Recommended reading:
Broken Rainbow
A girl walks along a narrow road. The sun beats down on her from above, as heat rays rise from ground. Her steps echo loudly along the narrow streets and the sounds of traffic and horns blaring can be heard in the distance. The road smells of petrol and concrete. On both sides there were buildings either too small to house those that lived within or ones so ambitiously large that they were never finished being built. There is a sudden rush of air through the road as a flock of roosting pigeons take off. The flurry of sound from their many beating wings gives her a jolt. She looks up to see the blur of wings disappear to reveal a cat walking along the gutter. It looks down at her and meows. She breathes a sigh of relief. As she keeps looking clouds roll over from above, casting the road into shadow.
Drops begin to fall, some of them hitting her eyes; making her squint and look away. The soft pitter-patter crescendos into a thundering roar that drowns out all the sounds of the city. She hurriedly ducks under the cover of a low balcony. The cat appears beside her. It meows and rubs against her leg. She bends down and ruffles its neck. As she scratches its ears the rain stops; just as suddenly as it started.
A girl walks along a narrow road. The sun beats down on her from above, as heat rays rise from ground. Her steps echo loudly along the narrow streets and the sounds of traffic and horns blaring can be heard in the distance. The road smells of petrol and concrete. On both sides there were buildings either too small to house those that lived within or ones so ambitiously large that they were never finished being built. There is a sudden rush of air through the road as a flock of roosting pigeons take off. The flurry of sound from their many beating wings gives her a jolt. She looks up to see the blur of wings disappear to reveal a cat walking along the gutter. It looks down at her and meows. She breathes a sigh of relief. As she keeps looking clouds roll over from above, casting the road into shadow.
Drops begin to fall, some of them hitting her eyes; making her squint and look away. The soft pitter-patter crescendos into a thundering roar that drowns out all the sounds of the city. She hurriedly ducks under the cover of a low balcony. The cat appears beside her. It meows and rubs against her leg. She bends down and ruffles its neck. As she scratches its ears the rain stops; just as suddenly as it started.
The sky looked brighter and more vivid. Slowly a rainbow begins to crystalize from within the mist. It arches over the alley, so that its centre hovered above her head, blocking out the sky. Colours swirl through, swirls pulsing and colours mixing. She stood there staring, mesmerized at the scene before her.
The rainbow began to move strangely. It began pulsing more violently, its sides shifting and flickering. It then began to bend downwards in the centre as if some heavy weight had been placed upon it. Slowly it began its liquid descent. Still she stood. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was as if a crack had opened up the cosmos and she was staring into heaven itself.
Then abruptly as if snapping because of the strain, the sides of the rainbow lifted themselves above the ground. The centre began to accelerate. It began rushing down straight towards her at incredible speed. The colours from its edges began to fly off violently, like raindrops on the wings of an airplane. All the while its pulses quickened and the colours mixed even more frantically until it became a blinding white arrow falling from above; barrelling straight towards her forehead. She was not afraid.
Just before it made impact it slowed down, barely an inch from her temple; then with the tenacity of a drop falling from a leaf and the ferocity of a cloud, it gently caressed her skin. It spread over her like mercury, enveloping every inch of her until she was covered in light. She extended her arms and took a look at her new glowing skin. It pulsed softly with the colours of wild flowers. For the first time in a very long while she smiled.
Her entire body quietly began to rise up, levitating towards the sky. She rose until she was high above the buildings. High enough to see around the entire island and the sea surrounding it. A hint of a cloud passes by and she couldn’t resist the urge to touch it. It broke up, swirled to form a leaping sailfish; which arced over her head and then dissipated as if sinking back into an invisible ocean. Delighted, she let out a giggle. Seeing some clouds in the distance she glided towards them. Effortlessly she soared, with finesse that would have made all but the most daring eagle jealous. She skimmed over the many clouds and when she brushed against them, many fish and dolphins came fourth, which followed her every move and rode the valleys of clouds at her side. The rush felt incredible. Everything was a blur of blue and white. This must be what it feels like to be truly free she thought. She was grinning now.
She came to a stop hovering over the centre of the island. She looked down at the city and its inhabitants, blissfully unaware of the spectacle above. They were going on with their daily lives as usual. Rows of cars and hordes of motorbikes swarmed the streets. People looked like scurrying ants. “I wonder if they know what it’s like to be free”; she thought to herself. For the first time since taking off she felt a stab of fear at her heart. Something was not right.
The horizon was darkening. Yet the sun still shone brightly above her. She squinted. In the distance, barely visible, a black tide was rising. It was gathering momentum and moving towards the island from all sides. It was not the ocean. It shined a deep dirty black that filled her with dread. She must warn them she thought. They were going about their business as if nothing was happening. They must be unaware. She must warm them. But alas, she could not move.
A strange force bound her in her lofty position. She tried as hard as she could but she could not break the invisible bonds. The tide rushed closer still. Her heart beat faster and faster until she felt like it would leap out of her throat. The black tsunami hit land. It spread like an oil slick, devouring the city below. It moved almost as if alive, parts of it leaping ahead to smother fleeing pedestrians and vehicles. Their screams felt like being encased within a coffin of needles.
From all sides it charged forwards until they met at the centre. Straining her neck she watched helplessly as it began to twist and spiral towards her. The vortex rose rapidly in a raging helix until it finally reached the soles of her feet. It spread over her, like a seething giant octopus, her screams doing nothing to stop its advance. It reached her neck and invaded her throat. All was dark. All was silent.
1000 words on Maldivian Art - Nazaal Shiyam's photograph of a one way sign in Malé
Photograph by Nazaal Shiyam
Malé is a maze of one way streets and dark alleys. You can drive around it for days, for weeks, your whole life, and you can still feel like you're going somewhere. Perhaps this is why the national sport of my country is driving.
Driving? Why would driving be the national sport of a nation of islanders? Of a country whose borders are filled with water and not land? Why not swimming? Fishing perhaps? Nope. It's driving. Driving motorcycles specifically. And nowhere is the fanbase stronger than good old Malé City.
The stinking heap of concrete is less than 5sqkm in area, yet is home to almost, if not more, than 200,000 people. If you were wondering, no, there isn't a beach. Well there is a rather pathetic little inlet that is rather imaginatively called the artificial beach. And there is the tail section of the harbour does have a bunch of floating platforms hovering above the trash, used condoms and diesel. Oh and perhaps that dandy little 5m stretch near Raalhugandu that's full of broken bottles and garbage? How lush! How wonderful!
Nope, not much love for swimming here. And of course any fish you catch will have been lovingly fed off of the endless supply of sewage. It's the circle of life, and the people of Male' city are full of shit.
So what do you do? You save up and buy your self a fine motor vehicle that's what! Things will surely turn up now! Just look at how shiny it is! You will be the talk of the town! Everybody will be jealous of your sweet ass ride.
Now the cogs of our destiny are really in motion! Oh yeah baby! We'll drive around the city all night!
You'll rest your head against my back. You'll whisper soft kisses into my ears, hearts in a daze from the fumes of our forbidden love. Perhaps your arms will wrap themselves around me, deftly working their way through the edges of my shirt, your warm bare palms radiating love back into my chest.
You arch back and gasp as we hit that bump. Lots of memories about that bump! We almost crashed into a patrol van that New Years; all because of that goddamn bump. That morning, after we made love between the tetrapods, we kissed and watched the sunrise set the heavens ablaze. Or maybe it was just smog from Thilafushi. Who knows. It was a long time ago. All you know is you had a good time.
We pass by the flag, and then speed up as we go through that impeccable section of road they always keep nice for the tourists because their lives are more important than ours. We pass carnival, waving at our friends going the other way.
You wonder to yourself, why are some of us going in the opposite direction? You convince yourself that you, in your infinite wisdom, are driving in the right side of the road. There are less potholes and bumps on this side of the road see.
Dense traffic, and all of a sudden, Raalhugandu! For the briefest moment, as the spray hits you in the face, you feel an odd sensation. The slightly rotten smell of the salty mist. The way the lights flickered across the dark abyss between the Seawall and the planes taking off the runway in Hulhumalé. A lightness. A heightening of the senses yet a paradoxical relaxing of your inner self. You can't quite place it, but you feel it everytime you pass by this magical place. It is as if you can feel your soul gasping for air.
Did you know you were drowning?
As you pass it, you look behind your shoulder, staring back at it longingly like a burning man stares at the asphalt as he falls toward it from the top of a skyscraper, rushing towards the ground faster than the speed of light. As long as you hit the ground before the glass, you will be fine, you tell yourself. As long as I make it to the ground, the fire will be gone, and with it, the pain.
BALAA ENNU NAGOOBALHAA! KES BE' RANGALHAH BOALAIN' DHO THI INEE!
You almost crash into another couple. You tighten your grip and laugh it off. Your laughter makes me feel that way too. You wonder where the other couple were going, and why they were so angry.
Do you think they know where they are going?
As you pass the line of shmucks waiting for petrol (You're smarter than them! You filled your tank at that special time only you know about when there aren't that many people around! Give yourself a pat on the back for this one!), you think to yourself how it's only a matter of time before Raalhugandu swings on back. It didn't matter which inventive route you took, it was inevitable. Always. Forever. All roads eventually become a one way street. You've already passed it twelve times just this night, maybe one day you'll actually get there.
