Book of Love 爱神の书

Chapter 5

There was once a man who had a nightingale that could draw envy of everyone that heard it’s singing.

The man was very proud of his asset and vow to treat the bird with the finest food and best of living.

The one day, one of his sons asked.
“Father, do you think the bird love you?”

“Why not? I give it the best of the available there is. Its food and its living in the finest of cage to rest”

The son was puzzled.
“Father, if you love the bird so much why do you lock it inside a cage?”

The man had no answer.
He was afraid that the bird would fly away and never return.

“If the bird loves you, it will never fly away from you”
The boy continued.

The man looked at his son and did what he was told to.
He slowly released the cage and set the bird free.

The nightingale flew up upon the sky and circle around the man.
The man then tried to whistle and signal the bird to return.

However the bird did not comply.
It flew higher and further away from the man never once turn it’s head to look back.

The man was devastated.

Days passed, weeks went by.
There was no sign of the bird.
Every day the man would look up in the sky in vain hoping that the bird will return one day.

The man had given up all hopes of finding the bird.
Finally he realized that love is something that cannot be forced.
As the man slowly walked into his house, he heard the nicest chirping sound that ever produced.
It sounded like a beautiful ballad being played in the open.

He looked up and saw two nightingales flying towards his house.
It looked the same one that he had let go.

The nightingale had found itself a love mate and brought it with her back to the old man’s house. It was chirping merrily along with the male nightingale as they landed on the old man’s hands.

“If you love someone very much then will you let go of her?”

Cold sweat felt through Mark’s hand as he moved to the keyboard to type.

“Are you Jade?”

Mark knew it was impossible.
Jade had gone for such a long time.

There was no reply.

Again he waited, until the group was back from lunch.

“What happened to you man?”
Shaun looked at the pale Mark.

“You looked as if you’ve saw a ghost”

“Worse…”
Mark was trembling as he told Shaun about the ‘Pschye’ that replied his blog and the dream that he dreamt last night.

“Wow… that’s pretty exciting you know!”
Shaun exclaimed.

“I guess it’s just a coincidence because there’s no prove that implies these two events are directly related.”

Mark didn’t reply as Shaun went to fetch him a cup of warm water.

“Why don’t you take half a day’s rest? I’ll go tell boss on your behalf”
Shaun patted his back as he made his move into the boss’s office.
Mark slowly packed his briefcase and left the office.
He was still unable to recover from the events that had happened.

Was it really a coincidence?

Mark didn’t know for sure.

He had hoped it wasn’t.
He missed Jade very much.
It felt as if it was only yesterday when he last felt her hands.
But deep down he knew it was impossible.
He was the one who dress her up on her deathbed.
He was the one who put the roses in her cold hands.
He was the one who didn’t listen to her advice.
He was the one who caused her death.

Mark walked into a café nearby his office.
He just wanted a place to sit down and reorganized his thoughts.
As he tried to reach for his wallet in his briefcase to pay for his coffee, Mark felt something else inside.

It was the storybook that he borrowed yesterday.

“The book of life at 15”

Mark found a couch at the far corner of the café and began reading the book.

It was on her twelfth birthday when she was married to another family as part of daughter-in-law / servant deal.
Her mother-in-law was a wicked lady whose seventh year old son was a mentally handicapped.
The girl had to wake up in the wee hours to fetch water from the well that was several kilometers away.
She had to be back before five in order to prepare breakfast for the family.
There was once she was late due to the rain had caused a landslide somewhere near the well. She had to go further to fetch the water. However, she came back late and was severely beaten by her mother-in-law.

Mark took a yawn as he flips through the next page.
He then saw the same hand written quote somewhere below.

“If you love someone, you must learn to let go.
If your love is felt, she will return one day.”

Mark jumped up from his couch in surprised.

Mark was no longer interested in the story.
He then quickly flipped through all the pages to search for more hand written quotes.

Mark found the quotes.

“I know it’s my fault but I must go on, I must live for you”

The he eagerly flipped through again.

“I missed you very much, somehow I know you must be miserable alone”

Finally Mark came to the last page of the storybook.

It was supposed to be a blank page but there were paragraphs hand written on the page.

Mark began reading.

“Ying ,

“The same smile will always be there along with the rosy cheek that blushes each time happiness is felt within you. The eyes of innocent youth will look forever the same..”

Some things haven’t change isn’t it? I wish so much everyday that I could see you once more, not only in dreams but in reality.

I want to feel you so much but I guess it seems impossible now. The days that you’ve gone has come to a hundred and it seems like only yesterday we were having those little strolls along the park behind our house.

Sometimes I want to tell you how much I love you, how much I’m willing to do for you, how much I would rather give half my life to God in exchange for your presence.

But I guess all this ain’t gonna be true once more. You had left me to walk with God in heaven. The little angels send me a dream of you last night. It was about how we first met. Of course, I would not forget about it .. but yesterday was like history relived.

Knowing you was a blessing but having you by my side was a miracle indeed. Somehow I never thought I was of your standards.
You were like the angel with the most beautiful wings spread open whereas I was only a lowly being who look so inhumanly from young.
That’s why I’ve always treasure your attention so much.

Time… I think is a very strange thing. When you’re with someone you love. It always seems so short… but when you’re missing someone… time always seems so long.

One of the happiest moments in my life would be our first date.
Those days of being young are coming back to me once more. You looked great with the red dress with floral design all over.

I never think cosmetics make us a better person, especially you. For you had the rosiest cheeks without the enhancement of artificial product.

Remembering back the date.. when we said walking was a form of romantic expression when money was really the main problem? I remembered how we walked from the whole east coast beach to your house at katong. No one has ever calculated how much we’ve walked over the years.

Perhaps a few hundred kilometers ?

I think you must be lonely being alone in the clouds of heaven sometimes. You always dread about loneliness didn’t you? I could remember the times you often complained about the loneliness you felt being the only child in your family…

Loneliness is something which we all will feel throughout our lives. I do hope the angels above can spread their wings of love upon you. I will be strong, I will be mindful of my actions, my speech and my desire. I will lead life as much as you want me to, I will live for you.

Taking life each day as it comes, nothing will be too big a barrier, nothing will be too small to be left unnoticed. I will wake up each day a happier person because life itself is a gift, a gift from the creator of heavens.

As I looked back to the days we’ve spent, knowing that memories will only be there for me to relive once more.

I thank the lord above for the gift of life, even though sometimes life is miserable when we fall, the strength that we develop to pick ourselves up is something not things that are taught, these are the things that we are supposed to learn. Lastly, I love you, and you know I really do. Please wait for me….

Yang,”

The wreath inside him was released the moment he finished reading. Mark just couldn’t control himself as he cried in the café.

He knew there were eyes that were lurking on him as people surrounding him were surprised that a full grown adult crying in the middle of the afternoon in a café.

“Sir, are you ok?”
The waitress came on to check.

“Yeah.. I’m fine.. sorry”
Mark said while wiping his tears.

“Don’t be… it’s good to let your heart out once in a while. This book must really be a sad story.”

“No.. It’s not because of the book. It’s something within me. I’ve been bearing with it for a long time already.”

“Then you should let go. Carrying a heavy burden all by yourself is miserable”

“Yes.. I’ve finally thought through it.”
Mark let out a sigh.

“Great! Sir, please enjoy your coffee then”
Mark looked at the waitress’s nametag as he took a sip of coffee .

“Sharon, You know something?”
“Yes?”

“Coffee actually taste bitter when you are sad”

“Of course, when you are sad you won’t feel the sweetness”

“Oh before I forget. I’m Mark Lee”
Mark reach out his hand for a handshake.

The waitress smiled and shook his hand.

Mark walked out the café a happier person that day.
However, he was interested in finding out the person who wrote on the book.

Somehow he felt closeness to the person named “Yang”.

What had he been through?

Did both of them suffer the same fate?

The only answer was to trace the borrower from the library database.
Mark then proceeded to the library.

-------------------

“Hi, I would like to check the previous borrower of this book please?”
Mark approached the stern librarian.

“I’m sorry Sir, we do not provide such services”

“Why?”

“We do not review any particulars/information of any members to anyone”

“Look, I’m serious here. That person is a close friend of mine.
Somehow I lost his contact numbers and now I have something which I need to pass back to him personally.”

The librarian did not response.

“Ok, you check for me and call the person for me. This way you won’t reveal any information to me and I can get in contact with him. Deal?”

“Alright.. you look urgent enough”
The librarian takes over the book and scans it.

Mark was waiting eagerly.

“Sir. Is your name Mr. Mark Lee?”

“Yes? That’s me”

“This book has only been borrowed once.. and the borrower is by the name Mark Lee”

[To be Cont]

Book of Love 爱神の书
Chapter 4

If you weren’t existed in this world, how would the lives of the people around you be?
Will they be happier?
Will they be sadder?
Will this world still be the same?

All of us asked ourselves this question at least once in our lifetime. Some were asked upon by others.

What is the meaning of existence?
Why were you created to suffer at the point of birth?

Some people are born rich while others struggled to survive through a day’s meal.
Some people are born smart while others struggled to get themselves through colleague.

You looked at those who are financially stronger than yourself.
You envy their abilities to get what they want.

Then you would ask yourself
“Why were you born?”

Be it a mistake, a moment of extended pleasure or even planned for by your parents.

Your very existence means a lot to the people around you.

You give your parents someone to scold when you don’t well for your grades.
You give your classmates your notes to copy or normally it would be vice versa.
You give your friends moments of laughter when all of you get together.
You give your first love to your crush.
You give your first girlfriend your first kiss.
You give your parents their first allowance.
You give your wife her first wedding ring.
You give your child their first breath of life.

Then you looked back at all the memories that you’ve gain and all the others that people remember you for.

Isn’t it wonderful that because you are existed to experience the meaning of life?

“Love is you, you have to love yourself before you learn to love others”

“Do you know Love, Mark?”
The voice was familiar.
It came from someone whom Mark hadn’t heard a long time.

“Where are you Jade?”
Mark tried to sweep the white mist that was surrounding him.

“I’m nowhere or you can say everywhere”
The voice replied.

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“I… know Love..”
Mark replied.

“Love is you, you love yourself before you can love others”

“Then do you love yourself?”
The voice continued.

“I… I don’t know”

“Mark, if you don’t love yourself then how can you start loving others?”

“Why must I start loving others?”

“If you don’t love others, how can you go on?”

Mark didn’t answer.
“Mark, let go of me in your inner heart. Let me go, I don’t belong to this world anymore.”

“We promised to be together forever didn’t we? Isn’t that what love is all about? Eternity?”

“If you love someone very much then will you let go of her?”

His eyes were wide open by the sound of the morning alarm.
Mark tried to close back his eyes to go back into his dream.
As much as he wanted, he just couldn’t get back to the dream anymore.

Finally he picked himself up and washed himself.

Mark looked into the mirror and there were dark circles surrounding his puffy eyes.

He had dream about the past, something which he had tried to put behind after such a long time.

As he log on to his blog, Mark looked at the phrase that Psyche had left.

“Do you love yourself in the first place?”

Mark stared blankly until a knock on his door brought him back to reality.

“Are you going to work today?”

“Yes mum, I’m changing now”

As Mark left the room, a picture of Mark and Jade was hanging behind the door.
The picture was taken a long time ago.

Mark went out quickly after taking a quick breakfast.
It was later than his usual time.

The MRT was still as packed as always. Mark had board from the front cabin as he tried to avoid the girl from yesterday. More importantly he was trying to avoid the middle age women who gave him a dress down.

As Mark squeezed into the middle area of the cabin, one of his files knocked onto someone and dropped on the floor. Mark bended down and tried to pick up his file.

“Sorry…”

“It’s ok..”

As both eyes met, both pair of pupil expanded with surprise.
It was the girl from yesterday.

“Are you trying to look at my underwear today?”

The girl’s glared could instantly kill him.

“Eh… hey, I didn’t mean it yesterday. It wasn’t purpose.”

“So you mean you are on purpose today?”

Mark was lost for words and sweat came rolling down as he was afraid that she will scream and calling him a ‘pervert’

“Nah.. I don’t think you are such a person”
The girl pushed up her specs and smile.

There was a feeling of relived felt through all the veins throughout his entire body as his blood continues to flow once more.

“Phew… I’m glad you understand”

“Of course, I’m not a beauty anyway, even if you want to prey, you would have prey one someone wearing less, someone sexier?”

“Don’t say yourself like that ok? Well these aren’t the most encouraging words but if I’m really a pervert I will surely and definitely prey on you”

The iceberg seems to crush in between them.

“Why are you in the front cabin today?”
Mark asked.

“To avoid you loh! You know how embarrassed I was yesterday?”
The girl tried to cover her face as she blushed once more.

“Ok, you deserved an apology. I officially and sincerely apologized to you”

Mark spoke as he bow down his head for a moment.

“Next stop…Yishun station”
Announced over the announcement system.

“I would be alighting next, so where do you alight?”

“My workplace is at Raffles place”

“Wow.. office lady yeah?”

“Yeah.. kinda, I’m an accountant.”
The train had stopped and the doors had open.

“Oh.. before I forget, my name is Mark, see you tomorrow at front cabin?”
Mark handed her his namecard as he made his way out.

“See you Mark… my name’s Jade”

Mark stood at outside the platform as the door closes.

“Her name’s Jade?”

----------------------------

“Hey bro, you are late today… “
Shaun greeted Mark as he entered the office.

“Yeah, I had a bad night”

“Tell me about it man…”

“I dreamt about Jade last night”

“Jade? You mean your university’s sweetheart?”
Shaun stopped typing and turned to face Mark.

“Mark.. you still can’t let go?”

“I don’t know”

“I mean, sorry to say this but she had gone for so long”
Shaun walked over and pat on his back.

“You ought to get your life going”

“I did ok? I’ve got so many girlfriends after her”

“And all of them you really loved?”

Mark didn’t answer as he knew Shaun had saw through him.

“Come on bro, don’t think too much”

“Ok, let’s get started on this busy day”
Mark replied as he switched on his desktop.

He logged onto his blog.

Mark then keyed in.

“I used to love myself very much, then something bad happened. I realized that I do not love myself anymore.”

Before he got electronically buried in the tons of emails that clients all over the world sent.

Soon it was noon.

“Hey Boss is bringing us out for lunch today”
Christine announced after she came out of the boss office.

“Great! Let’s have a good lunch!”
Shaun cheered.

“Please leave me out… I want to catch a short nap in the office”

“Ok loh, you don’t want to see him right? After he screwed you yesterday?”
Christine trying to bitch.

“Nah. Work is work. I’m just very tired”
Mark replied.

“Ok, maybe we will get you something when we are back later”
Shaun looked at his tired friend.

“Yeah…”

Mark went to make himself a cup of coffee as the group left for lunch.

As he came back, he log on to his blog once more.

As Mark looked at his tag board, there were full of unanswered questions as the next reply came.

“If you love someone very much then will you let go of her?”

It was sent by Pschye.

[To be Cont]

Book of Love 爱神の书

Chapter 3


You flip open your wallet, a picture of the two of taken together stands out.
The both of two were smiling and hugging like the end of the world in front of the camera.

To him, you had the most beautiful pairs of eyes.
To her, you had the sweetest of smiles.

Then you look at the mobile phone, the wallpaper being decorated with the unity of bonding picture of the two of you.

You keep all the messages that you’ve sent to each other.
The history of records goes as far as the birth of the new phone.

A special ringtone differentiates that someone from the rest as you will always be happier with that ringtone coming out from your phone.

You would start missing that person the moment you can’t settle your heart. Every happiness and sadness he/she would be the first one to know.

Someone who shared your memories, someone who walked you out of your darkness moment in life.

Then finally you ask yourself.

Is that person someone whom you loved the most?

Is that what Love is all about?

I don’t know.

I only know the person that who I loved the most on the very last moment I’m alive.


Mark stared at the screen with blankness.

“Do you know love?”

Those were the words that he was always asking girls that he’s dating.

“They don’t know about love as they probably only want companionship, they want attention and someone to pamper them.”

As Mark continued to look at the monitor, he realized too that he was not able to answer the question outright.

“Love is something that hurts you the most.”

Mark turned around and saw Christine behind him.

Christine tried to divert her attention to the neatly arranged files that she was trying arrange.

“Sorry, I just took a peek”

Christine apologized and made her way to the ladies.

“Love is something that hurts you the most?”

Mark keyed into his tag board, he couldn’t explain why but he just had no answer at the moment.

“Maybe Christine is right.”

Mark thought, hoping that ‘Psyche’ will reply.

As the day goes, Mark waited patiently and constantly checking on his blog.

There was no reply.

The day of an office work life comes to an end when their boss decided to leave the company at five. The dull spirit awakens through the loss of authority and control.

“Arghh… Let’s go for a drink tonight?”

Shaun offered some condolence.

“Nah..”
Mark rejected the offer.

“Oh.. Come on buddy… You had a bad day already”
Shaun tapped on his shoulder.

“Nah it’s ok pal, I’m ok man. Tomorrow is another brand new day right?”

Mark packed his bag and moved on.

Nothing seems to be in the way of obstruction for someone who is knocking off from work.

Not even a heavy rain, thunderstorm or earthquake can shattered the feeling of calling it a day at work.

The streets are bubbling with the peak hour crowds as everyone was making their way home on any form of transport available.

Mark moved against the flow of traffic.
As his small steps stroll through the crowds, his mind was still thinking about the question.

“What is Love? How much I know about Love?”

Mark recalled all the girls that he dated.
All of them claimed they loved him very much.

“How much?”
Mark would always ask them back.

“As much as you loved me”

“What if I don’t love you at all?”

“It’s ok, as long as you continue to go out with me. Whether you love me or not it doesn’t really matter right?”

“Why are we together when I don’t love you?”

“Because I love just being with you”
Mark always didn’t understand what they meant.

What’s the point of being together when one party doesn’t feel the same as the opposite?

Shouldn’t Love be equal?

As his thoughts began to settle down, Mark found himself standing in front of a rather old building.

It was the library as the signboard suggested.

Mark walked in thinking that the place would offer some silence in the crowded areas.

The library was peaceful and quiet as always.

Mark examined through the arrays of neatly arranged books on the shelves. He wondered through the fictional section, as stories would excite him as much as he remembers.

“The book of life at 15”

It caught Mark’s attention as he took out to read the synopsis on the back page.

“What do you know about life?
Have you ever taken a step backwards to look and reflect on the things that you have encountered?
Do all the things that happened to you change you to another person? What is the life of a 15 year old to you?
Do you still remember how it is like to be 15?”

Mark took out the book and started reading.

The beginning of the story was talking about a 15-year-old girl’s life in a poor family. How the family wanted to give her up to another family in bid to allow her to be raised properly. In the end her parents didn’t as they couldn’t bear leaving their child.

As Mark flipped through the pages, he came to a page with some hand written scribbles on the book.

“Love is you, you have to love yourself before you learn to love others”

Mark had no idea who wrote the sentence on the book but that sentence really struck him like a landslide.

Mark quickly borrowed the book and headed home.

After finishing his showers, Mark checked his blog once more.
There was no reply again.

Then Mark typed on his keyboard.

“Love is you, you have to love yourself before you learn to love others”

Then he waited.
There was no reply again.

Feeling down, Mark went to his couch and continued reading the book that he borrowed.

The story of the 15-year-old girl began with her childhood different other people. She has lesser to eat, lesser to wear from her brothers as they were fed to grow strong. It was a male dominant society as boys were raised proper and good with prospect of supporting the family later on. Girls were just eating the leftovers as the only thing they can do was the house chores.

Mark closed the book as it was rather late and the sleep bugs seems to start biting on him.

As he moved to switch his computer, there was a reply on his blog tag board.

It was Psyche.

“Do you love yourself in the first place?”

[To be Cont]

The Lowest Point of Life

Do you have friends or colleagues who always tell you?
“Oh shit… I'm very broke this month” then you realized they've got a new bag or they start showing you their latest watch.

It just rubs into my wound as they kept whining about their poverty which actually means that they do not have money to spend, not because they do not have money.

When was the last time you were down to your very last dollar?

This is not any part/chapter of my story; this is my life… as a real person.
As I withdraw $30 from the Auto-teller, the machine prompted me a receipt.
I remembered I didn't ask for one as I know it would be a confirmation of my savings account.

$8.94.- or in words, Eight Dollars and Ninety-four cents only.
Even the machine mocked me.

This is all I have until month end, until this month's pay is out.

Those who know me in real person would not have believed it.
Maybe they won't have expected it anyway.

Wifey's not well.. I don't allow her to work for now.
She's got a series of check up and scans coming up and it meant expenditure again.
I'm worried about her health, as much as the financial health that we are in.

What's in the future?
5-roomed Flat?
40 tabled 7 coursed Customary Wedding Dinner?

As I continued to think and wonder, the more I drift into state of trance. I can only cry at the movies so that my wife will not suspect that I'm really sad over my current situation. I cried because I need the emotional release that I'm up keeping. I had to be happy and cheerful all day, to keep her encouraged at the very least.

Fear had taken over me and the beginning of losing my confidence and oath that I’ve made during our registration.

“Who's going to give me happiness? Who's going to give me unconditional love? Who's going to give me a lovely home?”


“I DO” I said as I looked into her eyes as all the above questions appeared in the mist of seconds.

“I do” is the shortest sentence in the dictionary yet one of the sentence who bear the most responsibility.

I really do…

As I wondered how to increase my income, it had to be something which requires the lowest form of investment.

Money makes money… it's a known fact but there should be ways otherwise.

- I keep working hard everyday at work.

- I ever thought of going to the extend of cyber begging.
I even setup this blog below but I never kick start it anyway because of pride.
http://still-in-debt.blogspot.com/

- I also hope my thrice a week investment in Singapore Pools will finally yield something someday.

- Finally I decided to write stories in my blog. The objective is simple.
I start because I want human traffic so that I can earn from advertisements.

It’s not true to say I’m not very least interested in writing.
But my desire is more, because of the debts that I’m holding at the moment, because of the determination that I want to fulfill my goals.

I hope you don’t feel cheated when one day you came into my blog and realized that I’ve placed advertisements around.

It’s the very least of effort that I’m trying to generate some income… as I picked myself up from my lowest point of life so far…

Book of Love 爱神の书

Chapter 2


As you flip opened a book today, have you ever wonder.
How many books do you think existed in this world?
Millions? Billions? Millions of Billons?
I don’t know about the true figure.
Maybe nobody bothers to count it anyway.

Book existed a long time and would exist until maybe all the trees in the world are chopped, shredded into pieces.
It has come a long time when we began learning about life.
Books bring with them vast knowledge and meaning of things which we don’t know, we don’t realized.

Could you still remember during young times when our teachers would ask us to treat a book gently?

Do not draw on your book.
Do not tear away pages that you like.
Do not keep the book for yourself as good things must be shared.

And most of all.
Love your book & your book will love you in return

My name is Mark Lee.
I'm a healthy male & turning 28 this year.
I cannot say I'm handsome although I have been constantly compared with a Taiwanese singer by the name ‘Leehom’.

I love sports, especially cross training running and swimming.
Do not imagine that I have a well toned body as not all runners are like that.

Hobbies?

Other than my sporty lifestyle, I love corresponding with people. Maybe that explains why I’m in the line of Customer Service as I’m a Customer Service Engineer in a Multi-national company.

I remembered that I also like reading, although I’ve forgotten the last book that I’ve read.

My ideal kind of date would be to find a cozy place, have a drink or two and talk about everything under the sun.

My ideal girl friend is someone who understands the value of our relationship. Someone who knows me enough and is willing to let me comprehends her as much.

Do you have the same hobby as me?

Are you someone who understands what love is?

Drop me a note.

Perhaps we will know each other better…”

-----------------

As he keyed in the last words,
Mark took a stretch after starting his online blog.
It was something that he wanted to do for a long time.

Everyone has a blog nowadays. It seems like people like to correspond online and save the meaning of meeting up unless you are good looking enough.

“What do people know about love nowadays? Two people that never see each other except web chat can also get married.”

Mark shook his head as looked at the clock.
It’s 7.45am and he’s all set for work today.

The journey is the same everyday for the last 2 years.
The routine tour of Bukit Panjang town as the LRT moves around before it reached the MRT stations as he traveled to Yishun.

Mark was always at the last cabin of the train.

It was something that he had done since the first day of work. Theoretically the first & last cabin should have the least people as it is the furthest from the escalator.

The crowd onboard the last cabin had a few familiar faces. People who he doesn’t knew but shared the same place in the last cabin throughout the 2 years.

There were the usual office guys & ladies heading for town, students heading for school and there was a bespectacled girl who always keeps her head down reading.

For 2 years, Mark had always wondered what book she had read.

“She must love reading a lot based on the fact that an average person can finish a book within a week…”

“Wow..! That’s 104 books at least for 2 years”
Mark tried to hide his exclamation in the train.

The he did something which he hadn’t for the last 2 years.
Mark took a step forward towards the lady.
The he advances, until he was right in front of her.

The girl did not react to him.
She continued her attention on the book.

Mark tried to peek at her book.
Unknowingly to him, someone was staring at him from behind.

“What you looking at pervert?”
A woman in her forties suddenly shouted across the cabin.

The girl looked up and Mark stared at her.

The woman walked in front of the girl and start scolding Mark.

“You pervert! You were looking at her down blouse right?”

“Auntie, I think you mistaken…I never”
Mark tried his best in defense but the attack came too strong.
“I saw you looking at this lady from afar, and then you advanced to take a closer look right?”

“Auntie, I was looking at her book”

“Looking at her boobs right??”

With all the commotion going on in the cabin, the girl blushed and tried to hide her face with her book.

When the train reached Woodlands, the girl made a dash for the exit as she could no longer bear the embarrassment.

The train door closed before Mark could react.

As the woman continue her scolding and swearing at him, Mark make his way to the front cabin still couldn’t understand the bad luck he had early in the morning.

Deep down he had hoped the girl will not be too bothered by the incident.

-------------

“What's with the black face?”
Shaun asked as he saw Mark walking into the office.

“*Sigh* Bad luck! I was looking at a person’s book then was framed that I was peeping on her”

“It’s normal lah…”

“What normal?”

“Normal to say you look at her books instead of her boobs lah brother!”

“What!? Even if you don’t believe me??”
Mark wanted to throw a file to Shaun’s table but was stopped by Christine, the undisputed office bitch.

“Eh Mark, boss looking for you...”

“Over?”
“Over Customer complains… what else? Your product didn't reach on time. If not for me, boss might have fired you already.”

“Yeah, if not for you, Boss would not have known”
Shaun talked back as Mark heads into the Manager's office.

After an hour of thrashing and verbal assault, Mark was out from the rings of fire injured emotionally.

As he tried to recover from the physiological blows, Mark begins surfing the internet.

“I wondered anyone been to my blog?”
Mark thought as he typed his address on the address bar.

There were some counts from the counter bar he had installed.
Then he went on to see the shout box.

There were no tags.

“Maybe it's still early”

Disappointed as he was, Mark wanted to close the web browser.
As his mouse went to the ‘cross’ window.

A short message appeared on his shout box.

It was his first tag.

“Do you know love?”

It read.

Its sender,

Someone named Psyche.

[To be Cont]

Book of Love 爱神の书

[ Preface ]

Every beginning of a book will usually have a foreword or a preface before the introduction of the real story. A preface is a piece of short writing usually written by the author for saying thanks to all those who’ve helped and supported him throughout the good and bad times of writing.

I had thought about it.

If I would to thank anyone, it would be most probably be you.

You, the person who’s reading as your eyes scrolled down the screen as these words flow.

You, the person who spotted the mistakes in my grammar and spelling errors that even Microsoft Words can’t.

You, the person who commented the likeness of the story and possibility spread it out to your friends and colleagues.

You because without you,

There will not be any stories at all.





[ Chapter 1 ]


I chose to be smart rather than wise,
for I know wise only mean you have been through a lot of sufferings in life.
I rather choose the road and know what’s ahead before experience it then I will have a chose to take the route or not to.
The only route I chose wrongly in life is to love you, that’s why I’m wise in love now..

Do you believe in Cupid’s arrow that created ‘Love at first sight’?
Well Cupid’s arrow is not the only thing that is related to love.

What if I tell you there’s a book existed in this world that can tell you the person whom you loved most and the person that will love you the most.

A book so mysterious, that only few had seen it throughout centuries of time as nobody ever finds it. Tales and legends that come with it often ends up with the book missing after revealing the truth.

Would you want to take a look?

This is the Book of Love.

A book that was written by Eros (who was also known as Cupid), in ancient Greek times when he declared his love for the humanly form Psyche.

It was recorded in the writings that ancient gods were jealous of Psyche’s astonishing beauty that challenged their status.
Eros was sent by Venus to cause Psyche to fell in love with the ugliest man on earth. When he saw Psyche, her beauty struck him as he too fell in love with her.
Eros then tricked Psyche in believing that he was some ugly monster and she was to marry him but cannot see his real form.

One day Psyche saw his god-liked feature through the encouragement of her jealous sisters. She then fell in love with him immediately.

However Aphrodite, goddess of love (also known as Venus) rebuked their unity, Eros pleaded for his heavenly mother.

“What is your Love for him?”
Aphrodite asked Psyche.

“My Love for him is beyond the heavens and seas.”

“Then die for him. Die for your love if your love is real.”
Aphrodite challenged her.

Psyche went on to prove to her and killed herself.

Eros picked her body as it laid motionless.

“If you die for love, your love will die as well”
Eros told Aphrodite, as there was nothing he could do to stop Psyche.

“Then you tell me, what is love?”
The goddess of love wanted to know from her own child.

To which Eros replied.
“Love begins with nothing but ends with everything”

Aphrodite looked at Eros as he continued.

“Love is like a book;
You began writing the first page as you met her.
As you get to know more about her, the more pages you are able to fill in.
The book of love will only stop when your love for each other stops”

Eros took out a book and threw in front of her.

“This is my book of Love, this is the book which has written the person whom I loved the most and the most whom loved me the most”

Aphrodite flipped through the pages as she examines the book.

As she read, she was touched by the pureness of love that still existed.

Eros then killed himself to save Psyche from Hades.
However he was in turn trapped as Hades used Psyche as bait.

Without the god of love, the world became a dull place.

No one knows how to love anymore.
There were no feelings of love as humans carried on their life monotonously. Few died but there were fewer birth.

Upon seeing the world at the stage of collapsed.
Aphrodite personally went to Hades who lost all his respect from other gods and goddess for creating this mess.

Eros and Psyche were freed eventually but never see each other again as they put on mask to cover themselves.

Only the book of love will tell them where they are now.

“So if you have the Book of Love, will you want to take a peep to see who is the person you loved most?”

Mark suddenly realized the receiving end was dead silent…

“Hello? Still there?”

“Oh yeah… where were you?”
The girl replied over the phone.

“I was in the middle of Greece”
Mark replied.

“Huh? You crazy arh? You were saying something over a book.
Sorry I think I dozed off”
The girl yawned.

“It’s ok, you have a good rest”

“Why so fast hang up? When are we going out again?”
The girl eagerly asked over the phone.

“When you been to Greece and come back”
Mark replied as he hung up his phone.
Mark stretched himself as he got up from the sofa and walked towards the window.

The night was very quiet in the neighborhood.

The moon was shining bright from the clear sky and many lights had already turned out.

“What is Love?”
Mark asked himself as he looked at the moon.

“Does this book of love really exist?”
Mark turned to look at the ‘Greek Mythology’ book on his table.

“Why can’t I love someone for real?”


[To be Cont]