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By Afnan Imran

Q. Write a description of a sunset/sunrise from the perspective of a character who is sad.

There it was. The golden stairway to heaven that appeared to mock me. It glistened across the surface of the rippling blue sea, just out of reach. It provoked me to reach out, but managed to slip away from my grasp each time. The furrowed brow of the skyline burned a fiery orange like the fires of hell where it met the desolate face of the sea. The sky itself seemed to be at war, half of it a deep sky-blue while the rest of it was darkened to a bruised purple. The clouds appeared to act as barriers between these two formidable forces. They clung to each other in clusters of pale azure. In the midst of these two armies, lost souls bled, staining the sky crimson.

The sun glared at me as if demanding repentance for all that had gone wrong in the night. The glaring light blinded me. It greeted me derisively as the sun seemed to rise higher and higher from the depths of the mystical blue sea. The sky was ablaze, as if lit by the wrath of hell’s fury. It glowered at me like a demon, hungry for my soul. I thought the sun truly sadistic as it taunted me, making me painfully aware of the loneliness that surrounded me. The vast waters, as glacial as ice, reminded me of myself. They were as devoid of the warmth of the sun as I was of companionship, only a narrow strip remained in good graces with the sun. The sun reminded me of my husband, able to give happiness and warmth one moment, but could cause grief and destruction in the next.

The fireball of the sun splashed random colors into the sky: a hint of annoyingly bright pink and a splash of yellow that marred the perfection of the two warring powers. Its arrogance knew no bounds as if it acknowledged that the habitants of earth depended upon it for survival, not unlike my husband who believed that he was the axis of my world. The sun itself wore a layer of protective armor around it, but seemed to strip me of all hope, all happiness as the day began with abundant sorrows and threats for more to come.

Q. Describe the same scene from the perspective of a happy character.

Bruised purple met light blue in a battle of wills as old as time itself. The victor cheered jubilantly as darkness was vanquished by the glimmering light of the sun. A pristine sky-blue seemed to take over the indigo night sky. It exploded over the entire sky like a fresh burst of hope. The small splatters of crimson light from the sun made me feel full of life, vitality oozing from every pore of my body. In the background, I was aware of a candy-corn orange in the horizon. Warmth emanated from it, wrapping me in its embrace as the sun broke free of the east, to smile down upon the world. The saintly white clouds were like a mother protecting its child, the sky from sorrows and distress.

Diamonds glistened in the sea of sapphire. The golden stairway to paradise, shimmering across the blue sea, beckoned to me. It was right there; ready to take me to the heavens. This staircase was surrounded by a faint red hue, reminding me of a red carpet laid out in welcome. Surely, it was a shadow of the wings of an unseen angel smiling down at me. The sea stroked the shore. I felt as if I were floating on those rippling sea waves.

The sun, wearing its halo, enthralled me. It bade me a joyful greeting, as enthusiastic as a friend meeting another after months, perhaps even years. The glow emanating from the sun reminded me of my own happiness with the world, with myself. I closed my eyes for a second to savour the warmth that caressed my skin. A scatter of baby pink framed the horizon, reminding me of a smooth satin, soft to the touch. I yearned to reach out and just grab hold of it, just like I had learned to grasp all the happy moments in life. I admired God’s painting as I smiled up at the benefactor of warmth, feeling fortunate to be a spectator to such beauty and splendor. A new day had begun full of fresh hope and joy and the promise of something more.