SUNSET – a conspiracy in the sky of burning red and tangerine glow, an eternal spectacle.
On the edge of the creek, a painter sat, the silent swishes of her brushes capturing that splendrous scene. She got up and stepped back to admire another captivating art piece.
Art was her life, a deep love that uplifted her spirits and brought a smile to her lips.

Aruna put down her brushes and sat by the water’s edge, staring across the silent creek as the sun slowly disappeared in the horizon. She inhaled deeply, the soft fragrance of tranquillity that had become a close part of her life since she came to live in this interior region. She had needed to be alone, to be away from the world since that horrific accident, to find some calm to make the pain less.

She still woke up at night though, hearing her screams and feeling the impact of the collision that threw the car in the air, trapping her inside.
Fate had literally torn up the script of her dreams, her world crashing in a dark wild as she laid in a coma for two weeks.

Her fiance Bryan had miraculously not suffered severe injuries whilst her family was faced with the fear she might not survive.
“If only he had not been speeding,” she had kept saying to herself when she regained consciousness, “If only he had listened to me when I asked him to slow down.”

That could now not change anything, for when she was shown the damage to the left side of her face, she had screamed in horror and wished at that moment she had died.
Bryan, after recovering from his injuries, had visited her often, giving her the comfort she needed, but after seeing her face, his visits had become less, his messages few and one month after her discharge from the hospital, he had broken off their engagement.

Tears misted her eyes as she sat there by the creek, a lonely figure, and she voiced quietly, “So much for love.”
It had hurt her, but she had to stay focused on what was more important for her, and that was the plastic surgery to reconstruct her face.

The cost at one of the best clinics overseas was more than her family could afford. Time was lost as they tried to acquire the funds; the stress had started to affect her mental health, and Aruna had felt she needed to be alone, somewhere far.

An old friend of her uncle owned a cabin in the woods that was safe and secure. The peace and being surrounded by nature did wonders for Aruna’s state of mind. She began painting again and sent her pieces to art studios to sell. It didn’t bring in much money, but she was thankful for it, to add to the funds for her surgery.
“I guess I need a miracle,” she sighed as she settled down to sleep, “I wonder from where that could come?”

She had cut her long hair and styled it so it could fall over the side of her face that was damaged. It helped to hide the unattractive look whenever she crossed paths with tourists who visited the region. It happened sometimes as she looked for spots to set up her easel to paint. She never looked at anyone to greet them but raised her hand and lowered her head.
Time went by, and one day in mid-August, she had set up her easel by a small waterfall, focusing on capturing that beautiful scene, when a smooth deep voice said behind her, “That’s a beautiful scene.”

She almost dropped her brushes, startled a little, not realising a small group of tourists had come to the waterfall.
“Yes, it is,” she said, pulling the hair over her face and keeping her head lowered so she didn’t see who it was.

He noticed, though, her nervous reaction and smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She nodded her head slightly in acceptance of his apology and looked up slowly as he joined his friends at the waterfall.
“Wow!” was all she could say as she packed up and left.

She worked on other pieces for the next two days, then went back to the waterfall, hoping no tourists would be there that day. She was sitting on a rock, her bare feet in a narrow rushing stream, when she heard voices. She turned around and saw the tourist guy who had spoken to her with a native guide, back from a hike.
He raised his hand to her, “Hey.”

She raised her hand a little, hoping he wouldn’t come to speak to her, but he did.
“How’s your work going?”
“Good,” she said with a little smile, not keeping her head too lowered, and a sudden gust of wind blew the hair that was covering her face away. The shocked look when he saw her face gave her a feeling of dread and she turned away.

“It’s what I’ve been avoiding for so long,” she cried in frustration back at the cabin, throwing her paint and brushes across the room. Her mother, who was spending time with her that week, tried to calm her down, holding back her own tears.
“I can’t talk to anyone,” she continued to cry, “I can’t look them in the face. How long more do I have to live like this?”

Her pain was heartbreaking but her mother, crying quietly, managed to calm her down.
A few days later, she refocused on her work and finished the waterfall scene, sending that and a few other pieces to the art exhibition. All her paintings were sold but, again, not at a high price. It was for her, another disappointment but three months later, she received some astounding news.

Her waterfall painting, bought by a tourist in Georgetown had been entered in an art exhibition in New York. It had been entered with her name as the artist and sold for an amazing sum.
Aruna couldn’t believe it!
“Is this the miracle I was waiting for?”

The money was paid fully for the plastic surgery procedures overseas, and four months later, she stared at a new person in the mirror, as beautiful as she had been.
There was now a blessed light in her life.
“Thank you, dear Lord,” she expressed, “For the new me, to live my life again, and to that mysterious person who helped my painting to sell.”

In December of that year, she was at an art exhibition with some of her work when a voice she recognised said behind her, “Beautiful artwork.”
She turned around and felt a kind of joy when she saw the tourist guy from the falls.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile.

He looked at her for a short moment, then said, quite pleased, “Now I get to see the artist and her smile.”
“Sorry about that time. I wasn’t in such a good situation.”
“I know, I saw a girl, though sad, passionate about her work.”

Aruna felt happy to be able to talk to him now, and he told her he was back to look at some investments.
As they stood there talking, the exhibition organiser stopped by and said to him, “Mr. Brody, I see you’ve met the artist of the last painting you bought.”
Aruna looked at him, surprised, “You bought one of my pieces?”

“Yes, the waterfall scene.”
“What?” she stared at him in disbelief, “And you entered it in the New York exhibition?”
He smiled and nodded.

“Oh my God,” Aruna exclaimed and sat down, feeling her knees going weak.
“Why did you do that for me?”
“The pain I saw that day on your face touched me, and I decided to find a way to help you.”

With deep gratitude in her eyes, she got up and hugged him, “Thank you so much.”
“Well, I guess it’s worth it,” he said with a little laugh.
She stepped back, a new feeling of joy filling her heart, for he was a stranger who showed her concern at her worst moment and helped her in a way she did not expect.

He extended his hand to her, “Never got to tell you my name. It’s Matthew and I’d like to be your friend.”
She smiled happily and took his hand, “I’d love that.”