The Unfinished Poetry √

Part Thirteen

Devasena was running. She didn't know why. She didn't know where to. But she was running. For a long time now, until she fell, completely exhausted, gasping for breath.

No one stopped her while she ran, no one called her from the back. But when she fell, he came and sat beside her.

Devasena looked at him, her eyes welling up and streaming down now. " Amarendra... I am tired... "

Amarendra looked into her eyes, and the stare reflected so much. " Why did you run Devasena? "

" I... I am afraid... I... I will disappoint everyone. I... I am... I am not Raajmata Devasena... I... I...remember nothing... " , and with this Devasena broke up into an immense wail, that choked her and yet seemed to be her only outlet. She cried , because she hadn't ever been so alone.

Amarendra slowly wrapped his hand across her shoulder.

" You are my strong woman. These tears don't suit you. But remember one thing, I absolutely feel you. And I don't blame your tears. "

Devasena looked into him. " They...they stared at me as if I was a museum artifact. As if I just walked out of the painting they had in their shop. I... I couldn't stand before their eyes. "

Amarendra nodded his head and brought out a kerchief. Devasena didn't take it. She rather slowly removed his hands from around her shoulder. " you will leave. I don't need your support. "

Devasena got up. It was supposedly a garden, and she went and sat on a bench. Amarendra too got up and took a seat beside. Devasena wiped her tears with the back of her palm, still sniffing.

" I found you on facebook. Looking for Devasena everywhere had become my habit. And suddenly one day I discovered your newly created profile. The name, the face, and the caption to the profile picture, ' If I love someone, I can be his slave. But not his captive. '

I knew the very moment, it were you. "

They both looked into each others eyes, Devasena trying to judge the utterly calm features of the man, and the significance of the caption.

" That was almost the first night I slept without pills. "

" I... Didn't get you. The caption? "

Amarendra nodded again.

" That was the last thing you had told to me before we left Kunthala, your kingdom. "

Kunthala...

Why? Why even did a cool breeze lighten her heart suddenly? Why did the name ripple down her skin, shivering her in the better way from within? Why did a smile light up her face as she slowly pronounced, "Kunthala... " ?

As if flying to somewhere else, the name created before her the image of a white kingdom shielded with white clouds... She closed her eyes while she kept chanting, "Kunthala.. "

++++

Devasena picked up the call.

" Where the hell are you? " , Avanthika shouted on top of her lungs. She continued shouting while Devasena distanced the phone from her eardrums and kept blinking her eyes hoping for her to end soon.

It was afternoon and she and Amarendra were sitting at a dhaba, having lunch.

" Avanti... I am sorry baby... I was feeling so bad at home that I decided to visit Ujjain. What?... Yeah... Yeah alone obviously... " , she stole a glance at Amarendra who didn't budge and was busy with his own phone.