Note : This post made it to Super 25 Shortlist of Tumbhi's short story competition 'Somewhere Sometime'.
There were so many who she entertained,
But there was just one, for who, her heart yearned !
His short visits would never suffice. At the break of the dawn he
disappeared, leaving her heart broken yet again. She would shrug it off and
hide behind a mask of her happy face, alluring every passerby she found. In
spite of all the attention they showered, in spite of her offering herself
completely to some of them, she never felt the fulfilment that she attained in
the wee hours of morning with him. The cycle continued for as long as she could
remember.
While the day progressed, she would conclude that she wouldn’t let him
touch her, that she wouldn’t melt in his love, when he came for her. But, when
the night gathered the dark blankets, her admirers left her all alone and her
thoughts inadvertently went back to him. She held her frail heart in the bellowing
wind, whispering her craving for her lover’s company.
Sometime during the night while she tumbled into the yonder of sleep, he
would slip in stealthily and slowly surround her. Before she knew it, she
surrendered to his cold kiss, holding him close, spending moments of pure bliss
until the morning rays knocked on their door.
Days passed, and she lost her beauty – frail and old she became! Her
friends abandoned her for other beauties in their prime. She knew that she had
nothing to offer to them. Loneliness was her only company! She wished for the
day to go by swiftly, for the night to take over, because, even after her
beauty had been vanquished, her lover had not stopped coming back to her. He
did not stay longer than he did before, but each parting was different now.
Difficult even, because considering her condition, they did not know if she
would survive another day in the world. Savoring the little moments they
shared, they continued their rendezvous, bidding many of the last good byes
each and every time.
The seasons changed and the winds of fury blew. She had no strength to
withstand the strong gust and gave in to meet her end.
When she was young, she had once asked him “Why don’t you stay,
if you love me.”
To which, he had replied “You should know my darling, that my
love for you has always existed, right from the moment I set my eyes on you,
when you were just bud sealed in your protective cocoon, knowing that the cruel
world waited outside to devour your beauty, but you peeped out one deep red
petal at a time, slowly, confidently, swaying delicately in the breeze. I had
caressed you before anyone had even discovered your beauty. I thought you loved
me because you were young and did not know of the admirers that you would have,
once you bloomed. But even now you wait just for me every night. I am jealous
of the butterflies and bees for they can bury their secrets in your bosom
throughout the day whenever you let them, but I, have just these wee hours in
the morning before the sun rays touch us. I have to go leaving you alone
because I want to return to you every night. I know that sometimes you wish you
wouldn’t melt in my love but the truth is I melt every single day just to be
with you. Our moments together might be less but remember my love, I come back
only for you. The day you wither I shall annihilate my soul and join you in the
ranks of the breeze.”
The next morning when he visited, he knew she would be gone but he
settled over her remains- the scattered petal that she was and the dew that he
was, having the last of their unseen rendezvous!
