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Do read and review this. Random Monday morning stuff!
Through Love's Eternity
"Why did I do this!" And he punched the Bag.
"You're a heartless human, Mr. Shravan" and he punched again.
"You don't deserve her at all", this time he punched it so hard that the first layer of his knuckles tore apart to let out a stream of blood, oozing from his bruised fingers.
It was Shravan who was punching a Sack to relieve his frustration. There was a pin drop silence around, and pitch dark blackness, till eyes could see. Only his heavy breaths and occasional sobs could be heard. Rest, there was Nothing. And that's what his attitude had earned him -- a perfect 'Nothing'.
The girl who cared for him was on the verge of getting paralysed for the rest of her life. His brother Pushkar hated him after he revealed that he did this on purpose. And his very own conscience revolted every minute.
He could feel a soaring pain all over his body. It was like his veins were ripping themselves apart. It was like sleeping on a bed of thorns. Maybe worse.
He hit it yet again, this time, a greater gush of blood followed. But this was nothing as compared to what pain he had in his soul right now. It was so much bruised, so much suffered.
Before he could punch anymore, a sharp beam of light shot across him. His eyes winced, seeing the brightness. The brilliance of the light was blinding. After it sobered down a bit, he opened them to see a white figure approaching him.
As it swept across the room and reached near to him, he realised it was Sumo.
Dressed in a perfect white, she looked no less than an angel. He was so overwhelmed by her eternal beauty.
But wait, she was crying!
"Shravan! What have you done?!", She mumbled softly.
She took his hands in hers and blew her breath over it. Shravan could feel a tinge over the bruise but it was relieving.
She tore her dupatta, and wound it over his knuckles.
"Don't ever do that!", She warned him sweetly.
Shravan was dreamily gazing at her all the while.
"I'm sorry Sumo... I'm... I'm really..."
"Shhh!", She pressed her finger over his lips. "Not a word"
"Suman!", He cried and moved closer to engulf her in his arms. She too lifted up her hands to take the hug, but something went wrong, terribly. She was trying to lift it up but couldn't. Her voice too was filtering and words could not come out of her open mouth. Shravan was so bewildered at this.
"Sumo! Sumo! Sumo!"
A loud shriek by him and everything went blank. She disappeared out of thin air, leaving behind the black, again.
He screamed for one last time:
"Sumo!!!!!!"
...
"Thudd! Thud!!"
And he woke up with a jolt. It was a bad nightmare. He looked at his knuckles, they were fine. No bruises or any white cloth. A glass had fallen from the side table which had awakened him.
Sumo lay in front of him, on the Hospital bed. She had tried reaching to the glass but it slipped down just as her struggling fingers touched them. She had stretched all her nerve to reach it, but couldn't.
The frustration on her face was evident.
Shravan immediately reached out to her. He helped her half sitting body to lie down completely. There had been loads of improvement from physiotherapy but still, she was miles from getting alright. Only her torso could move, that too by a lot of effort and till a very less extent. Her hands and legs felt zapped.
And the more Shravan saw her ordeal, the more miserable he felt. It wasn't fair to her. And the more he cursed him.
He moved to her and gave her water.
Her eyes reflected "Sorry" for waking him up.
"It's ok! Relax", he said. She smiled at him. Words weren't necessary to communicate.
As she closed her eyes to rest, he went back and settled on his chair.
"Destiny has been cruel with you, Sumo. But I won't let it trouble you now. I'll accept you as you are. It doesn't matter to me whether you can walk or not. If you can't walk, I'll be your legs. If you can't speak, I'll be the words for you. If you can't lift things, I'll be your hands. And it's not because I feel guilty. It's because I love you enough for it to last a lifetime.
It wasn't that I loved you for all that you could do,
I loved you, because it was you!"
This OS is based on Sonnet 14 - If Thou Must Love Me by Elizabeth Barrett Browning which emphasises the fact that True Love is for Love's sake only and lasts a lifetime. An excerpt from the Sonnet:
But I love you for love's sake, that evermore
I mayst love on, through love's eternity.
Kumkum Bhagya
