I lie in my bed
with numbness gnawing away at my soul, the eerie silence broken by the
occasional beep of the heart monitor, I wriggle away in pain when I am awake I
scream in agony when I wake up from my dreams I curl up into a ball with knots
of self pity and anger holding me in my place.
Just the one
thing which saves me from darkness is a single warm memory, it flickers away
like a candle in the wind, vulnerable yet strong, I feed on that memory, I find
solace in the fact that I still have
A year earlier
Amidst the valleys in a
serene place, there were two who were lying gazing up at starlit sky
No matter how far they saw only dewy grass
with beads of snow engulfed them, all within the cusps of the snow capped
mountains, they felt tiny among the mountain yet looking into each other's eyes
they felt infinite.
it so happened that they watched a shooting
star, she asked him to promise him a wish, whatever it may be, he asked for
nothing as he already had her, he agreed to her whim as he was helpless bound
by her doe like eyes which reflected the moon.
As for her she wished to wish something but
could not ask for anything more at that moment, yet she felt the need if not
for gain then At least to bind the moment with something rigid so that the
memory always shimmers no matter how many eons go by
At Present
(Mayuri
lay in bed with contraptions of every kind around her, and swollen eyes of her
family and friends are witness to her suffering, she had been assigned a
psychologist who goes by the name of Pratyaksha)
Pratyaksha: it's been four weeks since you suffered the acid attack;
I am here to listen to your account and to help you overcome it, to come to
terms with the reality
Mayuri: reality! that's a funny word, when you have been
through what I have endured the word seems so irrelevant doc, I can't stand to
look at the mirror I loathe to hear this voice of mine, it's like my whole
existence has been an illusion, I may come to terms with the world again but
never again would I truly be able to comprehend the concept of reality
Pratyaksha : Your face may still be repairable, you need to
be optimistic you must set an example
M: I am not weak doc, nor do I lament for the loss of my
beauty, don't ask me to be brave!
In My dreams I suffer the attack every day
I Remember how they tossed me about like a toy, I screamed my
lungs out in defiance, I remember the stench of liquor on their breath, I gag
every time I remember, I shudder when I remember how they shoved the acid down my
throat, I stopped screaming then but that didn't stop them!, they tore off my
clothes and like that was not enough they doused me in acid and left me burning
both inside and out!
I lay there
helpless for hours, with each second parts of me died, I ceased being daddy's
little princess, I was no more than a nameless ghost, I deal with the torment
even now, I envy the corpse that I was about to become than the person I am
now!
Pratyaksha: I hope you will come out of your agony soon, and
I sense that the young man outside will have a part to play in it
(Pratyaksha leaves enter Akshansh)
Akshansh: hello beautiful!
Mayuri: sarcasm?
Akshansh: no! Relief, now our complexions match, no more will
I hear the taunts of me being a monkey with the princess
Mayuri: you're a dog!
Akshansh: woof! Now stop moping and take your meds
Mayuri smiled but was pained
by what Akshansh had to endure, although he remained the clown for her sake his
swollen eyes betrayed him, she could feel his agony when he kissed her, she
could feel his self loathing when he stared at her scars, she may be the one
who was burned but the inferno scorched him equally
Akshansh was at a loss at why he couldn't cry, he felt
stranded and miserable yet tears chose to abandon him, it was not the scars of
her face that bothered her, yet when the memory of her smile or the dimples
which popped up when she laughed, the frown which crept up her face, the
freckles which reddened when she was angry haunted her like a ghost, how could
they not it was like a painting whose canvas was torn.
But he missed her voice even more the one which was as
annoying as loose Change jingling in the pocket when he was angry at her and as
soothing as a lullaby more often than that
He was
grateful that she endured the attack but the void left due to it was forever
empty, he tried to fill it with rage, with thoughts of vengeance but that
seemed just to fill but a small part of the void which seemed to be a vicious abyss.
He dreamed
every night the same dream in his dreams she was chased by the wolves, no
matter how much he stabbed or shot the fangs ripped her apart
She was as
proud as a Peacock as was her name but now she was broken, no matter how strong
she projects herself, he saw right through the facade
Due to the infection which festered in the
wounds Mayuri's health worsened her kidneys were giving up unable to cope with
demands, so was her liver, yet for the sake of her parents, for the countless
women who looked up to her she carried on.
Yet one day when her lungs ached with every
breath she took she decided not to torment herself and Akshansh anymore, she
was expecting Akshansh to visit her and was happy to see him arrive
Mayuri: Akshansh do you remember that night?
Akshansh: yeah all of them, which one are you referring to?
Mayuri: that night under the valleys where I asked you to
promise that you would grant me a wish
Akshansh: yes I remember my fingers still tingle thinking
about it, I feel the dew on my eyes like it was yesterday
Mayuri: I think I am ready to make the wish, come closer.
Akshansh: I love you with all my heart but what makes you so
cruel!
(Akshansh
was weeping the tears which abandoned him for so long finally came raging in
like a tempest)
Mayuri :you promised me and I want it fulfilled I told you
well before I am quite stubborn, after all you always knew I was high maintenance
type
Akshansh
chuckled at her sly remark yet he was bound by his word he granted her wish and
turned to leave, never to be seen again
A year later
Pratyaksha
was standing amidst the same Valley Mayuri talked about, she understood now how
it helped her overcome her grief, she walked down towards her Lodge which was
newly built along the foothills and was shocked to see Akshansh there, on further
enquiry she came to know he owned that place
Pratyaksha: you loved her didn't you? She was lucky to have
you, she told me about the promise you know it's nice to see you honor her
memory like this she was indeed lucky
Akshansh: I loved her enough to be able to kill her,
even this chilling cold ceases to worry me, I walk through hell each night, I
walk upon a bed of coals yet I feel brave, At least I loved her enough to let
her go!
(Akshansh
turned and left to take a stroll)
Pratyaksha stood there
shivering with grief and pity at the same time, she knew what he meant and
remembered how they thought Mayuri died in her sleep yet as she understood the
gravity of Akshansh’s words she knew he had killed her, she considered handing
him over to the police but then he saw in the lobby a photo hanging beside a
vase of black roses, there weas blood still fresh on the thorns and beneath Mayuri's
smiling portrait were words scribbled in crimson
“The price I paid to keep my word
And the
crazy things I did for love"
She
decided to leave Akshansh as he was, forever trapped in his own prison