NIGHTMARE
Silence. It stretched on unabashedly for miles swallowing every lane, every narrow street; every little house lining the edges of the rugged trails yet remained unnoticed. Bare foot and thoroughly exhausted by now, she ran without stopping to catch her breath even, the soft tinkling of her anklets the only sound in the distance. There was a faint murmuring, coming from the east, the direction of the bus station. But she did not turn, leaving everything behind, not even giving it a second glance.
Somebody called after her, the sound ringing in the vast desert like church bells, making her jerk her head backwards. Nandujija was running, desperately trying to catch up with her cousin, but Paro would not stop.
Right in front, Rukmini soared high, her blue wings darker in contrast with the majestic sky above. She reached forward, but the stubborn little butterfly fluttered away from her grasp. I will catch hold of it today, she thought. Suddenly she leapt, the fingers of her outstretched hands almost touching the delicate wings of the blue creature scurrying away before her, when Jija called out once again,
"Paro..." And just like that, Rukmini was gone, a distant blue spot on the sky the only indication of her presence a few seconds ago.
Now huffing violently and bent double on her knees paro turned to look at her sister with inquisitive eyes,
" Paro...Woh...woh thaare Ma bapusa.." Nandini spoke in a small voice, but Paro was barely listening.
Suddenly everything had changed. There was no Nandu jija, no trace of Rukmini, no empty silent boxed houses around her, just darkness. Her stomach hurt and heart thumped painfully but there was no sign of an injury on her body. Suddenly nervous and extremely frightened she looked around and saw it. Just right in front was a funeral pyre, one which belonged to her parents.
The flames licked the bodies mercilessly, the smell of charred flesh stinging her nostrils, making her limbs go numb. She shrieked, called for them, pleaded her ma bapusa to come back but they remained there, asleep.
Paro wanted to run, but her legs gave away. She tried to crawl her way towards her parents lying on the pyre, oblivious to the destruction surrounding them, but could not. Strong hands caught her arms, preventing her from moving forward and she thrashed against them. Her parents were helpless, she was helpless and the fire ruled.
" Ma bapu sa" she wailed.
"Paro"
" Nahi jana mahne. Mahne jaane do ma bapusa ke paas. Jaane do na" ( I don't want to go back. Let me be with my parents. Please let me go.)
" Paro.." somebody was calling.
" Jaana hai unke paas" the shrill voice pierced the serenity of the desert , challenged the flame but without success.
"PARO" the voice was louder this time, and she was jerked back into reality.
Her head throbbed wildly and tears streamed down her face. A sob escaped her lips and she was pulled into the warmth of his hands.
"shant paro shant." He coaxed.
Very slowly the pain in her heart subsided leaving only emptiness in its wake.
" major saab?" she asked , swallowing the lump in her throat.
" haan Paro, mein hoon yahan."( yes paro, I am here with you now)
He rocked her gently in his arms, one strong arm rubbing her shoulders, easing out the pain which had been too excruciating to bear a few moments ago.
She pulled out from his arms after a few minutes, suddenly conscious of their proximity. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment when she pushed away the covers and sauntered away to the window.
The floor was freezing beneath her bare feet, but somehow this managed to bring her back to her senses.
She sniffed in the cold breeze, the images of the nightmare still haunting her present.
Nightmares, she thought. Somehow they managed to subdue her even after twenty years. The pain, torment, the desperation all coming back in a rush, refusing to leave her alone and move on.
She would forget it the next day of course, and hide the dark circles behind layers of kohl and make up. Busying herself in the chores, pretending to have a perfectly normal life without any devastating memories of the past had become more of a routine these past days.
Rudra came besides her, a glass of cold water in his hand. She gulped it down quickly, the burning sensation slowly settling inside the belly. He would do that every time she had a nightmare. And just after the tortured moment had passed, they would be back under the covers, facing away from each other. And just like that any other night would pass.
He waited for her for a few moments but she didn't budge.
This had been extremely painful and she needed time to come back to normal.
"Aap so jayiye major saab. Mujhe thoda waqt dijiye"( you can go and sleep. Give me some time to settle down) she asked him without even looking in his direction. Squeezing her eyelids shut, Paro let the numbness of the cool winds blare out the remnants of the nightmare. Looking back at her from the black night sky were about a million of stars, one of them harboring her beloved parents as well.
She did not know why, but the memories troubled her. While others would have rejoiced reminiscing the good times, smiled at happy memories given by photo albums, she had flinched, and cried. The only happy moments were the ones in which she lived, with major saab no matter how hostile he was towards her.
She turned to look at his sleeping form, but he was not there. Rather, Rudra was standing just next to her, in trying times.
"Major saab?" she asked.
"Chal paro" was the only thing he said before taking her arm and guiding her towards the bed. She followed confused and guilty of having woken him up.
He ushered her under the bed sheet and she quickly turned away facing the wall. The mattress sunk beside her, and slowly he lay down as well. But he did not turn away, she knew that merely because she could feel his eyes on her back.
His sturdy arms were around her slender waist the next moment pulling her towards him, in the warmth of his body and she gasped in return.
"Major saab?"
He didn't answer before settling her in the right place, with him. She now rested her head on one of his arms, his breath hot against her cheeks, and her head was cradled in the hollow of his neck and suddenly everything seemed right. The proximity alarmed her, but the happiness drowned it in the comfort of his arms. There in the safety of his presence, everything was lost. Tormenting memories that had threatened to ruin her life apart existed no more. Instead there was peace and safety. Though this was her first time lying beside him like this, the familiarity of the emotions overwhelming her at the moment surprised her. She belonged there, and somehow she had known it all along.
They lay like this for a few moments before he decided to answer her question,
"ab nahi aayenge bure sapne ( now the nightmares won't come) and sure he was right. There were no nightmares anymore.
A/N A random thought again!! Just a little thank you for all those and Navin sa of course who thought that my name as an IF writer was worth mentioning. Believe me its a great honor!!
i will surely try my best to come up with stories, though weekends won't be possible. And of course i'll try my best to comment on the works of all those amazing writers who decide to share their stories with us, the forum wasi.
P.s Please like and comment if you enjoyed reading and Just tell me to stop when my crappy work is not worth reading anymore!đI won't mind it, promise.
