The Last Leaf: A Story of Hope🔊

Once upon a time in an old and decrepit neighborhood of New York, a tightly knit community lived. Most of them were artists, artisans, musicians; some were poets, while others were writers. The place was popular as the 'Bohemian paradise'. Among these peculiar souls were two young female artists named Sue and Johnsy, who shared a flat located in the heart of this community.

Sue was a lively, pragmatic woman, robust with an energetic pulse, while Johnsy was meek, introverted, and possessed ethereal beauty. Despite their contrasting characteristics and personalities, they were inseparable friends, always supporting each other in the struggles of life and artistry, specifically during the ruthless winter that swept the city.

One day, Johnsy fell ill. Her body was frail and weak, shivering in the cold, invaded, and encapsulated by pneumonia. The chill wind became more relentless day by day, battering the windows of their flat, and it was during one such freezing night that Johnsy became fixated on the old ivy vine, growing against the building opposite their flat.

The vine was shedding leaves, one after another, declining with the increasing severity of the winter. And Johnsy, in her weakened and delirious state, started to believe that she would die when the last leaf of that vine fell. Sue tried her best to talk her out of this morbid belief, but the notion had deeply and firmly seeded itself in Johnsy's subconscious.

In the neighborhood lived an old man, known as Mr. Behrman. He was an unsuccessful painter who was always claiming that he was preparing a masterpiece that would astound the artist community. After hearing about Johnsy’s bizarre belief from Sue, Behrman agreed to help them.

That night, a fierce storm attacked the city. Sue cradled Johnsy and prayed for her health, while looking anxiously at the ivy vine from their window. But miraculously, a solitary leaf clung steadfastly to the branch, refusing to surrender the gust.

Morning dawned, and with the dawn came hope. Johnsy looked out of the window and saw that the last leaf was still there. It made her believe in the sheer willpower of resilience. It gave her the belief that if a leaf could battle against all odds, then so could she. Miraculously, her health began to improve from that day, her life force started to return and her cheeks regained a hint of their lost colour.

Meanwhile, Behrman caught pneumonia and within a couple of days, passed on. The neighborhood mourned the loss of the old man but also discovered his final masterpiece. Sue, staggered to the window to find that the vine had been bald for many days. The leaf her friend had seen was actually a piece painted by Behrman, on a night of the brutal storm, a replica so realistic that even nature had been fooled. The old man’s masterpiece saved a life, but he had to trade his own.

The neighborhood and particularly Sue, felt a profound sense of loss, but at the same time had reason to be thankful. They found hope and courage in the direst of circumstances, all thanks to an old man’s paintbrush and his unsung masterpiece.