Illusionary love

In a world buzzing with the chaos of modern life, there's this cute little place filled with online connections and short-lived romances. It was during that era, when I, just a mere sailor trying to figure out love, got caught up in a story that was both perplexing and enlightening. 

My name? Its just a small noise, travelling across the waves of time, filled with salt and blues. Or, call me Sam, for the time being on this journey to explore the truths hidden in the shadows of deceit.

It began on one fine gentle evening, when the world of digital friendship sends a pigeon who flew miles, to bring me a "Hey!". This moment was never anticipated by me. I gazed upon her virtual presence and acknowledged her curves. Ophelia, her name, she says. It couldn't be gathered by me that an innocent soul as closely resembled by Shakespeare, was going to be part of a darkened plot, set up by a hungry but cruel hurricane. 

Our conversations flowed like a river not knowing its destination. With every text we shared, I felt myself getting pulled deeper into her thoughts. Is it because she was a walking piece of fine portrait by Da Vinci? Or were her words as fascinating as Plath's poems? I couldn't know as my spirit was deeply staring at those 3 dots moving like ocean waves, wondering what she could possibly be conveying across my screen. Amidst our talk, all seemed fine and well. In her company, I found myself growing fond of her. One week into it, my feelings blossomed into something that resembled love. However, it wasn't long before she realized the depth of my feelings, which all of a sudden frightened her. It was on a winter's day that Ophelia delivered a dagger, made of words, that plunged into my heart. "I'm sorry, Sam," she whispered through the screen. "I'm just not feeling it anymore." 

For a moment there, I felt cold. Neither were we lovers, nor was she a close friend. But during the short time of our acquaintance, I found myself comfortable and connected with her. The impact of her words hit hard and fast, knocking the ghost out of me and leaving me stunned. I didn't anticipated a moment like this, at least not too soon. But eventually, I must concede that no promise bind us, and so I cannot start a war for her nor persuade her. I acclaimed her choices on us. Besides, there existed no "us" in the first place.

Letting her go was necessary and not as challenging as I thought it would be. It's like to release a few unnecessary equipment on a sailing ship; sometimes, it's better to let go than to risk the entire vessel. Months passed and I couldn't find a reason to think about Ophelia. Gradually, the thoughts of her faded with no pain. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months and a year has passed. Time slipped by, days melting into weeks, weeks flowing into months, until a year had quietly slipped away. I looked up at the night sky full of stars over my glass of wine, on my balcony. The stars gazed at me, wanting to tell me stories. I reached out as far as i could, yet I couldn't acknowledge what they conveyed. I gave up on it, and settled myself on the chair, sinking into their beauty. However, the moment was short-lived because of the notification tone from my cellphone. It demanded my attention. I checked it out, only to be surprised on a text from Ophelia! "Hey, what's up?"

It caught me off guard as she had no obvious reason to reach out. Perhaps it was just a casual message. Cluelessly, I asked her how she was doing. Much to my surprise, she spoke of a gentleman with whom she felt excessively comfortable, a romance that met an unfortunate end too soon. She carefully narrated the story of this gentleman who, in the middle of their initial passion, showered affection upon her, yet placed blame upon her, for the burden of his own misfortunes, towards the end. One month into their existence, Ophelia, captured by the chains of love's illusion, found herself questioning and yearning for their future which remained difficult to find, whereas the gentleman, consumed by his own desires and lust, avoided any idea and discussions of tomorrow. Though their bond was passionate, it lacked the foundation of commitment, leaving Ophelia to steer her ship through the rainstorm of her emotions, all alone. 

In the mist of their charming courtship , the gentleman revealed his journey to a distant place, his home, which will detangle the knots they have with them all this while. Ophelia, moved to tears by his departure, but when she told him that if he wanted to leave, he hesitated. Initially, he had speculated about leaving due to personal constraints. Later that day, during an argument, he accused Ophelia of ingratitude and mistreating him, expressing a grief in his sacrifices in her name. It became apparent to Ophelia that the sole reason for his inability to visit his mother is because of their turmoil. She became unsure of her effects on him. Despite Ophelia never pressuring him to stay, he skillfully dodged answering whether her presence was a waste of his time. Their argument peaked when he tried to make things right by showing his feelings for her, which he claimed to possess, by presenting her with flowers and waiting for her to come to him, but he didn't mention anything about when she should come, nor did she asked due to a million things Ophelia has been going through, apart from him. When she failed to show up, he accused her of neglect and abandonment, deepening the gap between them even wider. The filthy words from his ghost was more than what Ophelia could handle. She questioned his love for her, in her mind. Did it faded gradually? Or was there ever truly a love to begin with? Ophelia, exhausted in her alliance with him, pronounced her intent to end their voyage. Although, she held a ray of hope, for him to fight for her. Much to her surprise, he respected her judgement without giving it a second thought, which created a tempest and calm wind in her. The rollercoaster of emotions danced across her heart, which made her numb. She opened the door for him to leave, and without any resistance, he departed. Despite the tough truth, Ophelia, still seeing the world through the eyes of an infant, clings to the belief that he is a virtuous soul thinking their separation was just bad luck, rather than recognizing the sinister intents masked within him.

Love is a tangled web, parallel to that of a spider's, and navigating through the complexities to reach their heart is challenging. It is the art of acceptance and understandings. The illusion of affection and romance can often be obscure, blurring the lines between true care and dishonest manipulation. The gentleman's love seemed genuine for Ophelia, yet deep down, his intentions were not as they appeared. Though Ophelia held onto the their bond, she was subtly deluded, leading her to believe in a love that wasn't genuine. His motivations were dominated by lust, which covered any true feelings he might have pretended to have. He knew their "romance" was destined to crumble, yet he hid this from Ophelia, handling her strings with false promises and depthless gestures of affection. His efforts lacked evidence of genuine connection and his gifts were nothing but short-lived pleasure. Ophelia, blinded by love, let her soul to be explored. A trust misplaced because of limited communication. His sidestepped discussions about their future, revealing his lack of commitment to their relationship. He evaded conversations about their future, revealing his lack of commitment to their relationship. Gradually, he became colder towards her, hinting at the heartbreak to come. He started blaming Ophelia for his own problems, trying to make her feel guilty. Cunningly, he manipulated the truth to make Ophelia seem responsible for his difficulties and misfortunes. Ophelia's love was merely a pawn for his spirit, one he discarded without any hint of regret.

The illusion of love can be like a blurry photograph, covering up the true elements with grains and dust. It leads people to a path of uncertainty. In its path, we may find ourselves lost in a maze of emotions, struggling to overcome the reality from the fiction. Despite the uncertainty surrounding love, there is still a tiny ray of hope that one day, people will overcome these illusions and discover the honest nature of love.