Dreams from the Picture

By Atemi Kayaky

We are faced with an industrialization phenomenon that makes itself felt in literature as well as in every other subject. The reshaping of literature according to the conditions of market capitalism turns literary products into simple consumables. Newly released literary novels, stories, poems, essays, etc. literary products no longer have an artistic quality, they are consumed quickly and resemble Hollywood movies…

 

Identical, fabricated books adorn the shelves of the bookstore. We are faced with books that appeal to the eye, not to the pleasure of reading. Every day, we are showered with novels whose content resembles a movie script, and the most popular ones are immediately adapted to the cinema. Their styles, plots and even the subjects themselves are extremely superficial, identical books are everywhere.

 

There are quite a few pages in such works, but it is possible to read and finish them in a short time. We would like to say that the reason for this is that it is written in a successful language. However, if we consider that the majority of the people who read these books find it boring and they find it boring, this is not the main reason. The main reason is that in such industrial novels, whether it is character analysis, description of environment and events, a very superficial work is done. Writers don't think about these things. Because – a group of authors should be excluded from this – what is important for authors now is the sales figures and the amounts they will earn, rather than the literary and aesthetic characteristics of their works.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atemi Kayaky
• Release date: Sep 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201870782

Book preview

*****one*****

Dreams from the Picture

Narrow streets were between houses with tin roofs and unplastered. All lives were among these streets, and all children's smiles were in between these lives. When they removed the stone they found, they would look at the insects that escaped in amazement, they would make necklaces out of oleander seeds. They knew how to hide in tree branches while playing hide and seek. They would stagger to fetch water from the fountain. When they returned, their container would be half empty. Then it bounces back to the fountain. On some evenings, they would go to houses with televisions on the day they could buy seeds. If a car could barely pass through the narrow street, how they would examine the visitors with their curious eyes. They would race to help those who asked for an address, and they would carry the nets of those returning from the grocery store. Those who ran balls in the field until the evening would be afraid if they were late for dinner, they would know the beating, but the next day they would run after their burst balls.

Bahri woke up early that day too. But that day was different from usual. Bahri used to think that even the birds were singing happily on the day of the feast. He had quickly climbed the wall of their little courtyard. The April sun was starting to show its light from the roofs of the houses opposite. One by one the windows were opening to the coolness of spring ; Birds, insects, flowers, children were waking up to wake everyone up.

Breakfast was even better today. It was a carefully prepared one, with lots of variety. After breakfast, freshly sewn clothes were put on, and the family hand-kissing session had begun. Afterwards, the most popular holiday visits... Handkerchiefs collected from cologne-scented houses, Turkish delight, and of course, holiday pocket money...

Bahri was happily going to the grocery store next door, holding the hand of her brother Yusuf, who was three years older than her. Since he was not allowed to go alone, he and his brother had taken leave today. That's why he loved these holidays the most.

They gave half of their allowance to their mother to keep them. They combined the rest. On the way, they both had similar thoughts: I wonder if I should buy a ball or a truck? Is it red or blue? No, I'd better buy a few sodas. I'll take it to my mom too. We can also buy rooster candy, which is nice. Also, if we get the roasted chickpea powder, it's okay.

The grocery store next door was pretty big. Except for food and drink; There were toys, sewing and embroidery materials, newspapers, notebooks, pens, tubes, plastic utensils and cleaning materials. Except for toys and sweets, they didn't care at all. As soon as they arrived, they were headed to the shelves where the toys were.

Look bro. Bahri excitedly showed the newly arrived toys. Transparent water guns, harmonica, plastic soldiers... They were all beautiful. On one of the shelves behind was such a beautiful ship that Bahri could not take her eyes off it. It was huge. Obviously he had a lot of money. And even if he did, where would he swim? In the basin? It was best to take a nap with a water gun. He sadly left the ship where he had taken it. He just turned around when he encountered a tall man whom he had never seen before. He stared at the thing hanging around his neck for a while.

I guess you were wondering, kiddo. Before you ask, let me tell you, it's a camera. Said the tall smiling man. How beautiful her voice was. Bahri had compared it to the sound of a kite swaying in the wind. She thanked him with a smile. A little embarrassed, he asked: I know, actually, I saw it on TV. A photographer came to our neighborhood one day. He took a picture of me and my sister. I was very young, but I remember a little.

Really? Lovely. Said the tall man and added: I'm not a photographer though. I'm a painter. Just as I love painting, I also love taking photos.

What is your name? My name is Bahri. My brother's name is Yusuf.

Sener is my name. I am very pleased, Bahri. I hope we meet again.

Bahri and Yusuf were on their way home with water guns, a blue ball, and a few bottles of soda. Yusuf was thinking about the soda he would drink when he got home. Bahri's mind was on that tall, floating kite-voiced man.

Damn, huh! he said suddenly. Of course, Yusuf did not understand what his brother meant. I forgot to celebrate that man's holiday, it's not a shame, is it, brother?

No, why would it be a shame? You'll tell when you see it.

Do you think I'll see you again?

Why not. Today is a holiday, if you make a wish and sleep, you will definitely see it.

Bahri was very happy about this situation. When they arrived at their house, they had first drunk their sodas together. Then they spent time at their friend's house. In the evening, they ate the food prepared by their mothers with care and laughed a lot.

Before he went to sleep, Bahri thought of the ship he couldn't remember. How beautiful it was. The lower part was orange, the upper part was teal. He had seen the sea on television. How people were jumping and swimming. How could those huge ships be able to swim? Had the ship wished tonight? He thought about talking to his brother. He better wished to meet that tall man again.

Recently, his dear friend Murat had moved to Istanbul. What kind of city was Istanbul? Was it as big as they say? Who knows how many ships were passing through the sea every day? When he grew up, he would definitely seek and find Murat and he would definitely get on a ship.

In his dream, Bahri was alone on a white ship. When he reached out to the water, he touched the fish, and when he reached the sky, he touched the wings of the birds. People looked tiny from here. Houses, cars, trees... Everything was tiny. It was such a beautiful journey... When he woke up, he was upset that it wasn't real.

In the morning he woke up before everyone else. He put on his slippers quietly and went out into the courtyard. Today the weather is a little cooler than yesterday. He involuntarily rubbed his shoulders with his hands. The birds are singing again, he thought. After all, it was a holiday today. They would go on a picnic with their neighbors because their father was on leave today as well. They would play their new balls, wet each other with their water guns and have fun. I wish every day was like a holiday, he said to himself.

He rubbed his eyes over and over again, thinking he was still dreaming as he stepped out of the door facing the street. No, what he saw was so real... The wall of their house was painted blue. It was a blue with colorful fish in it. In the middle of the wall stood a huge orange-blue ship. It was just like what he saw at the grocery store. He stood there for a few minutes, not knowing what to do with his joy. Then, for a moment, he stormed through the door and called to Yusuf:

Brother! Wake up quick! That brother I wish to see left me a ship!

*****2nd*****

Kekec

Not because of any speech difficulties or stuttering, but because of his resemblance to Kekeç Salman in the movie Zuğurt Ağa, a few of his friends nicknamed him Kekeç. He was one of three hardworking kids in his elementary school class, half mediocre, half lazy. Back then, lazy kids' report cards were filled with Pass and Fail grades. The Pass grade was a bad grade, even though it was called Pass. The worst was Failed. Despite everything, when the time for report cards came and they showed each other their report cards, all the children, whether good or bad, would be in open and secret pleasure. Getting a report card already meant getting a good grade in the life course.

When he finished primary school and entered middle school, he found himself in a classroom that he never expected. Gone are those beautiful, naive elementary school years. What was that in middle school? Almost all the children were hardworking. It was a selective class. Maybe there were three or five children who could be considered lazy. In almost every lesson, all the children were raising their hands and competing with each other to answer the questions asked. Especially in science lessons, these knowledge-ridden children were almost furious. Tahsin Hodja, the teacher of the science course, was also pleased with this situation. He loved children who asked questions and answered questions. The more he provoked their enthusiasm, the more he wanted to run until he burst. In science classes, there was such a noise in the classroom that anyone listening to the class from outside would think that there was a match inside.

The class was about thirty-five people. In order to answer the question asked in Tahsin teacher's lesson, thirty of them were screaming and jumping into the air, begging the teacher for an answer. If the boy who answered the question had a good job, he would sit in his place as if he was listening to it. Then the noise in the classroom stopped, only the teacher was talking, either expanding the answer or preparing another question. The children who did not get the right to answer were upset and looking forward to the new question.

Kekeç said, what is this middle school? How did these kids know all the questions? Hadn't they all just graduated from primary school like him and came here? It was clear that his own school was uninspiring. Only one friend from elementary school fell into the same class as him. He was not a very bright student anyway, and now he was among the passive minority.

He missed his own friends. Where was the snotty Yalçın, who had no other good lessons than gym class? Ümit, who made a plane and flew the report card full of weak grades, Mesut, who looked at his broken grades and grinned? He felt alone in this class. He was in pain.

Kekeç was counting the minutes when the agonizing science lesson of that day came towards the end. With about ten minutes left, Tahsin Hodja increased the intensity of the question-answer wind in the last part of the lesson. He asked more questions and wanted more answers. Of course, he wanted everyone to attend the class at least once and speak, if possible. This last wave left no flowers unwatered. After the question he asked, Tahsin teacher was bending and twisting, trying to identify the owner of the arm that could not get any right from among the dozens of arms that were jumping in the air. Apart from Kekeç, there is no child who does not raise a finger. He couldn't take the pressure any longer. He decided to raise a finger. However, he had no preparations and was unaware of the matter. He didn't have the vigilance to just look through the book and say the right answer.

When he was the third in his class in primary school, he could not take pride in being in the last place here. It was downright humiliating to not have been able to answer any of the questions yet. The boy who answered each new question correctly seemed to come and kick him in the stomach. Strangely enough, there were no wrong answers to the questions. Maybe one or two of the fifty questions asked were wrong or missing at most. But no matter what, he had to raise his hand now.

Here came the new question. Tahsin teacher threw the question to the class. This time he was proudly in the air grabbing race himself. His hand was in the air now. He was like everyone else. He was part of the class. It wasn't on your own. The children sitting in the close rows who saw the finger raise for the first time stared in amazement. Even that look was worth the risk he took. Questioned fingers began to pierce the ceiling of the classroom again. After a quick look, Tahsin teacher threw the kemendi around Kekeç's neck. He pulled Kekeç from the back rows. He was sitting in the very back. Kekeç was behind in every aspect in this class.

There, Tahsin Hodja said, we have a friend who never spoke, let him say it. He gave Kekeç the right to reply. He didn't stand out in class. Everyone sat down, Kekec stood up. It was more than Kekeç Salman's embarrassment, who screwed up Zuğurt Ağa. He couldn't even stutter. He couldn't say a single word. The whole class was staring at him. It was as if it was forbidden to speak, even to breathe.

Tahsin teacher was the teacher for years. Your friend said he forgot the answer out of excitement. Wasting no time, he had someone else say the answer. After this minor accident, she continued her class path. Kekec remained there.

The children learned a lot in the science class that was full that day. They added information to their knowledge. They asked a lot of questions and gave a lot of answers. But none of them took a course like Kekeç. There was no limit to what Kekeç learned that day.

*****3*****

Handsome

He was very handsome, that was an indisputable fact. When he stopped by the tea garden on the beach, where he was a new regular, on Sundays, everyone's attention was drawn to him. While the girls in the cafe were serving him, their hands would wander around, and it was always up to the men to take the orders. Although the situation where the girls take orders and the boys take them away was perceived by Handsome as a strange business cunning, everyone around him could perceive the truth.

After a while, the shuttles turned into a show of courage among the girls and resulted in a series of clumsiness, and now it's always men who serve the Handsome . Of course, men were not unaffected by Handsome ; It was driving them crazy when the girls, whom they