The Lovers

Today, my mind turned to love. I wanted to imagine a world where love reigned and so wrote this short story. I know it probably has a lot of imperfections, but I am an inexperienced writer. I hope you can forgive my mistakes and simply enjoy the ride, though I am always open to how I could improve.

The Lovers

The nightclub grew quiet as the last of the patrons left. Eventually, the only two that remained were the pianist and the manager. The owner always trusted these two to close up and thought them a good team. For, he knew they were in love before they did. He knew their love drove them towards the same goal, and the results spoke for themselves: the place was always left secure and safe.

The pianist, a man with hands that brought life to the dead, had eyes for the manager from day one. He kept his feelings largely hidden as he respected the manager’s freedom. He knew she had been hurt in the past and so prioritised friendship over romance. She was a keen dancer though, and loved nothing more than to end the night in slow embrace.

The pianist had two left feet. Dancing was not his strong suit and so he much preferred sitting at his instrument. Unable to resist the love of his life, he pushed himself to learn how to go with the flow. This meant a lot to her. Despite being rhythmically perfect on the piano, she could feel him lose time on the floor. She persisted though, for she loved him, and could see that he was improving.

Usually, they would put on a slow song and dim lighting and move with each other until it came time to close. Tonight, however, was different. She wanted no song, no light, just pure connection. So, they began their nightly ritual with an entirely different tone.

They could see a little thanks to the streetlights out the windows. It was their saving grace, allowing them to position themselves on the stage. There was also the sound of the occasional car and the general commotion of city life. Yet the atmosphere was more serene than it had ever been. Together, they made music out of motion. Two lights in the darkness, their souls igniting and illuminating the scene.

The owner burst in, thrust on the light, breaking the almost perfect silence. For a while, they all just looked at each other, stunned. It was totally unexpected for all of them. The lovers had never known the owner to return after he’d left. The owner, though aware of their love, had no idea they’d come so far.

They were all forced to reflect. The lovers had no choice but to acknowledge their actions, seeing clearly now they could not deny their feelings for one another. The owner, overjoyed by the sight of the two holding each other, burst into applause.

Soon, silence fell once more. What would come next? What could be said? The owner, a hopeless romantic, simply yelled: “Love!” Then he left, deliberately leaving the light on so the pianist and the manager could see each other for the first time.

The owner, who was happy but alone, was set in motion by the beauty he had seen. From that night, he decided to follow his own heart and create again. He had lost inspiration for art, but his spark was born anew.

He painted a series of abstract pieces that drew the attention of the world. It moved other artists, drove the common to create for themselves, and even cleared the fog in the minds of philosophers all around.

Thinkers saw meaning in the owner’s pieces, and it opened the door to the question: what is the meaning of life?

The dawn of an era began the night that light was turned on. In its warm glow, the owner had witnessed the reason for being. In love he saw infinite light. Although he remained alone for the rest of his life, his love for art began a new generation of meaning, of creation.

From simplicity, the world is forged. By returning to the root of it all, one could see clearly. One could see that to love is to be, and love lived in us all, in everything.