FLASH FICTION - THE STORY OF ALCOYNE

 Alcoyne, a young soul was roaming around the village of Saranath. The villagers were quite dull due to the outraging sun and the continuous work of the day. Everyone wanted to rest but the time which they lived in always demanded more work. There was a little boy in the village whose name was Maitreya and was always interested in art and beauty. He wanted to paint all the mountains and rivers of the world. For him art was a way of life and the epitome of living. One fine day he came across an enchanting painting of the river Ganges flowing across the Himalayas, the painting has everything that could capture one's eyes and very being. The art was stuck in his mind and moved his heart. He was dissolved into it totally. The river , the flowing waters and the shimmering light, the floating clouds and the rising sun, everything occupied his life. The painting seemed more real day by day. Maitreya wanted to find out the artist behind this immense work. He began searching for it and couldn't come upon him. He searched the forests, the markets and the surrounding villages but he couldn't find him. He roamed around looking for the man and his sleep was filled with the art work and his dreams were colourful as the painting. One fine Twilight evening he saw a magical happening near the oak tree where he noticed the brushes and paint moving along a white canvas cloth without anyone's help and he was flabbergasted to see such a thing in his life. He fire thought it was dream but then it was more real than the reality itself. He then went nearby the painting and a voice whispered, sit along boy , I shall show you the colours of the universe , the colours which make this creation and the colours that make you and me. The boy sat trembling, not with fear but with bewilderment. He then felt the calm winds moving west and  the perfume of the flowers from the cannonball tree which intoxicated the evening. He inquired, to the mystical being and again heard the whisper , it's me , "Alcoyne" a young soul from the old times.

Maitreya was amused by his introduction and he felt serene with this presence. He did not care about food or the house he lived in nor the riches of the city. He was so full with Alcoyne. He felt related to him with utmost elation and joy. He wanted to know more about this strange mystical being and his magic in the realm of art and colours. The sparkling colours made the butterflies roam around the white canvas and it was a thriller for Maitreya.

When Alcoyne spoke , it was so sweet and his voice was humble and kind. He asked do you know the meaning of your name ? Maitreya was an uneducated village boy , the son of a poor farmer and his mother was a maid. His three brothers were working under a carpenter to earn their daily bread and support the house. Maitreya replied, "I know not , the meaning of my name , nor yours , nor the meaning of this creation and it's creator". The answer surprised Alcoyne. Then Alcoyne says "The friend of humanity" , that is the meaning of your name. Maitreya felt a wave of bliss moving around him.

Maitreya started reverberating with a new sense of freedom and ecstasy. For him meeting Alcoyne seemed the purpose of his life as his experience of life and his perspective towards the nature and the world around him has changed totally.

Art is a magnanimous thing and it can be comprehended by those who seek it with their nerves , mind ,heart and their very being. To be an artist is to put everything in its right place.

That is what Alcoyne had done. Everything was in its exact right place. It was a beginning and an end itself. The art mesmerized humanity from then forever.