The Unbridled Spirit

Chapter 2

In a dim-lit, quiet room, with a blanket covered around her, Gull was resting in her bed. She was feeling better after she took medicine but she was feeling exhausted because of just resting and resting. Finally, Jane and Will came to meet her. They asked about her health. After this formal conversation, Jane began her never-ending chatting with Gull. Gull was smiling continuously and replying to Jane as well. Will was playing the role of a silent listener. His curious eyes were trying to scan every expression of Gull, he could see, there was something in her eyes... Something different; something new. But what was that? The light reflecting from her eyes was dazzling to his eyes. Why? What had changed in those days? When they met last time it wasn’t like that, what had happened to bring that change?
While talking to Jane, gull suddenly looked at him and asked Jane. “Ahem... Why didn’t you bring Will with you? It’s too quiet without him, no?” Will had always been a talkative guy, today his quietness was out of Blue Moon. Jane and gull both looked up at him. He was so serious... Unusually serious. But suddenly, his eyes shone with mischief and he said “Do you know the reason behind the humans having two eyes, two ears and only one tongue?”, “every wise man knows the reason and uses the eyes and ears more and the tongue less” Both Gull and Jane laughed at this and Jane said: “every wise man does this... Interesting, but, how many times in a decade does this wise man follow these rules? Maybe one time???” Will chuckled at this.
Gull: “So, Mr Wise why is this intellectual so quiet today?” “I wasn’t quiet, it’s difficult to take part in the conversation when two girls are talking.”, ill said, rolling his eyes at her. Jane rolled her eyes at him too and soon she was lost with Gull in chitchat again.
Will sighed and went to a corner of the room. He took the book from the little bookshelf and started flicking the pages. He stopped at mid of a page which said “ You are the knife I turn inside myself; that is love. That, my dear, is love...”, he shivered reading this and closed the book. He listened to Kafka's depressed writing but now he got the proof. He took another book; apparently, was reading the book but actually, he was constantly thinking about something.
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The next day Gull went to the lake and she took one of her favourite books with her. She was reading under the kind shadow of an aged tree; sometimes nature gives us motherly affection just like our grandmothers, offering her lap to come and forget about every other thing, it provides nothing but heavenly satisfaction. The cool breeze was playing softly with her hair. After some time she heard familiar footsteps and then Harman came. He asked about Gull; how was she? Why wasn’t she coming to meet him? He was worried about her after Gull told him about asthma. It was not at a bad stage. But a mild one. She had a bad cough when she had an attack, she told him.  She started reading the book again; aloud this time. She wanted him to listen; to get him to the world where she was going, a new world, so different from this world, that was her world. Harman was listening to her first but then he started reading instead. They were both reading what they want to; She was reading a book and he was reading her; it was like he was reading a poem, was there any poem better than that? Any poem that was so perfect? Was there any poem written with so great a care that there wasn’t any drawback left? ‘No!’ his heart said enthusiastically...
There are certain moments, the moments which are deciding; in those moments, fates are planned, the beats of one heart are made to follow those of the other, the feelings of both hearts are matched, and the seasons of both worlds are made the same; as if everything is being mirrored... He didn’t know what she was saying. He didn’t know when she stopped reading...

After that, they went to the library; a small but aesthetic library in the village. Gull had to return the book and wanted to get a new one. They entered the library; with high walls painted light brown. It had two floors. The ground floor had tables other than the shelves and chairs, to work there. The other floor had only racks containing thick books and chairs to read there. Some chairs were kept near windows, it was always a pleasure to read the fantasy there...
                            ***
Jane was also there. She came with Will to get a book. Will was feeling so bored there. He wasn’t so fond of books as were Jane and Gull, he had always been saying proudly: ‘people reading books are rarely realistic and he was NOT one of them!’  Gull introduced Harman to them as her new friend... They were a little surprised to see him. As Gull wasn’t that good at making friends. Jane was glad to know it and met with Harman nicely. Will also greeted with him a smile on his face, but he felt something strange inside him, but what was that? He didn’t know. He looked at Gull. She was smiling widely to her ears, her eyes were smiling, her lips were smiling, it wasn’t common. It wasn’t ordinary, it was something extraordinary, but there was something that Will extraordinary wasn’t okay, maybe it was only with him? On the other side, there was something new, those eyes were new, that smile was surprisingly new... She was new. 
Gull was searching for a book in a rack when Will came there. He was looking at the book rack then he asked Gull about her. That, she was changed, he wasn’t unhappy, he was just curious. She was static, she was not that talkative, and she smiled rarely. But now, there was a prominent change. After his question, Gull looked at him questioningly instead of replying. Will asked him “Have you ever read Newton's first law of motion?” Gull was perplexed at his question, she was like, “ Pardon? I didn’t get you.”
He smiled and said, “it states something like ‘if some object is at rest, it will remain there forever unless a force comes to make it move', so all I want to know is that”, he cleared his throat, “which forced succeeded in making this stubborn object move?”  Gull didn’t get his question, she didn’t answer him. Will didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, so he laughed and changed the topic. Meanwhile, Jane also came there to look for the book.

Jane took them all to her home. They had an extraordinarily tasty tea made by an extraordinarily mute guy. He was the quietest among all. He was just listening to them while having tea.  After tea, Jane introduced Ken to everyone and Harman to him, as Gull wasn’t someone new to her. Harman liked that boy and smiled during the introduction, the other guy didn’t even smile nicely.

Ken was living with Jane’s family for a long time. Her father brought this homeless child home and soon he became part of the family. He was not expressive at all. . They also tried to know about Harman; his family and his whereabouts. He told them about him briefly. Jane felt he was a good guy and will be their friend also. Gull asked them all to come to her home to have tea and her mom's delicious lunch also. She asked Ken especially to come as she know he will not come the other way, so she asked him specially to come.  He was not as social as Jane and Will were. But he was as important to Gull as Jane and Will. She wanted him to get comfortable being with others. She wanted to make him a little talkative so that he could feel free to talk about himself, to share his feelings.
                              ***

They all came to Gull. Jane and Gull went to the kitchen to help mom. The boys were sitting and talking. Most of the conversation was with Will asking Harman about his whereabouts. Harman was telling shortly. Ken was just listening carefully. He wasn’t feeling comfortable in that conversation, maybe it was because Harman was looking at his time and again as if he was searching for something... After some time, they had lunch. After lunch, tea was served. They were all talking. Gull was talking to Ken, everyone turned on looking at him. Gull was saying: “Finally, Mr Ken accepted my invitation.” Ken just smiled at this. “Thank you so much,” Gull said. Ken just tilted his head a little to accept thanks, as if saying a word was so difficult for him.  Harman was also looking at him carefully. He felt something mysterious. He felt Ken didn’t talk at all. He just responded. He was observing him suddenly he was astonished to see something. It was his chain... There was something tied to it. That was glimpsing from the opened button of his shirt...

Should I tell you what was that?
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