The Last Droplet -Part 2 ....The Last Song...

The sound of flowing water nearby calmed his mind a little bit but the uneasiness was still there. The emptiness was in the soul and not in the mind yet he believed it's all a state of mind, after all a man has the power to control the mind he thought. It was still early morning and there was lot of work to be done before the actual day began. Those random flashes of moments and memories was frustrating, he tried to divert his attention for he had to leave, he had to let go. he went inside the kitchen,  a usual neighborhood slowly coming to life from slumber caught his eye. There was the vegetable vendor shouting at the top his voice, kids running in school uniforms with the moms running behind them to give their lunch boxes, make them eat, handover forgotten items so on. He smiled at his own self for he wanted to talk, share the emptiness around him, discard it somehow. 

Life had given him much more than he wanted and he had taken it for granted for what he thought was living, yes he had done it all he thought, lived it all but damn still that emptiness around...the feeling confused him at times, he could not believe he was helpless, no, he was not, he thought. he had always wanted to explain but she would not have understood, like all the others in his life but she was different he thought, she might as well would have or she would have atleast listened, tried to understand him he was sure. 

She had made him laugh all the while she was around. He remembered her smile when he had whispered in her ears...There was a glint in her eyes, a naughty yet playful one and beautiful her smile was. His face turned grim as he was gazing aimlessly from the kitchen window. the kids had disappeared, the lane outside his house was empty just like the emptiness around. No, he thought to himself, he had to find a way, nobody could control his thoughts only he would, he Decided...as always! He diverted himself once again, in making early morning breakfast, scrambled eggs and bread toast he thought, just as he took out the pan a familiar scent of tea rode in from the kitchen window...again it brought back those flashes to his mind ....she always had tea in the mornings. He gazed out again but couldnt see who was making tea. He did not want to have breakfast anymore. 

Music, he thought to himself and suddenly a smile appeared on his face. Yes music could divert his mind, he then rose and switched on his laptop, took out a random playlist and the voice of a lady sprang to life. The outcome however was not as pleasant as the song was, it was an old hindi song "tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa to nahi ....shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi..." the smile disappeared, not because it reminded him of her but because songs had this uncanny ability to suit themselves to the situations. was it just a coincidence? he thought, probably it was not. He switched the player off. He went to the kitchen window again for at last he had found a way. he decided he would live all those moments and relive them when he felt like for they were a part of him and couldnt be discarded. She was safe in those moments and no one could take her away from him. A moment longer he gazed out of the window at the empty street, one look at the wall clock told him it was time to get ready for the day's work.

 He closed his eyes for a moment allowing those flashes to merge within his soul, enchant his mind, slowly opened his eyes a smile slowly made its way on his lips, his eyes had the hint of calm in them, his mind was at peace now. He took his clothes and made his way towards the soothing sound of the water filling in the bathroom, humming the same old hindi song, with the smile still intact for he knew he was in love all over again, yet he had no regrets...his heart knew she understood. The song had explained everything...it was the last song he had sung to her....."Only melodies can capture the strings of emotions, especially those which hearts understand".....the door closed behind him, the humming of the song continued.

To Be Continued....

Slithering Sand...

Those eyes had a twinkle in them, the kind which suggests a mischievous idea about to be hatched. He kept staring at those tiny waves on the beach. The thelawalas and street vendors setting up their shops to prepare for an uneventful off season day. One would have wondered looking at him silently staring at those ways with a look of stern determination yet pride, along with it there was the twinkle in his eyes to compliment the sly smile on his slightly plump yet cute face. The smile was the one of power, of having found out a way to achieve his dreams, of having the power to do magic, it could charm millions at that sight, for he had the will, the power to do what he wanted......

One look at him and you would think why would someone like him wander alone at 7 30 in the morning at a beach, why would the parents leave him unattended? After all he did not look a day older than five. He however continued to gaze straight ahead at the myriad depths of the sea in front of him, unfettered by the world starting its day around him. Once in a while he bent down, seemed to clean his shoes of the sand.

Suddenly that charming smile disappeared and he looked a bit puzzled, as if life had thrown him a very difficult math problem to solve. He was still calm and started moving a bit further towards the sea. Each step made him more and more worried and confused, a bit frustrated too...

With each forward step he gazed the sea with contempt, the color now drained off his face. The sea had surely committed a crime, taken away something from this sweet soul who would never forgive it for the loss, for a moment he seemed to pounce on it with great fury, the next he decided not to for he was more cunning and smart than that. he would punish the sea in his own way, when the time was right. 

He then looked at the sun once, with the same contempt, he would spare the sun this time as it was only the accomplice and not the felon. he bent once more, his legs now wading in the shallow waters. The last time, he thought to himself and then with the young bright sun shining he lifted his hand, clenched in tight fist. the smile somewhat returned but he was not fully satisfied. 

A lady watching him went and asked, "And what do you have in your fist?"," 

The slithering slimy sand Ma'am" he replied with a look of disgust. "And what do you intend to do with it?" asked the lady. "I wanted to build a house on this beach with it, a house where me and my friends could all live together, you see I have lots of friends near my house and we have lot of fun together but I cannot take them to the boarding school so I wanted to build a house in which I could take my friends little toys and I would play with them each day as i play with them now. But this sand is mean it slips from my hands every time I catch hold of it and the sea is mean too it holds the sand but washes away my house. Can you please tell the sea and the sand to be my friends and help me? if they want I will take them with me too like my other friends, Please...", answered the boy. 

The lady smiled at him, ruffled his head and with tears in her eyes bent down and picked up a fist full of sand, held it out and as she watched, the slimy sand slithered away from her fingers, yet again........

The Last Droplet

As long as she stood there gazing at the little droplets of dew trickling on the leaves, the reflection of the tiny early morning sun in one of the droplets enchanted her eyes. The soft shiny golden rays danced in the droplet that shivered lonely on the leaf, tickled by the light breeze yet firm on the spot it refused to fall down like its fellow mates and that made her smile. The smile was as soft and sweet as the moonlight, yet cold as the shadows that follow the moon, her beautiful eyes danced with the droplet, yet there was solitude in them...a solitude her mind was content with but her heart did not accept. The smile too had a mild twist, a hint of sarcasm and irony, a glimpse of the storm raging within her and a silent mirror to the shadows of painful memories that dwelt deep inside her heart.

Was she strong enough like the droplet?, She asked herself, watching the droplet still shivering now a bit more violently yet refusing to budge; yes she was, replied her mind, and she was surprised at how nature could be so caring and endearing to show man the gist of one’s life, past and present in the most simplest of expressions.

She blinked her eyes as the sun shone on her face now, only to relive all of her thoughts and myriad experiences. She could feel the moments within her, his caring arms holding her tight as if to never let go, yet he had left as she had always known, always felt, for she knew the cause, she knew he was not her fate, yet her heart was unwilling to believe, to accept or to yield. In his silent yet deep, calm eyes she could see the pain, but there was solace, a feeling only his presence brought to her. She had the courage to defy the odds, to challenge the fate and that was what he admired in her, ‘Woman of Substance’ he called her. She had been in real terms a woman of substance for life had left her no other choice. He had a charm in his eyes that looked through her; neither was he the most fascinating prince in town, nor had he been the perfect romantic every girl would want, but it was for what she felt in his presence, a connection she never knew the reasons for, a feeling she could never explain.

That cold night they had been together, he cooked for her and they had shared a meal, his eyes had deep love for her, yet she had the feeling maybe all was for the last time. She had always known this would end but she didn’t want it to, not so soon, not now, her heart wept, he held her in his arms and they talked for what seemed like hours. She longed to hear those three magical words, something she had never heard from him and knew she would not and she did not expect him to either as she understood he needed time. Theirs was an unspoken world of feelings and emotions they could neither explain nor justify but tonight was different, tonight was magical.

As they talked that night, he had suddenly come close to her and had whispered in her ears “i want to surrender myself to you”, it was a beautiful surprise for her as never ever would a man of his demeanour would be able to express such a thing. She had looked into his eyes with innocence and surprise and had been speechless for a while. She held him tight for the most magical moment of her life had passed and time would never repeat itself. She feared it was the end nearing, maybe he had sensed it in her....he had closed her eyes, wiped her silent tears and silently swallowed the pain. He had been strong, always, he thought he had to be for who would protect her if he became weak. He knew he had sinned in the past and that kept him away from her. It was a baggage he could not shed and for that he had to leave her, he had to go away, as they were extremes and extremes seldom met.

She shook herself from her reverie, the smile now absent from her face, the droplet was now still and tiny, the sun shone brightly on it. She continued to watch as it never gave up fighting till the bright sun and its fury erased the droplet away.....”It’s a magical sight when extremes meet, it’s called ‘the horizon’” she thought to herself and smiled once again...... 

P.S -(The above story is pure fiction with few excerpts from the life of a dear friend whom I thank sincerely......to all my friends, do leave your valuable comments.)

To be continued.......