She watched the ants slowly crawl past on the pavement. A lone rat would peep in from a crack in the stones every now and then and dive back in as she would shoo it away. If it wasn't sad, it might even have been funny, this little tryst with the fauna of city life. A drop trickled down her face. She looked up at the sky and let the rain drops fall on her face and wash away the tears. It was getting dark now. But she sat there on the pavement across the road, with her eyes never wandering from that staircase that she hoped he would come down from.
If you asked her what she was doing there, she probably wouldn't have an answer. It was quite pointless, waiting for hours in the dark, drenched to the bone, just to get a glimpse of his face. It seemed silly, yet never for a moment did it seem wrong. Passerbys wondered about this girl sitting under the tree, seemingly muttering a prayer under her breath. A few even offered her help if she needed any, but she just smiled benignly shaking her head. No one could help her now. Not them, not him. No one.
She could feel her legs ache from sitting in the same position for so long. But it seemed like too much of an effort to stretch. People had started to come out. She kept praying, hoping that he would too. Just once. It was pitch dark now. She gave a little shiver, from the cold or the thought of sitting alone on a dark alley, she didn't know. But it was too late now. Perhaps he wasn't there today. Perhaps it wasn't fated to be. She slowly got up, her legs almost giving way under her as she did so, still praying under her breath. And just as she was about to turn back, like a vision she saw him. He looked happy. As he turned his head towards where she sat, she jumped behind the tree, not wanting to put him in a spot. She watched him put the car in gear and slowly ease into the traffic as he drove away.
And she smiled as she walked away in the other direction. It didn't seem so dark anymore.
This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs from Yashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.
If you asked her what she was doing there, she probably wouldn't have an answer. It was quite pointless, waiting for hours in the dark, drenched to the bone, just to get a glimpse of his face. It seemed silly, yet never for a moment did it seem wrong. Passerbys wondered about this girl sitting under the tree, seemingly muttering a prayer under her breath. A few even offered her help if she needed any, but she just smiled benignly shaking her head. No one could help her now. Not them, not him. No one.
She could feel her legs ache from sitting in the same position for so long. But it seemed like too much of an effort to stretch. People had started to come out. She kept praying, hoping that he would too. Just once. It was pitch dark now. She gave a little shiver, from the cold or the thought of sitting alone on a dark alley, she didn't know. But it was too late now. Perhaps he wasn't there today. Perhaps it wasn't fated to be. She slowly got up, her legs almost giving way under her as she did so, still praying under her breath. And just as she was about to turn back, like a vision she saw him. He looked happy. As he turned his head towards where she sat, she jumped behind the tree, not wanting to put him in a spot. She watched him put the car in gear and slowly ease into the traffic as he drove away.
And she smiled as she walked away in the other direction. It didn't seem so dark anymore.
This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs from Yashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.
4 comments:
Just One Glance made me smile... It made sitting in Office a little worthwhile... Thanks for such Amazing Posts... :)
Thanks for your comments..makes the process of writing seem worth the effort :-)
Thanks for your comment Asvin. I'm so sorry I deleted it by mistake (blame smartphones) and can't get it back. Do comment again if you drop in!
Lovely words Harnoor. A big red heart from me :)
-Jas
Do checkout my idea: http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/idea/349/
Post a Comment