THE STORY OF BLUE AND PEARL

by Tom Kerevan

Prologue
So often in life a sunset is bland and a rose does not smell so beautiful. To know this condemnment is to know too much, for words are then constantly cast aside in rude despair with transparently versatile refusal. But in this utter despair and confusion is something much stronger because hatred requires devotion, hatred of someone, something or of oneself. And in devotion there are many strengths. This journey is more than one of love and hate but provides visions and dreams. It is too easy to disrupt the flow of concentration by ignorant denial, which will happen when focus is placed too closely on a single aspect of this journey. The key to success and progress is openmindedness and interpretation. This is your journey and it is all your journey, so take from it what you want and what you see. Many aspects of our society and of our mind are distanced by neglect, but in this journey there is no ignorance because every step, every word is for you. Emphasis is certainly placed within circumstance and reality, but devotion is never forgotten. Beyond our own world of mixed self-thoughts is surely a world with clear skies. Denial of this world is braving the scorching desert of your own cursed mind. To turn the page is to accept reality.

Part One: Before the beginning

Our story begins well before the beginning should be. For in the peace that will echo from this, eternity will prove that only one who knows their heart can

truly see the madness of this world. As with all, it begins with a boy and a girl, forever knowing and forever beautiful. In a place known simply as Beauty, their destinys had long been planned and forged, to not see each other until the time had been measured. Blue had a simple heart and a simple soul, perhaps too simple to see the true mystery behind all mysteries. Beauty was to be known only in dreams by those who had not seen it. For it was where dreams were made and memories bound. Hearts stopped to listen to the stillness. Souls had been intertwined and destroyed in Beauty, but none like Blues. For in this place lay his heart, his home, his true essence and above all his destiny. One long sound is drawn from Beauty and recognition is seen in the eyes of a handful of knowing spirits. He had only seen the dust once before and in his innocence his mind was faulty, always scared that the next memory to drive him forward would be over the grey horizon. One cold summers night in Beauty he saw an ordinary girl on a crowded dance floor. His secrets and her shimmering smile wove a silver string between them, their hands touched, their lips met and it was another reason, another story, another ending. But in this swirl of a world far from reality something was forgotten, something remembered and something found. His joy led him to an empty stairwell, but all that had been lost was soon reconnected through metal lines and voices unheard. Pearl was bandaged tight to her own life and from the initial smile now came laughter and tears at his own foolishness. But similarities were discovered and piece by piece they disembodied themselves to each other. Pictures cast into the night, words written in the evening sun. All was unknown and feelings were stirring. The exchanged laughs were creating only a lust, for inside Blue he could feel something changing. A will for excitement was mounting and once again he remembered the landscape. The future could only hold love and joy. The game was being played to provide a desire to get somewhere, but no-one knew where, no-one knew how, but no-one cared. For in this cascade was hope, and hope alone and that could not be touched. Pearl was drawing rings around her fingers, in her mind and in her heart she knew the laughs would die away and as Beauty drew near a decision was begging for mercy. Her One was waiting but a destiny was swelling and in this torchlight, twilight something broke, broken again but not for long said love and lust. Blue did not know, nor did he care for he wanted to see heavenly dreams, what could only be. Beauty knew only one thing and Blue could not decide how this was going to end, he thought. One night while lost in a magical world of spinning ease words were once again moved and in this entrenchment came a half promise believed by sanity soon after. But what could this provide to Blue, and what could this give to Pearls more definite world?

Part Two: The Night of the Fireflys

Through the rain, wind, sleet and snow of Blues infected mind he fought. A promise kept alive by an absence of words, a feeling of hope and Beauty alone. But for all too long Blue had only seen light, even through black mist. And as Beauty seemingly reigned divine, her One returned, a promise became nothing more than words uttered on a clearing night. Blue was left alone, to distill in his own self-pity and optimistic thoughts. All that had seen him through had unwillingly split and a narrow road lay ahead. But metal lines and voices could not possibly see the picture in its full frame, he thought. So Blue waited, nervous and excited. As did Pearl. For even she was unsure how Beauty would see things. Its power unknown to her, she would want to be free, but her One

had been true and now an immense wait lay ahead. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Then somewhere, somehow voices were heard and eyes locked at the same time. The metal line replaced by visions unforgettable and unrepairable. For in that first moment lay a desire, a raw yellow desire and no uncomfortable arm nor army run could untangle the silver string. Blue had seen dust again, but had felt disconnected because his heart and mind were fighting through the forest to the same clearing, and Gold knew this. In a moment of solitude, Golds words of decision and encouragement had been rash and direct to Pearl, but by night the action was praised. For Pearl spoke to Blue for the first time and in the grey haze that eventually became uncertainty, something was said and something accepted. Not to heart, Blue thought. And not forever, Pearl said. Would her One still be waiting if was the question that she was asking too soon. Before an answer was cast, before a word mentioned, before either meant it to be, the silver string slowly pulled them together once again. But this time it was her secrets and his smile that unearthed when their lips met. Reasons uncared for, Blue had his life in his hand. For Pearl was his reflection, and in the moment so rare, fireflys danced in the moonlight, burning yellow and yellower until they enveloped each others hearts and walked alone in distant mountains. Blue was whole. He had never experienced such happiness in one single moment. Somewhere in Pearl a switch was turning and a small sensation of living was touched. In their one moment together, Blue and Pearl shared only mortal things, and even though memories were forever engraved, time was to prove more valuable. In the death of the morning Pearl had seen a shadow and not knowing any certainty in her heart, she ended the night of the fireflys. But something had moved, someone had been realigned and now hope would live on outside Beauty, Blue unknowingly believed. But amidst conscious dreams there are always fears to subside and Blue was lost within them. Both confused and at ill ease, answers had to be found. So again something was said and something accepted. At this station, however, an untrusted creature was dirty and so voices were heard long into the night sky everywhere. A clock ran round in circles trying to see the future. Eventually, a solid embrace was rechristened and Pearl returned to her One. Unbeknown to Blue dissatisfaction was brewing and he ate dust. The forbidden deed did not go unnoticed because Pearl, enraged with fury, opened her mouth wide. Words passed through night trains became true. Blue cursed himself for his foolish ease and Pearl did not dare breathe. As Beauty closed and they rode apart, was this to be distance or strength?

Part Three: The Sky is Yellow

Following heart bound apologies before parting, Blue and Pearl were still dejected with each other. Pearl was ever forgiving and any inner thoughts remained so. Blue, meanwhile, was ignorantly planning his next war, his next victory, but he had no soldiers. Time moved, metal lines combined with visions of fireflys began to mend the string. But something was not as it had been. Blue still felt isolated, as did Pearl even though her One had always been tentatively waiting. Blue returned to Faceless, he looked to the sky for some truth in his dreams. It was Yellow, and the sight and sound was holy to him. It was divine and symbolized all that had passed before. New surroundings brought a shortlived distraction, Rhea, a simple, one way girl content with satisfaction. Pearl was happy in her own distant land, but something was trying to be heard above the din of make-believe. Without Rhea and without Beauty, Blue began to dig a hole in his heart. Metal lines were becoming increasingly forceful on their minds, preventing any truly true contact, but one night Blues patience expired. Words moved again. Blue broke the rules of the embrace and nothing was found, to a non-listener. But to him it was a reason to continue, against all sense and logic, into the unknown because Pearl too had spilt a little truth into the picture and now it was all he had left. The more yellow the sky became, the

more Blue thought of Pearl and their definite future together. But Pearls sky remained an odd shade of grey, as she questioned the reality of her thoughts. Sure enough though, it did return to black and white for a short time and Pearl smiled. Long before this happened, Pearl had swept her world for ideas and saw hands spin many times to create nothing more than visions of a forgetful night for Blue. But in its precision and choice of memories untouched, lay a very simple message unknown even to Pearl. And in that moment, that gift, someone said something and Blues mind happily walked passed it all. So the inner message went unnoticed and Blue spent his words with Gold instead. Gold spoke of his forged future and Blue laughed with him. Blues own forged future, he told Gold, was encircled by a large maze with many dead ends and traps, but Blues magical mind found yet another way through, and Gold cheered. By now Yellow had become close to a religion as the sky burnt itself. Each time Blue listened, he found more of a reason to cry and to smile, to curse and to hope. Eventually, Blue created a perfect moment for his heart and the time was right. However, not only did he suffer from negligence in that moment, he also threatened more than he could afford by seeing dust again, this time before Pearls starlit eyes. Ironically, in that defining moment, Peals One was betraying her in a different, cynical world. Pearl felt betrayed by both sides of her spectrum, but of course ignorant Blue would not realize this until much later. So in his infected heart, he threatened himself to take a chance as her One became no more. Blue returned to Faceless to battle with arch-rivals, enemies, ghosts (real and unreal), Rheas and disjointed boundaries, while Pearls indestructable world crumbled as her black and white sky faded. Blue provided endless remedies and truth soaked advice, but at sunset it was all selfish and useless. Blues world then suddenly disintegrated around him, Faceless sent him spiraling out of control and Blues heart and mind spat at each other in disgust while he forever spun into disturbing madness. He tortured himself until blood poured from open wounds (real and unreal) and silently talked, talked, talked but no-one heard him. But Beauty was coming again, and he hoped that in its peaceful tranquility, Pearl would hear his call. If Beauty and Pearl combined forces and fireflys were reborn then his heart and mind might just be saved, Blue thought. Pearls sky was so grey, however, that her forthcoming decision was a mystery to all, even Pearl.

Part Four: The Dragon Ring

Blue and Pearl arrived in Beauty together, ready and willing to find a happy course for the future. Both aiming for the same goal, anyone who knew anything would have seen what was to come as a certain world of everlasting glory. Blue was definitely one who knew the power of Beauty and even though still disintegrating, the hope that Pearl would hear his call was in his yellow sky, as was he. Pearls mysterious decision was forever unraveling, but never clear. Too soon words moved again, this time in what became a sacred place. Blue uttered the immortal question and then came such pure truth that Blue could not move his mind nor feel his body. For Pearl had said fireflys would never decorate the night sky again because feelings had faded, never to be rekindled. Blue choked. Hope disappeared to find another heart and his world broke with such force that his cry forever echoes in that place. His mind spun into oblivion and he lost all sense of direction and understanding. He was slowly destroying himself. But he also knew that he would never fully fade away, because on his finger was a Dragon Ring, stolen from the mortal world on the day that the Sacred Place was born on the cliffs of Beauty. Pearl too was hurting, for in this silence lay a deeper silence, one that was only seen by their fear as it disarmed their certainty. But truly, she was free to live. Blues disbelief bore with it such a grey sky that his deepest thoughts spilled on to paper and now those words hold the real present truth behind this mystery. Blue knew the speed of the future and with Beauty so close he had but one season to heal the past, or face a future without Pearl at all. Determined as he was, he didnt realise this was an impossible feat for the human soul alone in a world of such impurities. Blue was barely alive and never sane anymore, for he was constantly crushing himself, constantly sick and couldnt breathe. Tears of hope flowed every night from his swollen and blinded eyes. But he saved those tears to

make them pure and grow stronger. A perfect moment was pictured in Simplicity, but he knew his dreams could not be reality anymore. Blue still wore the Dragon Ring as a symbol of hope, a symbol of his will to not die today. And he passed the Necklace of Truth to Pearl for her words in the Sacred Place, because it was all he had left to be thankful for. He began to truly believe he was winning the battle, until the Night of Darkness descended. Blue had used the Pain positively that night to deliver his best show as someone else. And Pearl had watched him. And when it was over and Blue returned, tears poured from useless eyes as his heart exploded, firing shrapnel of emptiness into his soul, destroying his mind, and freezing his blood so he could do nothing but scream for mercy. And in this moment all was lost. Beauty was almost upon him and in his paralysed mind there was no hope. His heart was dead and still it tortured him. Even though Stars ideal beauty had caught Blues eye for a short time, he knew he couldnt relight his heart through anyone else but Pearl. And in this dust, Blue cast the Dragon Ring aside afraid of what it might begin to symbolize. But unknown to Blue his soul was still just breathing, and with every breath there was hope. And it was this little bit of strength that kept Blue alive, even though he did not know it. But there was no-one now who could save him from an eternity without Pearl.

Part Five: The Salvation

In this time, Pearl was unobservant of Blues world because he had thoughtfully not moved words. For her desire now was to be only lavished with pure gestures rather than heart-felt decisions. Meanwhile, Blues trembling hand inscribed continuous words and pleas in many forms, but no angel appeared. Blue was so afraid that his Pain may torment Beauty and disturb the tranquility that he considered sacrificing Beauty to save some memories and not intensify the Pain, which was forever grinding on his faith and hope. But he knew he was not strong enough. Therefore Blue had very little time left to live, and this was to be spent in one of Gods Places. Unsure of his beliefs, Blue found the quiet lullaby draining rather than enhancing and wished instead for Beautys vivacious voice. Days turned into hours and Blue fought to find hope. One night, Blue was walking on his knees with thousands of other more genuine souls in a landscape that resembled perfection. As he aimlessly wandered slowly through these true hearts, he thought about Beauty and one by one the Circle. And he thought of Pearl. But as he did an incredibly warm, calm but vibrant sensation spread throughout his body, finally nestling itself in his heart. Blue did not have time, or enough understanding or knowledge to know what it meant, but he knew something, somewhere had been refigured. He was still afraid and wary of this strange new sensation but he could breathe fresh air again. He felt more alive, more willing and had more strength to face Beauty. He completed his time and services in Gods Place and travelled believingly directly to Beauty. When, after many hours of anticipation and expanding in his own thoughts, Blue finally arrived in Beauty he felt raw excitement and relief because the landscape welcomed him into its arms and he knew he was home. He saw and talked to degrees of the Circle again and everything around him was perfect. On Beautys fifth day, Pearl arrived. A timely undisclosed secret that Blue had seen culminated that evening and by nightfall, Pearl and Eagle saw dust together. Blue willingly stumbled across them and in neglectful shock ran nowhere as his mind recollected the Pain of foreseeing the moment. But Blue powerfully dismissed any temperamental reaction and as he did so, began to realise there was no Pain, just his windswept mind too confused to notice or harmonise with the sudden change. And now Blue knew what had happened in Gods Place. Unbelievable but indisputable, Gods hand had reached down to Blue on that evening and had given life back

to his heart by silently liberating him of his feelings for Pearl and therefore purged the Pain. God had healed him. Blue did not know how to react or feel, what to think or say. His mind soon aligned with his heart and Beauty continued into the unexpected unknown. And in this time the silver string that had first made their destinies intertwine, now pulled their hearts closer than ever. For the first real time in this story, Blue and Pearls future seemed to hold love, promise and hope. And as Beauty arched, angels sang eternally, finally smiling at their peaceful souls.

Part Six: Behold the future

And so our story approaches its final hour. As they parted once more, Pearl was still unaware of Blues final flight to find his heart again, but she could see that Blues eye was brighter and somehow more alive. Time moved and as it did Blue and Pearl both discovered new adversity in their hearts, and new ways to cloud their grey skies. Blue ran in circles with Sapphire, Star and Satin, while Pearl danced and battled with Eagle. And they moved real words whilst opening wounds so that they could gracefully kiss them better to form valuable scars. And so they were taught new worldly prophecies about each others hearts and souls and began to see a clear reflection in each others eyes. For when their gaze was locked there was no suffering, no questions, just momentary elation and light. And as they moved forward their love began to grow and it became pure so that they knew each others secret eye and did not feel envy or wrath towards Eagle or Sapphire. And finally, one sun-soaring evening in Beauty on the eve of a new beginning, Blue moved words, but this time they were definite. For he spoke of everything she had not yet heard and opened his heart, pouring out all the old, embedded emotions he had once feared. But as with all history, heavy thoughts can ensue and Blue became dillusioned as to where his heart actually lay. Strange and (un)comforting thoughts circled his mind, but he reminded himself of his Salvation. However he was still scared and desired an answer to this imperative question. He spilled thoughts onto paper again, but was not asking the right questions. In and out of external anxiety, Blue found that there was something insincere about his new feeling. As an era ended and Blue left Faceless never to return, he finally asked the right question and a faultless answer found. He discovered the truth of his desires lay in his unspeakable and profound love for Pearl. And his certainty stemmed from his knowledge that every action or gesture, no matter how divine, was always fulfilled with righteous intention and despite any outward eyes their understanding was mutual. One night close to the long parting, Blue expressed this realisation by fulfilling Glass sacred words by starlight ill kiss you. So as they part for what both would describe as an eternity, our story comes to its final close. Blue and Pearl do not know what the future holds or where it will take them, but they will walk forward together, because wherever Pearl goes Blue will be by her side and wherever Blue goes Pearl will be by his side. Pearl still wears the Necklace of Truth and Blue now wears the Dragon Ring again, symbols of praise for past and future alike. And in this beautiful everlasting light they will live, for it has been with hope that these two souls have been tightly bound. They have been blessed with Gods gentle touch, and even though there are always questions and adversities, Blue and Pearl can now begin to face them together, with love and with hope

Epilogue
Perhaps one day we will live in the perfect house, with the perfect partner and the perfect children. And every evening we will look out over the perfect view and watch the perfect sunset. And everything will be beautiful and peaceful and

we will have our lives in the palm of our hand. Or maybe one day we will find ourselves again, and be content and free, and not live in fear or self-pity, not suffer or be in pain. Maybe one day we will smile. One day we will. Because even though some visions are just dreams and dreams alone, there is something much more powerful lying waiting in those dreams. When there appears to be no love, there is always this strength. When all seems pointless and lost it will be with you. Maybe we cannot feel it, but it is there. When the world has turned its back on us and the sky darkens so ignorance turns to fear and our lives seemingly crumble, we must look closely at the ruins because something will still be standing tall. It cannot be taken away from anyone, it is yours forever, even if He does not walk in our life or carry us when we have fallen. It constantly drives us forward more viciously and compassionately than time itself. So dream of the perfect life, whatever that may be, because in every dream, every vision, every taste of happiness there is hope. And as hope begins to reign divine we will see that our dreams are not so far away at all, because those dreams are found truly in whatever we choose, and in reality our true dream is simply to have hope and to believe in that hope. The more yellow the sky became, the more Blue thought of Pearl and their definite future together.