THE FUNERAL OF BEAUTY

by KREATIVE DIADEM | Mar 10, 2015 | FLASH FICTION, SHORT STORIES

THE FUNERAL OF BEAUTY

My eyeballs retracted back into its socket like the antennae of a snail hitting an obstruction, goose bumps surfaced on my skin like raindrops on a shiny surface, compassion gripped my heart as it began to shed tears. I shuddered and trembled, this definitely was not because of fear but I was rather overwhelmed by a gust of sympathy.

The polished surface was creased with flakes of dirt and fragments of soot trapped beneath the horizon. Fire kissed the surface with its lethal venom spitting scars like a viper. The surface gave way to intense heat and lost its once adored status to the brutal flames. Two weeks ago, it was shining like a refined gold attracting the attention of all and sundry. Men wanted to touch it and ladies prayed all night for one.

And the beauty died

Though we exchanged pleasantries and she had spent close to five minutes in the cab, my eyes groped around trying to steal a closer look at the degree of skin burn she suffered. I was lost in the pool of pity and compassion; both my probing eyes and melancholic voice kept saying “sorry” to the beautiful damsel. She was a young beautiful fair-complexioned lady with large eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. I had been staring at her legs and thighs which were covered with fresh wounds sustained from a fire accident. The fairness of the skin was ridden with spots and torn apart by the heat. The only word I could utter was “sorry” until she alighted from the cab.

I saw the fleeting deceit of beauty, the vanity of a fair-complexioned skin, the ephemeral nature of handsomeness, the evanescent smoke of a gorgeous face and the transitory echo of a melodious voice. I had serious pity on men who are tossed and swayed by their eyes like reeds beside the river. They think with their eyes and not their heads as they plunge into the loch of lust calling it love. They are lost in lust and it takes only a test of time for their eyes to be opened.

P.S.: Build your fortress of fortune around character and not beauty which will soon vanish. Ask couples how soon the fragrance of beauty vanished after sipping a bottle of honey in the moon. A beautiful face and a handsome face will not give you a great home if it is not supported by a personality of good character. Character speaks long after the funeral of beauty; it fills the chamber of destiny long after the fragrance of beauty has disappeared into the thin air.

© 2015 by Osho Samuel Adetunji

About the Author

Osho Samuel Adetunji is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Nigeria’s premier University, University of Ibadan. He is a poet, a blogger, a Public Speaker, an on air personality with a knack for short stories, inspirational articles and poems. He is a writer per excellence with articles published on VAVANE AFRICA, THE SCOOPNG, KONNECT AFRICA, Paarapo and Home zone media. He co-founded THE COURTROOM in 2012 with Tijani Mayowa. He is the founder of KREATIVE DIADEM, a new initiative which kicked off on March 1, 2015.
He is an inspirational young man who is addicted to going an extra mile in all facets of life. He is also a lover of football, tennis and boxing. You can follow him on Twitter with the handle: @inisamosho.