Laila; The shine

created with dreamlike art ai.

“Go now, Malik. When she is old enough to control what is inside of her, the light will return to my soul. Call her Laila and let her know how much I love her.”

Malik watched as the light left his grip and wafted through his palms. A tear escaped his eye as he changed gears and fixed his coordinates.

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Laila stared long and hard. She clenched her jaw as though she were trying to conjure something from inside of her. She looked up at what ought to be the sun and scowled. Whatever faces she made at the sun, it remained unchanged. Only a round silhouette with features of closed eyes gaped back at her.

“Father? What did the sun look like before she went to sleep?” Laila suddenly cut the rhythm of her father's flute.

The man in his late fifties sat on a recliner beneath the cool evening as he usually did. Most nights, he would watch as the stars would occasionally move and collide with one another. Malik found it fascinating, and he drew from them inspiration for his music. That noon, Malik was playing a sonorous yet soothing tune. It captivated his listeners by awakening their spirits and hearts.

Lots of people would hurdle themselves around Malik beneath the moonlight and get lost in his tunes. The silence that followed while listeners pondered was pure bliss. Ever since, the sun went to sleep and stories of daylight became bedtime tales, the world had been reduced to communities of people doing everything possible to live in harmony and survive depleting resources. The sun, the sole energy of the universe, had closed her eyes. She had become a shadow of herself. The world lived in the dark and the line between day and night had become very blur.

“Oh, dear shine. What a great time we lived in just before you were born. Way up there with the celestial bodies were humans, too. We had sophisticated network systems, spaceships, and space travel. We would go back and forth freely through galaxies and Milky Way. We communicated, interacted, and exchanged with earthlings and ethereal.” Malik paused and smiled. A shine formed in his eyes. “The universe is a beautiful mystery, shine. You don't want to figure it out. You just want to enjoy it. I met your mother on one of those trips, Lai and she took my breath away. Those were the days.” Malik looked into Laila’s eyes. He loved his daughter beyond words, and she knew it. Laila was born on the day the sun went to sleep. Nothing in the world could explain the phenomenon. People often referred to Laila as the ‘dark born’ but Malik still called her ‘shine.’ His light.

Laila drew closer to her father. She yearned to hear much more about his adventures. Malik gestured for Laila to take his hands.

You asked about the sun, my dear, didn't you? The sun was the most striking of them all. She stood out among the celestial beings in her majesty and glory. It was in the way her shine was unchallenged. The aura she possessed was almost magical. Like a conjuring, her golden luster would almost consume you whole.

Laila’s scowl had turned into amusement. Just like her father, she had been catapulted into a realm of fantasy. Her imagination ran wild. Laila looked at her father’s face in awe. He had become utterly enthralled and lost in a world of memories. He was beaming with so much joy just from talking about the sun. Laila had never seen the sun shine, but it was as though rays were radiating from Malik’s Joy.

“Your face, father. This is what I see in my dreams. This light that I cannot explain. She comes to me, sings to me, and puts me to sleep. It is something I do not understand but most times, it feels like she is right here.” Laila put her father's hands on her beating heart. The confusion bordering on frustration riddled her smiling face instantly.

“I turn fourteen tomorrow, Father.” Laila's face brightened once again.

“Perhaps fourteen will be our year of blossoming.” Malik smiled at his daughter.

Hours passed and the visible moon and stars began to signify bedtime. Laila went to sleep feeling different. She had become accustomed to feelings she didn't understand. She let it pass. Laila closed her eyes and drifted away into a long slumber.

Still, in bed, her fingers began to tremble. Laila held her chest. She got out of bed and felt the urge to go outside. Laila looked up at the sky, the moon and stars had disappeared leaving the sun’s silhouette in view. She gazed for a moment. She thought she saw the silhouette blink. Laila shook her head and her fingers began twitching again. Soon, she felt something warm and soothing inside of her. The warmth enveloped her body and started to ooze through her.

Laila watched as light wafted through her body. The same kind of shine she'd dreamed of. Her hand lifted involuntarily to the sky. She twirled and became filled with awe watching the light travel through her palms to the sky. The shine turned into rays that cast a golden sheen upon the shadow of the sun. Just like that, the sun open her eyes and for the first time, Laila witnessed daylight cast its rays upon the dark. Slowly like light showers, darkness turned into day. Laila looked at the sun and she was smiling back at her this time. Her heart felt warm again.

Malik came to stand beside Laila. Looking at the golden bright sun, he held her and said, “I'm sorry for keeping it from you Laila. She is your mother. We fell in love in the cosmos and you are proof of that love. For us to keep you, she had to lend you her soul for fourteen years until you are old enough to conjure your own shine. Now you can and now the world will blossom again.