BEYOND ALL REACH 1/2
anonymous
April 21 2009, 21:03:12 UTC
Raivis met her when he was still Russia’s toy. He had been rushing down the streets of Riga, desperate to flee from the world behind him when he crashed into her. The rain, hiding his tears, had made the ground slippery, more so than he had expected, and his little body fell upon hers like a storm. They fell into a puddle; the water twirling around then and making their clothing stick like a second skin. Raivis didn’t understand why his breath was stolen when he looked at her face.
“I-I’m sorry!” He stuttered out, wrenching himself to his feet and holding out a weak hand. She took it, puzzled and gracefully pulled herself to her feet. Raivis stared; her blond hair was short, unusual for Riga, and she had a smile that was like the sun - Raivis had almost forgotten what the sun looked like, but on her lips and in her eyes he felt as though he was blessed with the beauty of a thousand of the long forgotten orbs. She returned his curious gaze, but it wasn’t long until the world came pouring back into his ears.
“Ah! S-Sorry! I, ah... Are you alright? I-I didn’t mean to g-get you wet, Miss...” Centuries old, yet there he stood, looking fifteen. He felt like a fool; he should have been more mature, made a better impression. What was he doing? He was juvenile in this, but still... This was not how it happened in the tales of glorious love that he was well accustomed to. She laughed and it was like fine music.
“It’s alright, honest! I didn’t mean to get you wet, but I assume you may have been already? You have no umbrella...” Raivis looked at his empty hands and blushed, the sky washing away his embarrassed, shameful tears. “It’s alright. You can borrow mine.” She pushed an object into his hands. Raivis’ jaw dropped; he had never been given this chance, and now... His heart thumped, bun, bun, bun in his chest. “T-Thank you...”
“It’s alright! Now, sir, please hurry; I think you may be catching a cold-”
“Marija!”
“Ah - I’m sorry! I must leave, but it was nice talking to you, sir!”
A woman in a large shawl with a great umbrella in hand motioned to the girl, and Raivis watched helpless as she fled. Her name - Marija - was perfect to him, and he whispered it as she fled to the waiting arms of her mother, laughing about the little boy that had crashed into her quite accidently.
She had been thirteen then.
When Raivis saw her next, it was on a large screen, his eyes rapt. A small tingle in the back of his mind called out to him - recognise her, you know her - but centuries of faces and names had made remembering people difficult, even for the younger nations. Instead he watched and laughed and cried with her, his heart following the silent picture as he gazed up at the expanding world before him, pondering what it meant. It was only at the end, when his bright violet orbs scanned the names, desperate to work out why he knew her, that he realised that it was her. Marija. He collapsed in his chair, his body shaking; beside him, Russia was curious, but Raivis shook his head and curled up. This wasn’t unusual for the little boy, and Russia merely laughed, patting his skull heavily, staining the bone with its evil.
Raivis went to see all of the screenings, and his eyes followed her, desperately eating her image and his heart lifting at the sound of the music. Once he caught himself lifting his hand, trying to touch her. The distance hurt his heart, and he couldn’t bear to see another picture. When he had left, someone had noted his affection for the film. They knew who he was, that he was special, and they asked if he wanted to meet her, the beautiful actress from Riga who had captured the hearts of all that saw her. He had declined, fearful that she would remember him from ages past. He didn’t want her to see him as the ridiculous fifteen year old that she had saved from the rain years ago. He wanted to be older, stronger, wiser, better. Better for her in a way that he could never be - his lifespan restricted his growth.
BEYOND ALL REACH 2/2
anonymous
April 21 2009, 21:04:25 UTC
The next time Raivis saw her, it wasn’t on screen. He was young, still, but war-worn, picking up after Ivan’s destruction. Still independent and believing the lie of Russia’s promise, he explored the fields of Moscow where the mass murders took place. What the boss called “purges”, destruction of those who were against everything that Russia should stand for, was merely a way of eliminating the enemy, and Raivis was there to take those that were his back to their home, to lift their bodies and name them as best he could. He knew far less than anyone, but it was his duty as the country.
When he walked down the lines of bodies, his eyes glanced over the figures with the title “Latvian”, though he could barely even begin to know who they were. It was when his eyes dragged themselves over a female that he finally showed a speck of emotion, his war-worn eyes widening, filling with tears.
He moved to her side, kneeling beside her as he had done thirty-seven years previous when she had been a teenager. He remembered once, in a book somewhere, that there had been a love, one so deep that it had broken through time. This was not what Raivis would call a time love. He’d never been close to her, never held her hand - until now, her lifeless fingers wrapped around his. Around him, soldiers watched with trepidation as the young nation gazed down at the once beautiful old woman with longing in his eyes, an expression of desire and need. Not lustful need, but loving, desperate - the need to have had saved her.
When Raivis stood and gave the taggers the name Marija Leiko no one questioned how he knew her or why he was so desperate to hold her hand, to be the one to carry her body and dig her grave.
The look of a man who has lost an unknown love needs no explaination.
---------------
Marija Leiko was a Latvian silent movie actress in Europe since the 1910s, especially popular in Latvia, Germany and Russia. She was arrested and shot to death during Stalin's purges in Moscow in 1937.
OP is speechless
anonymous
April 22 2009, 00:51:09 UTC
Ignore the irony of the title. XD
Wow... I'm surprised that someone would do Latvia. It was really saddening too. The fact that she was a silent movie actress made sense in their relationship somehow. I'm not sure how to explain it but it does.
“I-I’m sorry!” He stuttered out, wrenching himself to his feet and holding out a weak hand. She took it, puzzled and gracefully pulled herself to her feet. Raivis stared; her blond hair was short, unusual for Riga, and she had a smile that was like the sun - Raivis had almost forgotten what the sun looked like, but on her lips and in her eyes he felt as though he was blessed with the beauty of a thousand of the long forgotten orbs. She returned his curious gaze, but it wasn’t long until the world came pouring back into his ears.
“Ah! S-Sorry! I, ah... Are you alright? I-I didn’t mean to g-get you wet, Miss...” Centuries old, yet there he stood, looking fifteen. He felt like a fool; he should have been more mature, made a better impression. What was he doing? He was juvenile in this, but still... This was not how it happened in the tales of glorious love that he was well accustomed to. She laughed and it was like fine music.
“It’s alright, honest! I didn’t mean to get you wet, but I assume you may have been already? You have no umbrella...” Raivis looked at his empty hands and blushed, the sky washing away his embarrassed, shameful tears. “It’s alright. You can borrow mine.” She pushed an object into his hands. Raivis’ jaw dropped; he had never been given this chance, and now... His heart thumped, bun, bun, bun in his chest. “T-Thank you...”
“It’s alright! Now, sir, please hurry; I think you may be catching a cold-”
“Marija!”
“Ah - I’m sorry! I must leave, but it was nice talking to you, sir!”
A woman in a large shawl with a great umbrella in hand motioned to the girl, and Raivis watched helpless as she fled. Her name - Marija - was perfect to him, and he whispered it as she fled to the waiting arms of her mother, laughing about the little boy that had crashed into her quite accidently.
She had been thirteen then.
When Raivis saw her next, it was on a large screen, his eyes rapt. A small tingle in the back of his mind called out to him - recognise her, you know her - but centuries of faces and names had made remembering people difficult, even for the younger nations. Instead he watched and laughed and cried with her, his heart following the silent picture as he gazed up at the expanding world before him, pondering what it meant. It was only at the end, when his bright violet orbs scanned the names, desperate to work out why he knew her, that he realised that it was her. Marija. He collapsed in his chair, his body shaking; beside him, Russia was curious, but Raivis shook his head and curled up. This wasn’t unusual for the little boy, and Russia merely laughed, patting his skull heavily, staining the bone with its evil.
Raivis went to see all of the screenings, and his eyes followed her, desperately eating her image and his heart lifting at the sound of the music. Once he caught himself lifting his hand, trying to touch her. The distance hurt his heart, and he couldn’t bear to see another picture. When he had left, someone had noted his affection for the film. They knew who he was, that he was special, and they asked if he wanted to meet her, the beautiful actress from Riga who had captured the hearts of all that saw her. He had declined, fearful that she would remember him from ages past. He didn’t want her to see him as the ridiculous fifteen year old that she had saved from the rain years ago. He wanted to be older, stronger, wiser, better. Better for her in a way that he could never be - his lifespan restricted his growth.
She had been twenty then.
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When he walked down the lines of bodies, his eyes glanced over the figures with the title “Latvian”, though he could barely even begin to know who they were. It was when his eyes dragged themselves over a female that he finally showed a speck of emotion, his war-worn eyes widening, filling with tears.
He moved to her side, kneeling beside her as he had done thirty-seven years previous when she had been a teenager. He remembered once, in a book somewhere, that there had been a love, one so deep that it had broken through time. This was not what Raivis would call a time love. He’d never been close to her, never held her hand - until now, her lifeless fingers wrapped around his. Around him, soldiers watched with trepidation as the young nation gazed down at the once beautiful old woman with longing in his eyes, an expression of desire and need. Not lustful need, but loving, desperate - the need to have had saved her.
When Raivis stood and gave the taggers the name Marija Leiko no one questioned how he knew her or why he was so desperate to hold her hand, to be the one to carry her body and dig her grave.
The look of a man who has lost an unknown love needs no explaination.
---------------
Marija Leiko was a Latvian silent movie actress in Europe since the 1910s, especially popular in Latvia, Germany and Russia. She was arrested and shot to death during Stalin's purges in Moscow in 1937.
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Wow... I'm surprised that someone would do Latvia. It was really saddening too. The fact that she was a silent movie actress made sense in their relationship somehow. I'm not sure how to explain it but it does.
Thanks so much for filling this! ♥♥♥
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This was so cute, yet so sad at the same time.
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This was just beautiful.
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