<Lecturer’s Name and Course Number>
They were standing there. There could hardly believe that they were doing this. It was pitch black and it was dangerous for sure. Nonetheless, these people up there knew that what awaited them the next morning was something no money can buy ever. They felt like being in a different world altogether. The clouds flew like birds, the sky covered them like an enormous blue umbrella, and the altitude made all the difference. Melanie had experienced many things, but this was something she had never imagined in her wildest dreams. Mother Nature has so much to share, she thought. When the journalists had embarked upon the journey, they knew that something out-of-the-world was in store for them.
Melanie knew that discovering this place would be special for all of them. For the very first time in the history of the country of Sri Lanka, a group of journalists were going to spend the entire night on top of the dangerous Kurullangala Mountain located in Wellawaya. How the hearts of the journalists spending the night up there away from the humdrums and cacophony of the world below beat as they braved their apprehensions about jeopardies and impediments that could have thwarted their experience!
Melanie had grown up to be a brave lady, but this was the most intrepid thing by far she had ever done in her life. As she climbed the altitude, she thought that life offers so much of drudgery and commonplace occurrences that often people forget the great feeling of having that adrenalin rush. She told herself, “People become used to the monotony of life with time. But, this night would be something different.” All the people up there knew they had done something exhilarating and unique. They knew that maybe they would never experience this again, and wished to cherish every single moment up there on the mountain.
These people wanted to have the experience of a lifetime seeing the first ray of the sun reach the mountain bringing life to the works of art that are there on the walls of the mountain. They had the grit and were searching for the special aesthetic experience that they could never have in a world that was busy with work and responsibilities. The onus on the shoulders of people is so heavy that they fail to experience life to the very brim. Rather their lives get constricted by the drudgeries and they fail to experience the pleasure of experiencing the world in its unadulterated form. However, Melanie thought of the discovery and how intriguing it would be for her!
Melanie felt like being on heaven. This was sheer paradise and was nothing like any of the experiences of life. The people up in the mountain waited calmly with exuberance in their hearts for the rays of the sun to kiss the mountain top. Nothing mattered to these people as they literally felt like being on the top of the world. The night was quiet, but the hearts were jumping in joy. They knew that this time would not return, and they did not want to sleep and waste their time. It was pitch-black. They still decided to remain awake and chat among themselves. They had smiles on their faces and their eyes gleamed in the darkness. They could hardly contain the ecstasy in their hearts. They apprehended the experience that was in store for them in the morning. When one waits for something that is truly rare to find, the heart beats faster with excitement. They were excited. Truly they were eager to explore the beauty of the world in this altitude that had not been treaded by too many people. This made them special, and they knew they were!
The new rays of the sun brought vision to the journalists who were blinded by the pitch black ambiance of the mountain at night. It seemed as if life was back on the earth with the first ray of the sun kissing the place. The azure sky made the entire milieu look like paradise where any man would feel the very best. Melanie felt that the mountain was like heaven. She was very excited to have the first look at the works of art. These works of art had in store the mystery of the pre-historic life in the land of Sri Lanka. Now, for these men, the sight of these works of art was a much awaited one after the night they had spent. The mesh of excitement, fear and adventure of the previous night was now transformed into sheer euphoria of their hearts. The mountain looked amazing in the daytime. The first rays of sun had never seemed to be so rejuvenating and exhilarating for any of the people present at that altitude.
As the sun broke through the darkness that had engulfed the world, the cold and misty weather too started to disappear. The visitors’ hearts started to jump in joy as they could not contain their pent up excitement anymore. They were eagerly waiting to have a look at the mysterious and magnificent works of art that had been there for ages. The sound of a mysterious bird at the break of the daylight startled everyone on the mountain that day. This was a rare sight indeed. The angel had come down upon earth for Melanie, she felt. The cameraman of the crew was quick enough to capture the bird’s photo as it flew by. This bird was rarely seen by humans- something that showed that these people atop the mountain were in a world that was little known to the rest of the globe.
When the sunlight from the east reached the mountain walls, the journalists were amazed to find the works of art in Kurullangala. Melanie led the people to the place and saw how the works had clear geometrical shapes. The journalists were very much intrigued to have a close look at the lifelike drawings of birds. Moreover, they could find other shapes on the mountain walls as well. All of them huddled round the drawings to have a closer look. Some of these artworks could not be identified clearly by them, though. They failed to understand what the shapes actually meant. They realized that the drawings did not belong to any of the traditional art forms of the country. The marks of human hands in red intrigued the journalists a lot. These were the palm of the left hand.
These men had experienced something truly exceptional and they knew that the memories of this awaited visit would be cherished by all of them for the rest of their lives. Melanie took pictures of the drawings that ranged over an area of 40 feet in height. The immense decay over the long span of time and the rainfall had caused much of the pre-historic artwork to blur. The people were all pained to see how much of the artwork had faded away over the ages. They knew history could not be erased like that. Melanie had the moment of realization that she was one among gazillion who had come in this world and would have to go. But, leaving a mark behind for the future mattered a lot. She realized something new through this experience. The path was narrow and quite dangerous, but as Melanie led the group, she knew that they were at the threshold of something truly out-of-the-world. They were flabbergasted to experience something so great! They knew that the remaining drawings that were 8 feet in height would be immortalized in their hearts, in their memories and their minds. Melanie had witnessed history, travelled back in time, and drank the true elixir of life. Melanie knew who she was.
REFLECTION STATEMENT
The title of the short story gives the essence of the core of the narrative. As such, it comes across to be an impressive marker to engage the avid readers of the piece. Moreover, the title explicates the content with utmost clarity. The story goes on to delve into the emotions of the journalists who have embarked upon the journey of exploring the artwork that has been there in the mountain. The story portrays the scenic beauty of the ambiance as well. As the narrative progresses, the story provides a peek into history and shows how important it is for the visitors.
The narrative of this short story has been structured chronologically. The narrative explicates all the occurrences in accordance with the timeline of occurrence. The events are portrayed in detail. The idea was to show how the people on the journey felt about visiting the place. This meshed with the course of events that led to the evocation of the emotions in their minds engages the readers to the core of the story.
Apart from this, the language technique of the story also works to hog the attention of the readers. It needs to be noted that the short story delves into the use of visual imagery in the best possible form so as to engage and intrigue the readers. The readers would feel as if they are physically present on top of the mountain themselves owing to the vivid description of the scenery and the situations. The story explicates, “The clouds, the sky, the altitude made all the difference.” The story uses exclamatory sentences to highlight the emotions of the people on the journey. At one point of time, it is said, “This made them special, and they knew they were!” The story also uses symbolism so as to influence the avid readers in the best possible way. The sun, for instance, is used as the symbol of life and rejuvenation. The story explicates, “The new rays of the sun brought vision to the journalists who were blinded by the pitch black ambiance of the mountain at night.” The story also uses simile to accentuate the appeal. The story explicates, “Melanie felt that the mountain was like heaven.” The diction of the story also grabs the attention with the use of descriptive words and emotive expressions. The emotive expression can be found when it is said, “Surely, nothing can be compared to the sheer exhilaration that brims the heart when one gets the essence of something that he or she had longed for such a long time.” Thus, a number of language techniques are used in the course of the story. Moreover, there is use of metaphor as the narrator writes, “The angel had come down upon earth for Melanie, she felt.” Here, angel stands for the rare bird that they saw atop the mountain.
The story works to adhere to the parameters of descriptive story writing technique. Moreover, the entire portrayal works to bring out the feelings of the innermost core of the hearts of the journalists while they embark upon the journey of discovering a place. As such, it can very well be opined that the story leaves a lasting mark with all the linguistic technique that have been used, apart from the fact that it succeeds in portraying the importance of history for human civilization.
