The sky coloured with vibrant hues of purplish blue, just post sunset, painting a picturesque scene which bestowed very rarely, as the sky was usually decorated with a reddish tinge which would completely melt into bluish black as the night would set in! The moon seemed in all its grandeur a royal sight adorning the sky. The dulcet tunes of the crickets emanated a soothing effect to the entire atmosphere. She stood gazing at this serene sight, the irony being, she herself bereft of this serenity. Her entire being was turbulent with unrealized feelings and agony. Her being seemed engulfed by a melancholy of a different sort. Her chocolate brown orbs held no more tears as they all but resembled hollow pools devoid of anything! She had shed enough tears already, so much so that they too had left her side now. Alone she was, all alone!
Sighing deeply, she moved towards the kitchen to make a roti for herself. She was all alone in the house with the Tripathis gone to Jagratha at a relative's house and Babusaheb and Didi gone on a short trip, just to spend some time together. And this made her heart clench in inexplicable pain. If left to her she wouldn't even have prepared the roti for herself, preferring to drown in her agony, bare out all her sorrows infront of the empty walls and inanimate objects, all that she had suppressed within her, without any disturbance or fear of somebody overhearing her! But since she was in charge of the house, she had to make sure she had to be alert and proper. She already seemed to drain out emotionally. The last thing she needed was to faint! Half-heartedly she made two rotis for herself and swallowed them with dry pickle. Moving to her room, she took her medicines not realizing that she was taking the same tablet twice! That tablet was supposed to be taken after food but without realizing, she had taken the tablet, forgetting that unlike other days, she hadn't had any food yet! And now she had swallowed another pill which was slightly strong one.
'Clang!' the glass dropped from her hand even as both her hands held her head in a tight grip. She felt unstable and saw the world revolving in circles!
"What is happening? Why am I feeling so dizzy all of a sudden?" she said out aloud. Before she could do anything else, she heard the bell ring. Clutching her head more firmly and struggling to keep herself steady, she made her way to the door and opened it, without checking even as to who it was at the door. The intake of the pills wrongly had induced an intoxication into her system which now had got to her completely!
"What's wrong with you? How can you open the door..." Aditya started saying but halted right in the middle when he saw her sway holding her head. He literally jumped forward and held her hand when she was about to fall, unable to balance. His eyes had widened and his breaths were fast, the panic of the moment lingering within him. Before he could process anything, he felt her pull her hand away with a jerk, making him look at her in complete shock instantly. What he saw in her eyes at the moment left him rooted to his spot!
"Please don't! Just go from here Babusaheb! I might not be able to hold on anymore!" she said and started moving backwards.
"Imlie listen...." Aditya started to say but she cut him off in the middle.
"Listen? That's what I have been doing all this while Babusaheb! I no longer want to listen to anything. And honestly, it's you who have to listen! Yes! Today I'll speak and you'll listen!" she snapped furiously, the flimsy thread holding her emotions together ultimately breaking completely.
Aditya just nodded his head wordlessly.
"You and I, we were married forcibly. Jitna yeh rishta aap pe zabardasti ka tha, utna hi humpe bhi tha! Yet I was blamed. Why Babusaheb? What was my fault? Yes I agreed for marriage when the villagers were about to kill you but you also know that it was to save your life! You were ready to die, but did you give a single thought as to what would happen if your family were to see your dead body? Did you give a single thought as to what would have transpired on your loved ones had you been killed? No, you dint! I saved you Babusaheb because I knew I wouldn't be able to live with this guilt that it was because of me that you...even though none of us were at fault. Do you know before the marriage I had tried to get you a phone so that you could call back home and get out of this situation? Humne apni zindagi me kisika ek sikka nahi liya aur aap toh kisike amanat the. Kisike pyaar they, kisike zindagi they. Toh aapne yeh kaise soch liya ki hum aapko....."
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Seasonal Scrawl | Collection
Short StoryA collection of tales on Adilie, Sairat and Shivi Published On IF