Cara Evelyn

Chapter-10

~The past beats inside me like a second heart.~
-John Banville-

Beginning one's journey on Earth, everyone holds his glass jar of life tightly grasped against his chest, protecting it from the storms and pains, holding it tightly to prevent it from falling to the ground and breaking into a million shards of unrepairable substance. Filling this jar with every memory that he makes throughout his journey, a person carries his past everywhere. This past contains all the glitters and tears and all the dreams and rainbows of his life that he lives through and is meant to make him smile no matter what. He may smile that it happened or he may smile that it's over but nonetheless, it's meant to make a person smile and not cry.

My life jar was safely placed under the shade of a tree near the graves of my parents. I never tried to hold on to it unnecessarily because things are meant to be and it's better to accept one's past rather than crying over spilt milk.

Unfortunaly, things were not same for Cara. She was a person whose jar was all shattered and bending down to collect all the lost memories from the ground, she had fallen over and lost herself in the fading treasures of her life. Having a strange obsession over her past, she had fallen irrevocably in love with it and had a strong tendency for adoring sorrow even if it hurt her.

I realised it the next day when I woke up from a peaceful sleep after playing in rain puddles on night streets with her. It was really early in the morning and Rob was still asleep. Quietly, I got ready in his cabin and walked over to my study where she had been sleeping all these nights. Tapping the door lightly, I stood back and waited for her to open the door but no reply came. I waited for a few moments before deciding to leave and let her sleep a few hours more.

I was about to turn when I heard a soft jingle of bells and a strange urge to open the door and peek over her sleeping silhoutte took hold of my heart. It was completely wrong but for once, I wanted to see her calm and relaxed posture...away from all the wildness that she carried around every moment. I wanted to feel her serenity.

My hand lingered over the door knob before I made my mind and opened it a creek, trying to be as quiet as I could manage. A wisp of her nostalgic fragrance mixed with the scent of old books filled my head as I smiled at the thought of how someone could fall in love with someone's fragrance. I bent over slightly to peek inside the sunlit room surrounded by all the books that I loved so much. What I saw in front of me forced me to gasp audibly.

In the center of a thousand mysteries, Cara Evelyn stood straight as a pole and swirled around so adroitly, I could barely make out any details of her attire. A melodious jingle of bells could be heard and I looked towards the window to see that the three silver bells where missing. Her fair arms were held high up in the air and I could see a soft cloud of silver ruffling over her head. A thin silver ribbon trailed along with her hair. I couldn't make out what it was because she was whirling really fast. Dancing in her jeans, she had me gasping my heart out. Cara Evelyn knew how to dance better than I knew how to breathe.

Standing stunned at the doorstep, I looked at her as she spread out her arms slightly and slowed down. Coming to a soft pace, she spread her leg out and swayed around on the tips of her toes. Her eyes were closed and I felt as if she was meditating. It was until I made out the earbuds plugged into her ears and the wire going directly into the pocket of her jeans where probably her cell phone was held safely. She was dancing to a beat and stealing my breath away.

After a few moments of magical silence, she stopped dancing and I looked at the rose tattoo on her right foot with embarrassment. I was guilty of watching her in her solitude and she might never trust me again but I had a solid reason; she was so difficult to resist.