BY BERNARD SINAI

An entry in The Crocodile Prize

HERS WERE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL eyes I have ever seen; deep penetrating hazel eyes that seemed to call out my name with every gaze. It terrified me, yet it excited me at the same time.

Every curve on her sensuous face was a masterpiece that overshadowed the beauty of Mona Lisa’s smile and could make a grown man weak in his knees. A creation comparable to nothing this earth could offer, so sensual and sweet yet raw and untamed. She was more than words would describe. Ballads could not capture her beauty for she was comparable to nothing on Earth.

Her hair was ebony and looked like shiny threads of silk finely fashioned on her head. Her face shone like the sun and her teeth, ivory white perfectly shaped and placed perfectly like a neat picket fence in her sensuous mouth. Her lips were perfectly symmetrical and looked like juicy red apples just ready to a bite.

Her body was perfect. A figure models would kill for. Not too thin like those ultra skinny anaemically unhealthy looking models but a full figure which men dribbled over. The full figure every man secretly desired in a woman. This was complemented by her smooth and delicately tan brown skin.

She was like a steamy hot muffin just ready for a bite. Her perfection would almost make you believe that she came out of a factory. Simply said, she was a doll.

My heart stopped for a moment, did a summersault and then resumed its normal rhythm as she turned and looked directly at me. And as she walked towards me, its rhythm doubled pace and my breathing became heavier.

As she grew nearer, the rhythm increased and I felt faint. Then all sounds drowned away leaving me alone in a silent world, as if there was no one else except for me and her.

My head began to spin and everything I saw became blurred. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This must be how it felt to be smitten by love at first sight, stuck between love and lust, unable to tell which was which or which was true.

My stomach was filled with butterflies in a frenzy to get out. All the strength within me dissolved like ice on fire and my knees became weak like jelly.

I took another deep breath. I opened my eyes and froze in awe. Before me there she stood, even more radiant and beautiful than she was before. I opened my mouth but words seemed to be stuck in my throat and a huge lump formed.

I swallowed all I was going to say. And when our eyes met, a flame of passion burst within me, so intense that it caused my heart to ache. I wanted to hold her in my arms, to dance with her. I wanted to see her smile, to make her happy. I wanted her to be mine.

She smiled at me and slowly without saying a word reached for my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor. I was love struck and mesmerized. All I could do was follow.

The music was slow and romantic, and she graced the floor like a queen. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that everyone had stopped and were looking at us.

The men were envious of me – or so I thought – dancing with this beautiful Pacific

pearl, holding her close, smelling the sweet fragrance of her perfumed skin as she rested her head on my chest and feeling her arms clinging tightly around my neck and shoulders. Every moment seemed like an eternity for me.

The world I knew had gone into slow motion. If I had the power I would put this moment in repeat mode. I just wanted it to last forever. I was in love.

She raised her head and looked up at me, smiled and gave me a wink. Then she kissed me on the lips and smiled again. I pulled her closer and slowly kissed her then released her. I took a few steps back, held her hands and looked into those beautiful hazel eyes. “I love you”, I uttered dreamily and slowly, stressing on every word.

Everyone on the dance floor burst into a frenzy of wild and intimidating laughter.

“What did you say?” she asked, and this time her voice sounded different. It was not her voice. I looked at her face again and this time it was someone different. It was Ms. Lyonni, my science teacher and she had a bewildering look with confusion spelled all over her face.

I turned and looked around only to find the dance floor where I stood had somehow magically transformed into my classroom and all my classmates staring at me.

I realized what I had done and cringed in shame. The whole time I had been day dreaming and now the bubble had burst. I was in for a very long fall with no cushions or padding at the bottom. The sudden push into reality had come without warning, something I was not ready for.

The dream had felt so real. It was a reality where I was always ‘the man’, but reality was not so kind. I snuck a look around the classroom and saw something like a thousand devilish faces laughing and smiling wickedly at my expense. They looked like minions and demons from hell tormenting the poor lost souls.

I stole a quick glance toward Ms. Lyonni and there was a twinkle and a dreamy faraway look in her eyes. The little incident must have stirred ripples in a lake of distant memories.

Steve, the class bully pouted his large orang-utan like lips and teased me, “I love you too.”  Embarrassment swept all over me like a cold, unwanted yet inevitable. I had just made a fool of myself in front of the whole class and there was nothing that I could do to change that.

I lowered my head and smiled, thinking about the dream. At least, I had been with the lady of my dreams, my beautiful Pacific pearl and no one could take that away. If only everyone had felt the way I did - the feeling of finding that perfect someone. I should have known it was too good to be true. Somewhere deep in my mind I knew, but dreams have a habit of revealing secrets buried deep within the heart.

Perhaps the woman of my dream exists somewhere in this world, or the universe, or maybe in another galaxy and maybe someday, I will find my love. But until then, I can only be content with the woman of my dream, my dream lady.