Organisers Note : This is a well written story by Rashmi Hazarika. We were going to announce only 3 ranks but we all agreed that this story deserved a special mention. Happy Reading!
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LITTLE OLD CAFE
The old cafe at the end of palm street stands still with time. Its an quaint victorian style cafe, which evidently stands out from other contemporay cafes that have come up over the years in the small town of Hethburn.
Ardeen, has been a regular visitor to this little place during his summer holidays.
Every morning he would get on his bike, wearing his casual attire of denim shirt with a t-shirt underneath adorned with knee ripped jeans and ankle length brown boots.
As he rode past the old town the gentle summer breeze touches his sunkissed face and his long wavy hair sway with the rhytm of the wind.
As the smell of freshly baked ginger breads welcome the customers to this little cafe, what Ardeen loves about this place is its weather favourable sitting arrangement.
On a sunny day like this, he loves to enjoy his morning cup of hazelnut coffee with cinnamon rolls sitting by the porch of the cafe and on rare occassion of a rainy day, he loves to sit by that small oak wood table facing the window, watching the hurried pace of the passerbys in search of a shelter.
On a peculiar rainy day, as Ardeen was enjoying his usual steaming cup of coffee with cinnamon rolls, his attention moved from his scrumptious breakfast to the gentle tinkling of the bell on the cafe's door.
He gazed at the figure who has just entered the cafe, drenched by the monsoon rain.
The man was clutching a leather bag by one hand while trying to balance a pile of books from the other hand. He took the seat by the corner of the cafe and tried to dry himself up.
Ardeen was particularly curious yet spellbound by the presence of this unfamiliar face.
He tried to observe the man from the distance and was charmed by the composure and calmness that rest on the face of the person.
The man ordered a cup of ginger lemon tea with cinnamon rolls. And a gentle smile came up on Ardeen's face as he watched the man savouring those rolls.
He got that sudden urge to hold the man's weather beaten hands and to keep on looking into his dreamy eyes.
Ardeen had no idea how much time has past, but after a whileit has stopped raining and the man got up from his seat and left the cafe. While leaving he paused a little by the door and smiled at Ardeen.
Ardeen's heart skipped a beat and he smiled back to the man nervously.
As the sky turned into an orange hue, Ardeen finally came back to this senses and got up to leave.
While reaching for the door, a waiter hurried towards him with a small note left for him by the Man.
It says ~ Keeping you in my heart forever...love Allen.
- Rashmi Hazarika
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