Tracing Memories

30: C r a c k l i n g

 Autumn came and the leaves from the trees began descending one by one. Previous year around that time, I was going around stepping on leaves only for them to crumble under my feet with a crackling noise. For some reason, I enjoyed doing that greatly and I giggled every time I did that as you watched me with amusement.

But now I was all by myself and nothing seemed as fun. I didn't care for stepping on leaves now that you weren't there to laugh at it with me. I didn't care about the how the sky looked every day at sunset. It felt like someone had taken away all the colors from the world. Everything seemed faded and old.

This thought renewed itself every time I walked through the long and dreary corridors of the fifth sector. The large windows situated at intervals along the entire length of them often brought dry leaves inside and whenever I ended up stepping on one of them, their sound took me back to the autumn of the previous year. Who would've thought things would collapse so quickly.

One morning, I took the routine walk through one of these said corridors carrying a stack of files. The tapping of my shoes and the occasional crunching of leaves were the only sound present to stir up the deadly silence.

I had only gone halfway through when suddenly I saw a group of people coming from the other side and at the centre of it all, there you were, seeming busier than I have ever seen you be.

My feet stopped on their own as I found it hard to move on. I was seeing you after so long I had even lost track of the time passed since I saw you last. Now that I had finally seen you, it brought a relief to my mind. I found myself struggling to suppress a smile as I watched you come closer and closer rapidly.

When you reached where I was standing looking at you intently, you glanced in my direction for the briefest of moments. Your face remained devoid of any expression though, which was understandable since you couldn't let anyone around you have any doubts. Still, I was content with that brief glance for the time being.

I started walking again but I couldn't stop myself from turning back to look at you. I wanted to make most of this encounter as there was no telling when was the next time I'd get a glimpse of you. I continued walking as I looked back and the next moment I ran into a pillar making me fall on the ground instantly, the stack of files in my hand sprawled across the floor with a loud thud the echo of which travelled both ends in seconds.

You and the entire group turned their heads back in unison almost on instinct. Embarrassed, I hastily started gathering my files but some of them went far from me. I looked up at you and found you looking at me helplessly. Any other time you would have run up to me, worried and made sure I was okay but at that moment you couldn't do anything but remain watching, feeling sorry probably for me or probably for the entire situation we were stuck in.

One of the people from the group came forward and helped me pick up my files. I muttered an almost inaudible "Thank you" and hurriedly walked away from there without looking back again, my shoes and the autumn leaves resuming their sound.