The Fire Paintings - Episode - 01 (The Hidden Truth Behind their Love ) - by Muthuwrites

Introduction :

​Have you ever heard that "truth is stranger than fiction"? Yes, it is true. This, too, is such an amazing true story.

 However, it is not your story, nor is it mine, nor is it a common story shared by us all. This is the incredibly astonishing tale of those who have lived and died, and those who still live, under the very same sun and moon that we live under today. 

I cordially invite you to read their story.

The Fire Paintings - Episode 01

As the sun sets in the west, the sky is painted with a surreal blend of orange and pink hues...

​Enjoying the enchanting evening blended with the Baltic Sea breeze, I lost count of how many times my eyes drifted toward that young couple of Asian descent...

​No matter how hard I tried to hold them back, my past memories kept resurfacing like a rubber ball released from underwater. I have now completely given up trying to forget them...

​It was a long time ago that I made peace with myself to live the rest of my life with these memories...

​Yet, every time I see this young couple, I cannot comprehend the feelings that stir within my heart...

​Ultimately, I realized the reason, my past was reflecting before me like a mirror...

​I am Kalpana Jayamanna, and I live in Stockholm, Sweden...

​I work as a lecturer in Painting at the Royal Institute of Art, located on the island of Skeppsholmen...

​This is my sixth year working here as a lecturer...

​Twenty-seven years ago, I spent two years here after receiving a scholarship to pursue my postgraduate studies...

​I believe this is the best place in the world to study art...

​This beautiful island, surrounded by the Baltic Sea, can be reached by a bridge...

​One can walk along the incredibly beautiful shores all around the island...

​During my first winter here, when the entire island was covered in snow and turned white, it looked to me like a fairy tale world seen with the naked eye...

​To say how beautiful this environment is, it is like a breathtaking painting created by a highly skilled artist...

​One day, after finishing my duties, I was sitting on a bench with a cup of coffee in hand, gazing at the sea. My thoughts were interrupted by a sweet voice from nearby...

​"Madam, could I talk to you for a moment?"

​Asking politely in English was the young girl of Asian descent whom I see every day...

​Her boyfriend was nowhere to be seen...

​It was only seeing her this close that I realized what a beautiful young girl she was...

​She possessed a charming, adorable beauty...

​"Yes, you can.......'

​"Madam, are you Indian?"

​"No, I am from Sri Lanka."

​"Oh, my father is also from Sri Lanka... my mother is Indian. I was born here... but I can speak Sinhala well," she said in fluent Sinhala, though with a slight accent.

​"So nice to meet you... I am Kalpana. What is your name?"

​"I am Sara."

​"Sara, you joined this year, right?"

​"Yes, Madam... Bachelor's first year."

​"What is your course?"

​"Painting."

​"Ah... that's good... my subject is also Painting."

​"Oh, really, Madam?"

​"Where is your boyfriend today? Isn't he here?"

​"He is still working on something in the library... I came quickly because I wanted to talk to Madam."

​"Ah... so you came specifically to talk to me."

​"Yes, Madam."

​"Is it about something at the university?"

​As I asked that, she looked out at the sea thoughtfully for a moment.

​I lecture for postgraduate students. But she is an undergraduate student...

​The undergraduate courses at this university are mostly conducted only in Swedish... and usually, only local students enroll in them.

​Looking back at me with a slightly anxious face, she said,

​"I don't know if it's right for me to ask this from Madam... please forgive me if it's a mistake... but I really need to talk to you about this."

​"It's alright, Sara... ask me anything."

​"A few days after I joined this university, I noticed that on most days, Madam keeps looking at us... even though there are so many other couples, Madam only looks at us... I noticed that very clearly."

​"When I see Madam, I feel that you wouldn't just look like that for no reason... there must be some reason behind it... Oh, please Madam, forgive me if I said something wrong."

​I thought for a moment without giving an immediate answer to what she unexpectedly said.

​I am generally not someone who easily discusses my personal details with anyone...

​Especially with someone I was speaking to for the very first time in my life, I would never think of doing so...

​Yet, the surprise was that I did not feel like turning her away.

​"Alright... Sara, let's talk. But not today... I will call you, give me your phone number."

​After exchanging phone numbers, I said goodbye to her and left the place.

​Since that day, she sent messages to my phone every day wishing me good night and good morning... and whenever we crossed paths, she would just smile and wave instead of coming over to talk...

​I was deeply impressed by her politeness...

​I live alone in an apartment in a luxury residential complex in Blasieholmen, which is located right next to Skeppsholmen island...

​It is within walking distance to the university…

Because of the apartment equipped with ultra-modern facilities, I am able to manage my day-to-day chores effortlessly and live comfortably.

​Whenever possible, I cook my own meals, otherwise, I buy something suitable to eat from a supermarket.

​Life here is simple. Even personal relationships are confined only to professional matters...

​It is not that there are no moments when I feel lonely... however, rather than dwelling deeply on it and inviting heartache, it is far better not to think about it at all...

​Sara came to my mind just now, along with the "Good Night" message she sent. She is still waiting for an answer from me... I made a decision

° 2nd Paragraph :

​Leaving her a message, I informed her that I would like to meet her tomorrow... Overjoyed, she accepted it, and as we agreed, we met at Cafe Blom, located right inside the university.

​It is a cafe situated in a beautiful spot facing the sea... Since it was a Saturday, there weren't many people there.

​Having ordered a few snacks and coffee, I addressed the young girl who was looking at me with eager, happy eyes.

​"So, Sara... how are things?"

​"I'm doing well, Madam."

​"Where is your boyfriend today?"

​"Shone went to play basketball."

​"So, Sara... tell me a bit about yourself."

​"My hometown is Malmö... it takes about five hours by train to get there from here."

​"My mother is a psychologist... my father runs a flower shop... I am the only child in the family."

​"And I met Shone in high school... both of us can paint really well."

​"We had a huge desire to come to this university... luckily, both of us got that chance... there is a huge competition to get into this university."

​She kept chatting continuously like a little parrot with her lips pursed, and then, stopping her story, she looked at me.

​"So, do you two live in the university hostels here?"

​"Yes, Madam."

​"Well, Sara, you said you wanted to know about me too, right?"

​"Yes, Madam... I am very eager to know."

​"That day when you spoke to me, you asked, didn't you, Sara... that you felt there must be a big reason why I keep looking at you... Yes, what you thought is correct. There is a reason... it is a very long story."

​"After you spoke to me that day, Sara, I thought about this a lot... I don't know how much longer I will live... so I felt like talking about this with someone."

​"That's why I made up my mind to share this with you, since you are so keen to know about me."

​"Why, Madam... why did you say you don't know how much longer you will live? You aren't that old yet, Madam..."

​"Sara, after you hear my story, you will understand why..."

​"I was born in the year 1974, in a city called Negombo in Sri Lanka. It is also a coastal city just like here"

​"Sara, have you ever been to Sri Lanka?"

​"No, Madam... but I really wish to go there someday."

​"My father was a businessman... he owned a tourist hotel as well as a transport service that took tourists on trips all around Sri Lanka."

​"I am a Catholic, just like you."

​I said this, looking at the tiny crucifix hanging from the thin gold chain around her neck.

​"I went to a girl's school in Negombo."

​"Even though I couldn't understand where the talent came from, I could paint beautifully from my childhood days... and painting was the thing I loved the most..."

​My room was filled with awards and certificates I won from art... and I was also very good at studies...

​My parents  hoped that I would become a doctor. but my only desire was to become an artist... because of that, I chose Arts for my higher studies...

​Even though my parents highly disapproved of it, I did not change my decision...

​After that, I did an Art degree at the University of Colombo... You might not have heard about it, Sara... but back then, there was a war in our country... bombs exploded here and there... there was unrest... so, most of the time, the university was closed...

​Because of that, it took much longer than the usual time to finish the degree...

​Anyhow, I did my university work very well... and became the batch top in our batch.

​Also, during my university days, I sent my paintings to exhibitions abroad... and won many awards from those too...

​In the midst of all this, I saw in a foreign magazine that they were calling for postgraduate scholarships at this university...

​While I was at the University of Colombo, I had heard details about this university... Even though I didn't have much confidence that I would get it, I applied...

​In a way I never really expected, I got the chance to come here... as the only Asian to get that opportunity...

​"My parents were very reluctant at first about me coming to Sweden... but I explained the value of this to them and somehow got their consent..."

​"In August 1999, I came to Stockholm for the very first time... on that day, I never thought that this journey would change my life to this extent..."

​"Sara, it looks like you want to say something."

​I asked Sara, who was looking at me as if she wanted to ask something.

​"No, Madam, it's just... I felt that you must have been very beautiful back in those days... because you are still beautiful, Madam..."

​"Maybe," I said with a smile.

​"Right there is where my story begins... though I call it a story, it is one that stopped abruptly in one place without an ending... you will understand that, Sara, as I tell the story..."

​"If I say that I was enchanted by the beauty of this environment from the very first day I came to this university, it wouldn't be wrong..."

Next Episode 👇

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