She lay down on her bed, wistfully reminiscing the past. A grisly accident had brought her career as a language coach to a grinding halt. Her stupor was broken by the shrill buzzing of the doorbell. As the efficient and affable nurse handed over the parcel to her, she gazed at it with quizzical eyes.
“20 years back, people saw the shivering hands and the neurological disorder, but you saw the twinkling eyes and the mind brimming with ideas. Sending the first author signed copy of my debut novel to my favorite teacher. Hope you like it. Happy Teacher’s Day”.
It was love at first sound for both of them. Their guitar chords were in perfect harmony with each other, just the way their heart strings were in tune. His deft hands and her mellifluous voice. Her calm and his unrest. Magic it was!
Years later, she plodded down the staircase of their home with a bagful of memories. She broke down as she clutched the shoes he had left behind before submerging himself in the sea. His failures and her triumphs. Her joy and his resentment. Music had entwined two hearts. Music had drifted them apart.
The cool breeze seeped into every inch of her body. She took rhythmical deep breaths and inhaled the chilly air which warmed her heart and stirred her soul. Away from the clutches of patriarchy, she found solace in the lap of the mountains. There was an enigmatic sense of familiarity in the unexplored terrains.
Perched on a rock, she glanced at her reflection in the pristine lake and a gleaming smile lit up her face. They said she was lost, but she had found herself.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The long, lustrous mane that had been fetching her compliments all her life would be a thing of the past soon. It was her identity, they said. She never thought much of her tresses which turned heads everywhere she went, until now.
The next day, social media buzzed with a powerful and extraordinary picture of a mother and daughter duo.
“40- year-old woman goes bald for teen daughter who is battling a rare cancer of the blood”.
Meenal’s eyeballs popped out in shock. There was no mistake! She was indeed face-to-face with her past. But, how was this possible? Was she hallucinating? A flurry of memories attacked her vision and it all went pitch dark.She opened her eyes and found herself wrapped in a gentle embrace.
“You promised to be with me all my life Meenal. I just helped you keep it.”, muttered Rubina with a menacing laughter.
Meenal found herself entombed at the same spot where she had buried Rubina months back to get rid of her for Akash. It was pitch dark again.
There was an irrefutable magnetism surrounding Sahana. With an alluring persona and a boisterous demeanor, she was the centre of attraction at her workplace. She was a free bird who lived alone on her own terms and often ended up sloshed during her weekly midnight parties at the most happening pubs in town. Reya, her colleague, used to envy her carefree lifestyle and many a time wished they could switch places.
With quivering fingers, a dewy-eyed Reya held the thin sheet of paper. The mask was off. It was Sahana’s suicide note which read – “Loneliness killed me”.
Reena paused outside the High Court premises and shut her eyes. Her striking, long eyelashes quivered with trepidation and quandary. This was not her first tryst with a legal institution. Almost a year ago, she had completed her divorce proceedings with mutual consent – mutual for the world and Aman. She had just given in to destiny’s decree. But this time she was prepared to battle her fate with all her might.
Kalki struggled to shove the dazzling embellished azure Kurti down her body. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Less than two years ago, she was inside the same trial room, effortlessly slipping into clothes two sizes smaller than the one currently in her hands. Before she could meander further into the past, she was called out for frantically by her present.
I took part in a Halloween special micro-fiction challenge in which we had to write a tale in less than 50 words using the word “fear”. Continue reading Fear→
“Oh! I have done all the research. It is an excellent day care with encouraging feedback from parents, some of them being my friends. I also liked the infrastructure and aura of the place and felt positive vibes emanating from the staff there. The best part is that they have the facility of CCTV cameras through which I can monitor Kaeira at any time of the day and this gives me a strong sense of comfort and security. I think Kaeira will enjoy the company of kids in the day care and will get the kind of stimulation she probably misses at home. So, I…”
