Writer
Day 10 Inktober – “Hope”
Who knew that Vitamin Sunshine would become so important? All my life I have been hiding from the harsh rays of the sun and applying sunscreen when on the beach.
Now, I run out every time I see clear blue skies where the sun is shining bright. Thanks to the Vitamin D deficiency that has taught me to embrace light for a healthier life and a positive frame of mind. Hence, this drawing of my sunlight/hope in a jar.
Day 5 Inktober – “Blade”
When I saw Blade as day five’s Inktober prompt, the first thing that came to my mind was Shardblade. The Stormlight Archive is one of the best fantasy book series and Kaladin is my favorite character! This sketch is the chapter art for Kaladin and I always wanted to attempt drawing this.
In difficult situations I always think of Kaladin as he gives me strength, courage, and hope to overcome my fears.
Sometimes fictional characters become your soul and sole motivation. Thank you Brandon Sanderson for giving me Kaladin. 🖤
Day 1 Inktober Prompt 2020 – “Fish”
Keeping Tui, the moon spirit on my mind I draw this koi fish. May all your elements be perfectly balanced.
The mind – a dim, hazy blur.
Restless muscles, not a second of comfort.
Deprived of sleep, a walking soulless spirit of the nights.
Mornings seem dark and groggy.
Every day, a new kind of pain.
Writing in the present state,
A futile attempt.
Today, a grey and red spotted moth got trapped in a gap between the glass and the mesh section of my window frame.
I tried to help but there’s no way I can without breaking the glass or cutting open the mesh. I sit down and wonder where the moth must have entered from. Then, I notice a slight opening outside, near the upper edge of the window. I feel relieved because there’s hope for the moth to escape. All it needs to do now is find its way, go back to the opening, and fly away. But sadly, all it seems to do is walk farther away from the opening, or fly and hit itself against the glass pane, and fall down. Sigh!
While I watch this little moth try helplessly, I get reminded of the story of The King and the Spider. I sit by the window and narrate this story to the moth of how the spider never gives up and continues trying until it succeeds. Just to give the moth some company and a few words of inspiration. Slowly, the moth starts moving towards the center of the frame. It gets closer to the edge but again suddenly decides to fly straight towards the glass. Another fall! “Now, why would you do that? Stop flying and go towards the corner where you entered from.”, I say but the little one does not listen to me.
Thankfully, it gets up again and continues walking. It walks multiple times over the same path, starts flying, and falls down. Poor thing continues trying, sometimes it is super close to the opening but it mindlessly walks away or flies only to fall back down again. Now, I am not sure about the moth but I give up. I cannot watch the moth struggle to find a way out of its own trap.
Sometimes, we create these kind of traps for ourselves in our lives due to bad decisions or sometimes unfortunate circumstances make us feel trapped with no way out. What’s important is that the moth did not give up even when the end was near, it did not stop trying. I guess when we stop trying, we stop being alive. So, let’s hold on to dear life.
If only we all could live in a happy bubble.
Where innocence, simplicity,
Laughter, frolic, and love
Were the only elements known to humanity.
All the Light We Cannot See is a book about the tragedies of war written by Anthony Doerr. The tone of the book is melancholic yet hopeful. It is centered around two protagonists, a six-year old French girl, Marie Laurie, and an eight-year old German boy, Werner Pfennig.
It is a deeply moving story where the author wonderfully captures the difficult circumstances of war and its effects on the people involved. This book is not about what happened during World War II, nor is it about Hitler or the Jews. This book is about how war affects the lives of ordinary people by uprooting them from their homes. It is about people who do not wish to participate in the war and have no choice but to bare the consequences of it. At the same time, it highlights the strength of humanity where we can live through unimaginable situations. In the end, we can always find a reason to live and survive.
All the Light We Cannot See is a fictional war novel about many things. It is about the strength of a blind girl that survives through war. A confused yet an intelligent orphan boy who loves to learn but is captured in a terrible period of war. A father, trying to do his best for his daughter. A sister who is worried that her brother will get influenced by Nazi ideologies. A soldier from World War I who loses his brother and is haunted by the ghosts of war. A friend who loses his life because he is considered too weak to serve the country. This book highlights how individual choices and freedom do not belong to you, but to your country. Only by serving the country, can you survive. Moments of weakness, betrayal, shock, horror, and hope are what makes this book so special and real.
“Wherever her great-uncle is, could he have survived this?
Could anyone?
Has she?”“Walk the path of logic. Every outcome has its cause, and every predicament has its solution. Every key its lock. You can go back to Paris or you can stay here or you can go on.”
*Spoiler Alert* Below is a detailed summary of the book which reveals some of the plot points.
Marie Laurie is a blind girl who loses her eyesight due to cataract at a very young age. She lives in Paris with her father, who loves her dearly and works at the Museum of National History. Her father builds a miniature version of the neighborhood for his daughter so she can navigate through the area independently when the need arises. Marie regularly accompanies her father to the museum and this is where she learns about a valuable blue diamond, the Sea of Flames, and its legendary curse. When the German army invades France, Marie Laurie and her father flee from Paris and arrive at Saint-Malo to live with her great uncle Etienne.
Meanwhile, Werner Pfennig lives in an orphanage with his sister Jutta in a town called Zollverein in Germany. He is a brilliant kid with an exceptional skill in fixing radios. His talents and expertise with electronics capture attention. Soon, Werner is presented with an opportunity to study in a specialized training school in Berlin. Werner with a hope for a better future and thirst for knowledge decides to attend the school by leaving behind his sister. Only upon his arrival, he realizes that the fears of his sister were right all along – the boarding school is a place that teaches Nazi values. All the while at the boarding school, Werner does everything that he is expected to do but deep inside he is guilty and knows that he has made a wrong decision.
While the city is being bombed and attacked, Marie Laurie holds onto hope and ends up saving Werner’s life with her radio broadcasts. In turn, Werner saves Marie who is trapped in her house with a German officer. This story is about their journey, experiences and how their lives intersect during war.
“He says, “You are very brave.” She lowers the bucket. “What is your name?” He tells her. She says, “When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don’t you do the same?” He says, “Not in years. But today. Today maybe I did.”
Not a soul to be seen
On the deserted streets,
Lost are all hopes and dreams.
All of a sudden from nowhere,
A mockingjay sings a melody
Of Katniss Everdeen.
Light seeped in
Through a cracked window
Illuminating the room.
Paint brushes and stained cloth
Lay scattered on the
Greying dusty wooden floor.
An artist worked tirelessly
Somewhere in a corner.
A sad melody hummed in the air
In the hopeful season of spring
The spirit of gaiety is locked away.
Nuraine Sadaf 