Once Upon a University Campus

Sweet Slice of Moon

The rough cobblestone path was lined with rows and rows of colourful flowers, the names of which Annika knew not. Back home, she would have known the names of every flower out there, vibrant gulmohar, bougainvilleas, sensual jasmine, delicious parijatha, unremarkable marigolds, velvety roses, devote lotuses, elegant lilies, cheerful daisies, bright sunny sunflowers and hardy hibiscuses. But here, miles away from her home, from her country and continent, the earth smelled different, the grass greener and the flowers unfamiliar. Not that she was unfamiliar with France. She had been there once before but that was long ago and the change in season made a big difference.. It looked so green that she almost thought she was looking though one of those green tinted glasses.

This honeymoon had begun with an encumbrance. Though it could have been just her and him on their private jet, a few people from his work joined them. 'It makes sense for them to fly with us in the interest of time' Shivaay had reasoned. There was some emergency at work and he needed these people to meet up with his team in Paris and sort out the emergency. She had slept through the flight, a combination of boredom and wedding related exhaustion. He was back to his firefighting mode and was in an animated discussion with the two other guys when she saw him last. The next time she saw, she was leaning against his arm and he was snoring softly, his head leaning against her head. He must have been as exhausted, as she was or more, for he kept working through the wedding. The path from the airport to the countryside was long and the traffic, wild. He had slept through the drive while she slipped in and out of sleep.

Once they reached the waterfront cottage, they found the caretaker of the property missing. Her brand new husband had gone back to the village to ask around for the caretaker.She hoped if not for the caretaker, he would find the keys, at least then she could take a warm shower and eat something. The driver smiled at her when she got her bored self out of the car. He tried to strike a conversation but because of the lack of common language, they had to stop after the initial attempts. Not wanting to go far in an unfamiliar place, she stuck to the rough cobblestone path that led to a swing in the middle of an emerald green lawn surrounded by shrubs, bushes all covered in colourful flowers themselves. It was well into the evening, but the summer sun was hardly sleepy.

She sat down on the swing and immediately felt the wetness. The cushions had not been changed since the previous rain.

She shook her head. "What a way to start!" She mumbled unaware of the driver's puzzled looks.

It is definitely not a romantic start to a honeymoon. For the man she knew her husband was, she had expected something more traditionally romantic.. Maybe a surprise.. Definitely his undivided attention. But this supposed honeymoon was taking a different turn. Was she a bit disappointed? She would be lying if she said no. But then she did not have it in her to change things. She knew he loved his work, he loved what he did and he did it with all his heart. She knew what she was getting into anyway. She turned towards the gate hoping to see him back. He was not there yet. She sighed and turned the other way waiting to hear his footsteps. In the stillness, she heard something. It sounded like water. She got up and followed the sound. To her surprise, beyond the bushes was a small stream. At the end of the lawns, a small gate opened to a mossy brick lined steps down to the water. The water was pale green but the sun shining over parts of the stream made it look cleaner. It would be so good to soak oneself in the water.. After all, she had been on a long flight and the afternoon, after touching down had only been humid. She hesitated though. The gate looked old and rusty and the brick stairs mossy. She turned around to notice the imposing cottage behind her. It did look old. The front facade was covered with ivy and she had not been able to see what the actual walls looked like. The walls appeared old, so did the windows and the castle roof right on the corner where she stood.