Pieces

19. The Shed

The sweet scent of wet leaves mixed with that of damp soil hit my nose not long after we'd entered the woods. There was a pleasant breeze blowing, coming from the direction of the shore. The woods were encompassed in a beautiful, serene silence- the smooth flow of which was only ever disturbed by the frequent breaking of twigs and small fallen branches under the tyres of our bikes and the faint singing of chirping birds. There was something about the woods- the pleasant breeze, feeling cool against my forehead, the thick canopy, saving us from much of the sunlight, the faint sounds of the shore at the distance- that instilled in me a feeling of calm, I'd long since forgotten. As we rode on, my mind was captivated by the most glorious views and I'd never before felt so strongly connected with such pure surroundings- such natural surroundings.

"There is just something about the woods. They're enchanting. They're magical. They're home. And no matter how beautiful place, or how lit a city I see- nothing will ever compare to the beautiful secrets hidden in the woods- just waiting to be captured on a canvas of some great artist."

Marc's words replayed in my mind, as I took in all the sights and sounds. I smiled as I remembered when he'd described to me, his emotional attachment to the place. I'd taken his poetic phrases as an exaggeration and shook off his thoughts and opinions, saying he was biased.

But he'd been right, I mused to myself, as I turned around a dangerous bend. There was something in these woods- it was like entering a whole new world.

A soft humming broke me out of my trance and I looked towards Antonio, who'd been riding ahead of me the whole time. His curls shook softly with the breeze, and though I could only make out the back of his head in the dim light, I could tell he felt as blissful as I did, just by the ease with which he rode. He tilted his head in my direction and smiled for a fraction of a second before returning his gaze to the treacherous road that lay before us.

No sooner than five minutes had passed by, I saw an opening from the never-ending natural tunnel of trees. I couldn't see much at first, but I could tell we were farther from the shore now that the sounds had quite faded.

Soon, we entered into an open field of cotton, followed by maize and corn and wheat. The roads were narrower and it was harder to ride in the mud, but excited, we rode on, till we reached a small cottage- even smaller than the ones in the village. It contained a front porch leading upto a single wooden door, beside which, there was a small window. There were nothing but fields in all directions, for miles ahead, frequented only by a few cottages- some much similar to the one we'd halted at and the others even smaller.

A man sat on the front porch steps of the cottage, his head rested against the grey walls of the cottage, his eyes closed in exhaustion. His eyes fluttered open as we approached him, dragging our bikes along with us. He looked at Antonio first, and his face lit up in recognition.

"Oh, Antonio! Aven't seen you fo days!" He exclaimed, as he got up from his position and placed an arm around Antonio's shoulder. "How av' ya been?" He spoke in a strong Italian accent. I could barely distinguish the words he spoke.

Antonio smiled at the man. "I've been good, sire." He said, then he turned his gaze towards me. "This is Garima. She's come from India." He said with a relaxed smile, never taking his eyes off of me.

It was then that the man first acknowledged me. He threw me a warm smile. "Welcome to Italy, Gareema! You liking yo trip s'far?"

I nodded, unsure of what to tell him.

"So what bring you ere, in tis little town? There nothing much t see!" He said again, his smile a little more faded now.

"Actually, she's a friend." Antonio, said at last. "I wanted to show her around. Would you have the keys to the shed?" He got straight to the point.

I almost sighed in relief, but I checked myself. I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell his father about Marc and the real reason why I was in Bosa, in the first place.

"O'course! O'course! We aven't opened the thing in a while though. Not since Marc left it locked." He said, as he turned towards the door of the cottage went in, and fetched a key. Then, as he was handing it to Antonio, he turned towards me and said, "My boy said, 'Papa! You must not open it till Antonio ask you to! You may open it only after a mont!' I had always been curious as to what malice the lad did in there but I couldn't bring myself to break his wishes. Well, lucky ones, off you go! Do return to tell me what lays in there." He finished, before returning to his place on the porch, and resuming his nap.

Antonio and I looked at each other a moment, then he led the way to the nearest little shed. The road was winding and treacherous, so it took us longer to get there than expected. The shed was the same as the house- it looked old, with faded cream coloured walls, and only a door and a small ventilated window. We parked our bikes at the back of the shed, then carefully made our way around the front. Antonio unlocked the shed, and pushed the door open, but at first, it wouldn't budge. He pushed harder, and it finally gave away, revealing an old dingy room, filled with paintings. There were brushes strewn all over the cool dusty floor, a number of palettes, with dried up paint, a number of colours and pigments of all kinds- with bottles half turned and half emptied. The place was a mess, but amongst all the mess, there in the middle of the small room, right below a light bulb hanging from the cieling- there was a single stand. The stand still stood upright, with a half-drawn painting, supported against it.

I smiled as a wave of familiarity kicked in.

That was the moment I knew: I'd found the final piece.

a/n:  I know it's shorter than most of my chapters :( and Sorry if I disappointed you, but I couldn't reveal it all at once! At least now you know the secrets Marc had been hiding in the shed :) Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) 

Please, vote, comment and share and leave your honest opinions!

Also, this chapter is dedicated to @ShaantanuKrishnan - another friend who encouraged me to continue writing this story. He's new to wattpad and has posted a series of beautiful poems so far! Make sure to check it out- you will not be disappointed :)

P.S : I've now also started posting "Pieces" on another writing website figment.com . So if you're on there, make sure to follow me- I'll follow you back. :)