The Storm: Part Five

Previous: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

The trees began to sway as a light drizzle took over the dark city. People started scurrying off to safety waiting for a cab to show up. Generally the traffic remained heavy all throughout the night. But even the traffic had gone scarce not because it was late but because of the impending cyclone.

Sam pushed through the chilly wind which had gained some speed. He silently debated whether he should go back to his apartment or not. But the park became visible and he instantly rejected the idea of returning.

The park was situated in heart of the suburb surrounded by tall worn-down buildings all around. This was one of the few places in the city where one could see plant life. The area wasn't very big compared to the parks in the main city but it was big enough to get some privacy at any time.

There were benches strewn all over the place. Some hidden under trees, some out in the open, some around the fountain but most lining the unpaved walkway. The thing that Sam found most remarkable about the park was the freshness of the trees. They always looked too green. Sam wondered whether it was the soil or the weather because it was definitely not the pollution.

Sam walked silently into the park and suddenly the yelling of the wind ceased. It was taken over by the spooky rustling of the trees. But it didn't spook Sam anymore. It had become quite common for him now. Sam walked slowly along the walkway nearing the central fountain. He chose a cozy bench beneath a huge tree in front of the small lake, placed his bag by his side and slumped down on the seat.

He rested his head against the backrest and closed his eyes. He loved the deafening silence.

All of a sudden, a loud bang echoed through the park. Sam sat up straight, bewildered. It seemed like a gunshot.

As soon as he stood up, he heard running footsteps in the vicinity. He couldn’t actually locate the exact direction but it seemed to come from his right. Without thinking, he ran towards the footsteps.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a gigantic figure barged into Sam and knocked him over. The man, or so he seemed, lost his balance but regained it as promptly as he had lost it, and before Sam could recover from his daze and take a look at him, the giant had run away into the nearby woods.

Sam lay there on the grass for sometime before he could get up, and when he did, he didn’t know what to do next, whether to chase the escapee or to look for the victim. The man had appeared too big for him handle on his own, so he hurried towards the direction from where the guy had come.

His eyes searched furtively around as he paced across the wooded area. Not a being could be seen or heard.

Finally he came to a clearing among the trees. And there in the middle lay a figure smeared in blood.

Sam hastened towards the body.

It was a girl. And the blood wasn’t hers.

***

Next: Part Six

The Storm: Part Four

Previous: Part One Part Two Part Three

John drove his police cruiser slowly around the block; his eyes transfixed on the road, but his mind floating away in a familiar reverie.

His life hadn’t turned out the way he had hoped for it to. Since school he had been an exceptional student; brilliant in studies, amazing at sports and equally active in extra-curricular. His teachers believed that he might one day even run for the President. He never did.

His dad was a police officer, and he loved his son. “Someday you are going to make your mother and me very proud, son,” his dad used to say, with a grin. His mother had passed away while giving birth to him. He had no siblings. His dad was only family he had, and he was his dad’s only family. He loved his dad, but he knew his dad loved him more. “Two against the world” was his dad’s favorite quote.

His dad was the one who had encouraged him to play rugby. And it had become his second love since. His tackle was well known among his teammates and feared among his opposition players as the “Iron Hammer”. Soon he had become the captain of his school rugby team and even led his team to many a victory, including the State Championship. On passing out from school, he was awarded the Student of the Batch honor.

But things were about to change.

It hadn’t been long after he finished school when his father met with an accident. An armed drunken driver shot his father when he tried to arrest him for drunken driving, unaware about the hidden firearm. He could never forget the night.

The city was being blown away by an oncoming storm when he reached the hospital. All his father’s friends and fellow police officers were waiting in the hall. He had rushed to Uncle George, his father’s childhood friend and partner, “Where is my father? What happened? Please tell me.” Uncle George had given him a sad look, his eyes full of tears. “He wants to speak with you.”

“Please let me see my dad,” he had pleaded the attending nurse. “Ok, but make it fast, he is very unstable,” the nurse had said.

He had kneeled beside his father’s bed, his father looking down at him. His eyes seemed to have lost its life but still full of love for his son. He had smiled weakly and had opened his mouth to say something, but words hadn’t emerged. John had brought his ears closer to his father’s lips to hear his last words.

“Son.”

The monitor screen had gone dead; nurses had started to run around; a monotonous beep had rung across the room; people had escorted John out of the room; Uncle George had driven him home through the raging storm; the rain had battered at the car window through which he had stared blankly outside; Aunt June had hugged him tight on arrival at Uncle George’s house; he had laid silently sleepless on his uncle’s bed the howl of the gale outside echoing through the night.

But nothing registered in his mind. He had lost everything.

***

Next: Part Five

A Lucid Dream

The dreams I see, you may never fulfill,
But that doesn't mean, I should stop dreaming.
The stars stay awake, as I look amazed
At the longing of, my yearning heart.
What do I want, is not certain,
And my heart doesn't, tread the normal way.
To me its unknown, to you its dark,
But I have to walk, alone this time.
Can you forget, and forgive me too,
For being there, always for you?
I never meant, to harm your aim,
But I cannot, wake up from my dream.

Its a starry night, and the moon above,
Shines down on an, untrodden road.
And I do see, faraway lights,
It is a city, but its faraway.
I am surrounded, by an empty crowd,
And the lights around, welcome me in.
I meet you again, and you are more,
Beautiful than I, last remember you.
I'm happy now, you are by my side,
And I lie down, on a grassy field.
I hold your hand, you look at me,
With a smile in your, ever longing eyes.
I won't let go, your lovely hand,
I'm happy now, you are by my side...

The Storm: Part Three

Previous: Part One Part Two

The moon above was shadowed by the dark clouds, as the city slumbered in the lap of the cold night. A lone figure walked through the windy highway. He was wrapped in a black jacket, zipped right up to his chin, the jacket's hood covering most of his face, leaving just enough space for him to fill his lungs with the freezing night breeze. His hands were tucked deep inside his cargo pockets, which he wore above a pair of large heeled boots. He looked like a defeated youngster who had lost hope. And so he was.

The cruel wind howled into his sheathed ears as he approached a bridge. When he reached the middle of the bridge, he paused and looked over the railing. The river beneath was as distant and dark as the sky above. He stood there, waiting, contemplating.

He was not sure what he wanted to do. Or maybe he was, but wither way something inside him was hesitating.

Fighting over his hesitation, he climbed onto the railing. He stood straight, determined.

This is it.

He could feel adrenaline rage through his veins in tandem with the night gust. A storm was coming.

Now!

***

Next: Part Four