Bittersweet Melancholy

"Life is short, but far from meaningless."

- Lumi, Bittersweet Melancholy

Bittersweet Melancholy is a Short Story by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Cap'n K set in the golden age of Metru Nui.

Bittersweet Melancholy
“Aw, stop it, Lumi,” you told me. I remember the day as if it was yesterday, really. I looked up, and you were right there, Eyua, and the first thing I saw was your eyes. They were orange, and they reflected the late afternoon sun like some sort of neon dream. The shadows were so long at this point that it really was like a dream. Tiny dust particles floated in the air all around us, backlit by the orange sun like tiny stars. “It’s meaningless,” I told you, “all of this. It’s pointless.” “All of what?” you asked me. You were always confused by my way of thinking. My weird philosophical sprees. “All of life,” I told you. “It sucks and then you die.” “Meaningless?” you asked me. I nodded, wanting to bury my face back in my hands and just zone out again. Being lost in my thoughts was much better than having to go back to the Knowledge Towers and ponder upon the laws of physics and astrology. Everything had a set path. We were nothing. You’re born, you work, you die. All in the blink of an eye. “Meaningless?” you repeated, and stood up. I always thought you were more of a Ta-Matoran, with your aggressive personality and fiery eyes. Water just didn’t suit you. Here you were, asking me whether I really thought life was meaningless. “Yes.” “Let me show you something,” you said. You grabbed my hand, and my heart got all caught up in my throat. I’m walking down the same road you led me down. That road through Ko-Metru, that went straight into Po-Metru and then ended around the Great Temple in Ga-Metru. I remember that you loved how the small crystals looked. There’s a violet-colored one in my hand, and it reflects the slowly sinking sun like the dust did that day long ago. There are so many things I needed to tell you. We walked down the road through some of Ko-Metru, and the Knowledge Towers and crystal structures loomed all around us. The air was cold, like ice. Fresh snow lay on the ground. “Look around you.” I looked up, through the crystal structures that loomed above. The sun streamed through them, refracting explosions of orange and yellow and gold light everywhere. A bird flew above, its shadow bouncing through all the clear towers and casting itself multiple times on the ground around us. “It’s just light,” I told you. “Breathe,” you told me. I took a breath, and you told me to breathe in deeper. I did, and then I exhaled slowly. The air was crisp and cool, and as too much filled my lungs I felt somewhat lightheaded but totally refreshed for a moment. “It’s just air,” I told you. “Run,” you told me. Before I could ask you what you meant, you had taken off, and I was running after you down the path, late afternoon light streaming all around us and making our shadows look like those of powerful Toa. You laughed as I started to catch up with you and spread your arms at your sides, and I did the same. We closed our eyes and ran as one away from the sinking sun. I’m in Po-Metru now. As I pass carvers finishing up their work, they look at me with pity in their expressions. I close my eyes, the sun all around me, and I imagine you beside me. Eyua and Lumi, running through Ko-Metru and into Po-Metru, as one. A smile comes to my lips, and I can taste the cool air in my lungs. I can feel the light. I can hear your laughter. “Stop,” you told me. We fell to the ground at the abrupt halt and started laughing, all the Po-Matoran around us pausing to give us strange glances. “It’s just friction,” I said, quickly gaining composure. “Climb,” she said, starting to climb a giant statue of Lhikan and Naho standing side-by-side, much to the dismay of a group of carvers resting around a different sculpture. I followed you, finding that my climbing skills definitely weren’t all that great. A fall from all the way at the top would be nearly fatal, but I knew you wouldn’t climb down if I told you to. At the top of the sculpture, on Lhikan’s head, metal scaffolding around us and a large chute carrying Matoran home for the day hovered over our heads. Panting, I told you, “It’s just fighting gravity.” The Po-Matoran below us were just ants, and the world loomed around us. At the top of the statue, I could even see the ocean. “Look,” you told me. “It’s just field of vision,” I told you. I make my way further across Po-Metru, and along the way see an ornate statue of Lhikan and Naho. Beside it was a statue of Nidhiki and Tuyet, but it was recently destroyed. I find it a bit sad that legends can become crushed so easily. I’m almost to Ga-Metru now, and the sun is just about setting. A bird flies above, and its shadow crosses over me. “Close your eyes,” you told me. “Why?” “Just do it.” So I closed my eyes. And then your hands were on mine, and my heart felt like it was exploding beneath my armor. Then your lips were on mine, and the world was melting. When we finally parted, I opened my eyes and looked at you passionately. “It’s just love,” I whispered. I’m finally in Ga-Metru. A block away from the Great Temple is a sprawling field, covered in some light grass, like phantoms of the springtime. The sun is going down now, but the brilliant orange still lights the rims of the sky. Stones stand everywhere, reminding me of the shortness of life. I stop at one stone and look down. “Meaningless?” you asked me. “No, far from it. The meaning of life? Light. Air. Laughter. Fighting gravity. Beauty. Love.” And I smiled, and fell into your arms. Then a week later, I found out what had happened. The terrible news. “For you, Eyua,” I say to the stone in the shape of a flame. I set down the violet crystal on the weak grass and smile weakly. There are tears in my eyes now. On the stone, somebody has carved the text “EYUA. She will not be forgotten.” There had been a chute accident. When I first heard about it, I thought I was dreaming. But, of course, I wasn’t. There were ten Matoran injured. One killed. This is life’s bittersweet melancholy. Breathe. Laugh. Run. Climb. Love. Life is short, but far from meaningless. Eyua will not be forgotten.