"Don't go! Stay," He pleaded.
She smiled but continued walking to the door. She wouldn't stay, no matter how many times he begged her to.
It happened almost every day, she would sneak in at nights without having anyone notice her, and would leave by the dawn.
"Look, it's too cold outside, the wild wind is raging to claim its power over the humans. Stay a little longer, will you?" He insisted.
He was hopeful, maybe the winter winds could make her change her mind.
"I have to go," She declared crouching the coat tightly, "Tomorrow!"
While thinking about the amazing night he had, he slid under the blanket. Adjusting his head on the pillow, he fixed his eyes on the ceiling, where he had hung hundreds of soft glowing stars. In no time at all, he was fast asleep.
"Wake up, sleepy head! School time!" His older brother, Michael shouted throwing a paper wrapped sandwich at him.
Having had hardly slept for a couple of hours, He opened his eyes with great efforts. His hair was a mess. His once handsome face now looked sickly and pale. His once gorgeously worked out body was now weakened. He looked so different from what he was like three months ago. However, the sprightly glaze in his eyes was still the same. Those eyes had a bluish hue that would deepen every time he smiled.
He woke up, sure, but his muscles had multiple spasms and his brain seemed to be on a constant strike. Why wouldn't that be? He hadn't slept properly in last three months.
The school was usually one of his favourite places. He was a popular kid; fancied by girls, loved by teachers. He had perfectly lived upto the "good boy" image until this year, but these days, it wasn't going on quite well with him. He looked sad all the time. He had no interest left in studying for the exams. School, people, everything felt so worthless.
He mechanically went to school after being pushed out of the house by Michael.
By the end of the day, he was so tired of staring gazes, low voiced comments and those annoying gossips in the corridors. As soon as the school bell rung He ran straight home and waited for "Her" to join him.
He ate the leftover sandwich, and decided to read a book to kill time. He was carrying that book around for many days but never could finish reading it.
Every day he would lift the book, read a couple of pages, and would find the wounds on his mind oozing again. For this was the book that had been there in his pocket at the time of that terrible accident, it would bring all the unpleasant memories of that horrific day.
He would remember how painful it was to watch them die. He would cry for hours. The pain, the grief was not a bit reduced even after three months.
Nothing in the world had a power to calm Him, except for Her sweet words and Her perfect smile.
He sat on the sofa in the living room, turned the pages that He had already read and started to read further.
"In smooth whiteness of snow, the old man merged so easily that no one could suspect that there lied a living human. He was not feeling cold, now the pain too was diminished. He never felt so safe, he was embracing the mother earth! 'What other place could be safer than this!' He thought. He wanted the mother earth to hug him back; but she wouldn't. "Am I a bad son, mother?" He asked with agony.
"What are you doing down there, you crazy old man?" He heard the stranger's voice and his footsteps speeding towards him. "Leave me alone, I say!" He yelled but the stranger simply lifted him on his shoulders and started to walk towards the village. Stranger's muddy shoes ruined the serenity of the snow. Looking at the muddy patches on the snow, the old man cried silently."
Wow! He closed the book. Was he not just like the old man, yearning to see his mother's loving face, to hear his father's gentle words... He relaxed his head and soon fell asleep.
He woke up when he felt a feathery touch on his cheek. "Mother?" He mumbled. Tears started to gather in his eyes.
"It's me."
He blinked a couple of times and realised that the girl whom he craved to meet the whole day, was finally sitting beside him.
"Hi!"
"Bad dream, again?" She whispered.
"Sort of." He tried to speak, when she gently leaned in and locked him into a warm embrace.
Unknowingly, tears rolled down his eyes. He felt as if those tears cleaned every sign of sorrow from his head. The touch of her palms on his face made him feel so safe.
Moving a bit away from her, he breathed, "Promise me, you'll never leave me."
"Not even in dreams," She said not losing the stare from his eyes. She smiled. The most assuring, the most beautiful smile.
