunset.
The sinner rummaged his bag and took out his SLR camera. It was a modest looking camera
compared to the high end lenses used in his line of business. He wanted to capture the scenic beauty of his home town. Though his town was not that famous for attractive landscapes like other hill stations ,but for the sinner it was as beautiful as a mother is to her son. A feeling of warmth engulfed him as he thought about the memories which this town has bestowed on him. It was his birth place,the place where he learned to speak,the place where he learned to appreciate nature,the place which introduced him to God,the place which cultivated the passion of photography in him,the place where he first learned to love. It was the place where his love was getting married. The thought of his love made his knees weak and got him gasping for water. He sat under a tree nearby and drank some liquor to wash away his pain.
He took out a letter from his pocket and started to read. It was the letter from his love, as a matter of fact it was not a love letter. The sinner was reading it for the 15th time and yet he is unable to comprehend what he was reading. Though his mind understood the letter,his heart could not soak in the message. His love was getting married. And it was to this wedding where the sinner was headed. He felt the writing on the paper with his hand and just stared at his hand for some time. He was the sinner. He had sinned all his life. And now he was on his way to perform the biggest sin of his life. He had started the journey with an intention to claim what is his. He had been away from his sweet heart for such a long time that his heart ached just to see his love once more. He just wanted to feel his love in his arms again. He sincerely prayed it wasn't too late.
The pager hanging on his belt came to life. It was from his pal,who also happened to be the producer of brand new National Geographic show. He felt bad for ditching him at the last minute. He was supposed to travel to depths of Amazon with the crew tonight. If he were a cat, this show was an once in 'nine' lifetimes opportunity for a budding videographer like him. It was his chance to switch from world of magazines to T.V. He remembered the disappointed look in Bob's face when he informed he was pulling out of the project. He had to set his priorities right. If he is lucky enough,he might get an another opportunity to prove his mettle to the T.V. world, but if he missed this wedding he will lose his love forever. He clicked a few sceneries on his way up the hill. With every click and flash of the camera, memories of his beloved rushed to him like a Japanese bullet train.
Twenty years ago, on a calm Sunday morning,two children were almost run down by a truck as they tried to save the puppy stuck in the middle of the central square junction outside the Central Square Church. Luckily no one was hurt. That was the day when eight year old Sinner promised his mother never to do anything stupid which would hurt him and in turn hurt her. That was the day when Sinner met his soul mate. Mr and Mrs.Mathews were both doctors whereas Mrs.Davis had a tailor shop. But they had one thing in common. All the three were devout Christians and never skipped the Sunday mass,which meant the kids met at the Central Square church every Sunday and friendship blossomed. Though Mr.Davis had abandoned his wife and his child,Mrs.Davis never made her child feel inferior or insecure. The year after they first met,Mrs.Davis sent Sinner to the same school where his 'Church' friend studied. Together they fought bullies at school,participated in school plays and flunked tests. Mrs.Mathews was like a second mother to Sinner and her kindness was exemplified by the fact that she paid for Sinner's trekking trip which was expensive for Mrs.Davis to afford. Sinner was only eleven when he went for the trek to the hill along with his 'best' friend and 15 others. He took with him the only thing which his father had left - his camera. Though it was an old fashioned roll camera,Sinner loved it.This trekking trip brought him close to nature,to photography and to his soul mate. He wished the trip would never end. Sinner's life had changed forever.
As adolescence set in, the kids were caught in the web of 'coolness' and to show off they started to smoke. Visits to church were rare as 'God' was not in fashion those days. Sinner and his partner in crime used to sneak up to the hill and smoke weed listening to Bob Marley classics in the radio. During smoking sessions, they made it a ritual to utter these lines which they had heard so often in church "Love Thy Sinner,Hate Thy Sin". They secretly prayed to God to forgive their sins by uttering those words. They confessed their sins and discussed their problems with each other amidst the smoke. The feelings had started to develop but none of them spoke their heart out. They became so close that they enjoyed the perfect silence between them gazing at the setting sun from the branch of a tree,without feeling a pinch of uneasiness. Sinner had reached the top of the hill with the help of whiskey,clicks and nostalgia. He gazed at the sun setting down the horizon casting a reddish light on his town. He sat down on a rock sipping whiskey,walking down the memory lane.
Time flew and soon his soul mate left the town to pursue higher studies leaving Sinner longing for company. Meanwhile Sinner got into a photography course at a local institute to keep himself busy as he waited for the return of his lover. Cell phones were new to the market those days and the tariffs were sky high. Since Sinner couldn't afford to have one,they exchanged the happenings in their lives through letters. Even now they spoke only through letters as letters are more personal and the person reading it can feel the affection of the writer. Once in every fortnight Sinner would feel the words written by his love on paper and would reply back with latest updates of his life. Whenever his love came back to town for vacation, they would roam around the town in Mr.Mathews old motorcycle and spend some priceless moments of togetherness. They used to discuss everything from marijuana to God to future plans. His heart would cry every time when his soul mate left the town after vacations and he would eagerly wait for the postman to bring letters full of affection.
Sinner was only 20 when his mother got really ill. It was Mr.Mathews doctoral precision and Mrs.Mathews motherly care which kept his mother alive and lessened the sufferings of Sinner. She died a year later leaving Sinner inconsolable. He asked the God to repay the injustice done to him. A week later,God sent his angel back to town to console Sinner. Sinner cried in the arms of his love and in the heat of the moment they confessed their love for each other. Mrs.Mathews witnessed the two fooling around and was taken aback. She met Sinner privately and begged him to go away from her child. Sinner always knew the world can never understand their love. He agreed as he can't say no to a woman who is like a mother to him. He left the town with his heart searing with pain of separation from his love.
After struggling in the big city for a year or so doing odd jobs,he landed into a job of an assistant to a renowned photographer. He constantly received letters from his lover,but he seldom replied back. He started drinking to ease the pain in his chest,which he convinced himself was from acidity and not love. Through letters,Sinner could feel the frustration and love of his soul mate but all he could do was to pray to God to ease the pain in their lives. He dreamed to be with his love but the cruelties of life had turned it into nightmare. He worked hard, made new friends and tried desperately to sever ties from his past. But letters flooding at his doorsteps never allowed him to forget.
Years passed and Sinner established himself as a young talented photographer with a keen eye for wilderness. He bagged a job as a wild life photographer in a reputed magazine and life started to look up,atleast career wise. Frequency of letters started to decrease as this distance between them and the cold shoulder of the Sinner started to wear out the patience of his love. About an year ago, he got a letter stating that there was some one else in his lover's life and that feelings for him are making things complicated. Sinner didn't know from where he got the strength to say it but he said it. He asked his love to go on with this relationship and that what they had was nothing but childish infatuation. After that he never received a letter from his love for a long time. A month ago, when Sinner returned back to his apartment after his stint in the wilderness, he was surprised to find a letter from his love.
He read that letter again and again unable to come in terms with it. After weeks of sleepless nights and days,he arrived at a decision. He did not care what the society said. He did not care what he promised to Mrs.Mathews. Only thing he knew was love. And it swelled in his heart melting the stone that he had kept in his heart for such a long time. He prepared to risk his career for his love. By going to the wedding and reclaiming his love he was also putting himself in great physical danger. He had to do what he had to do.
With these thoughts,Sinner descended the hill and went into an actual lane of the town from his memory lane. He searched for an internet cafe as the night began to sink in. He found one at the corner of a dusty lane and marched towards it. Meanwhile not far away from this internet cafe, preparations were at full swing at the Central Square church for the wedding that was about to take place next morning. Flowers, lighting, seating arrangements and other props for the ceremony were given finishing touches. Sinner drank and cried all night looking at the church from his hotel room. A little alcohol would give him courage he thought, but it was never enough to overcome the fear. He was not afraid of Mathews or the society,he was afraid of the rejection from his love. What if he was too late and his love was already taken. He slept by the window all night and was woken up by bell ringing at the church. The wedding board read 'Ryan weds Mellisa'. He saw the cars filling the parking lot,the band playing songs,the happy faces dressed in their best and then he saw his love. Dressed amazingly,his love came out of the car and the people ushered his love into the church. He looked at the face of his love and saw jubilation. His heart broke and he knew he had been a moron all his life.
Tears rolled down his cheek as he looked at himself in the mirror. He wiped the tear and sported a pair of sunglasses as he could not see his eyes welling up. He got dressed in a nice tuxedo and checked out of the hotel. He was glad no one recognized him in beard and sunglasses. He quietly approached the girl who was ushering guests inside the church. He gave her an envelope and asked her to deliver it to the bridegroom. The girl looked a little tentative but the word 'Please' from the Sinner did the trick. The girl walked down the aisle towards the best man and the bridegroom. She gave it to the groom and pointed near the doorway. But there was no one to be seen. He opened the envelope. It had a picture postcard of the hill surrounding the town. Ryan noticed something scribbled at the back of the postcard. As he read, his eyes welled up all of a sudden. There was drop of tear on the card that created a smudge. He ran to the doorway trying to find the owner of that hand writing, but the Sinner was nowhere to be found. The groom read the letter again:
Dear Ryan,
Congratulations on your wedding. It was so good to see you after such a long time. I have really missed you...I know I have hurt you, ignored you and pushed you to the edge. I am sorry for everything Ryan. Please don't hate me.
All the best for the life ahead. Good bye
"Love thy Sinner. Hate thy Sin...
"Lots of Love
Jack
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