Letting It Go

xvi.

10th April 2020

Small things can be scary too.

For a few moments nothing happened. The leaves rustled even more, evening sun making the atmosphere more ominous. Footsteps were slowly growing louder; so did my heartbeat. Taking a deep breath, I struggled not to let out a scream. My hands turned a little clammy and I kept wiping them on my wrinkled skirt. The tension was thick as butter.

Radhika and Adeela inched closer to each other, trying to see if they could see anything. Akash was frozen in his spot, his brows furrowed together. Winds blew, making it difficult for us to figure out if the bushes were shuffling because of wind or someone hiding behind them.

I blinked, afraid to breathe. Gulping, I took a step forward, standing on my toes to see if I could see something. It was hard to hear anything over my heartbeats. Since night had fallen, and the lightning here was dull, it was difficult to see anything near the bushes.

A small bark came from bushes. A dog?

We looked at each other, palpable relief on each others' faces. My shoulders sagged, and I took a long breath. A snort escaped from Radhika's mouth. A small shaggy dog came out of the bushes, wagging its tail. Small black spots dotted it's white fur, and it whined softly. Akash stared at him in disbelief. As if saying, I got scared because of this?

Adeela also smiled, her shoulders drooping a bit. Then she blurted as the dog gave us another look, and pointed at the dog, "Hold on. What's a dog doing in here?"

I sighed. This girl can really turn everything into mystery. Akash deadpanned, "Adeela. Its a dog."

Adeela began, "But-"

I said, "Adeela don't. I really can't handle theories on a dog." Radhika nodded, but didn't say a thing. She just kept staring at dog, Adeela, and me.

Adeela sighed. She dropped her hands and turned around. Looking back, she said, "What about the letter?"

The letter.

I had completely forgotten while trying to figure out the bush mystery. Guilt stabbed by heart again, and the ringing in my ears came back. I gulped, as my tears pricked my eyes. Clenching my fist, I refused to look at her.

Akash immediately said, "How about we do it tommorow?" He looked tired and kept rubbing his eyes. It was already dark and this entire place kept giving me weird vibes. Plus, Samjhana episode also happened here.

I nodded, not wanting to talk about it. Ever if possible.

Radhika also said, scratching her arms, "Yes. Maybe tommorow."

Adeela sighed, "Fine." She didn't wait for any of us, disappoint clearly shown on her face. Shrugging, she left. Radhika also followed her, her shoulders dropped. Akash, who was standing behind me, took a step forward to match me. He reached closer, but I was too worn out to care. He said, scratching back of his neck, "I am sorry."