Part-2 "Unforgiven"

Something was playing in the background, music, a note, a poem, someone was singing, but all I could comprehend out of them was a noise. A noise making me uncomfortable, I was perplexed, the noise was deafening then I felt her hand in mine. She pointed her finger in a direction and started walking. With her hand in mine I tightened my grip on hers to grab her attention; she looked back at me and smiled. I was happy, happy to be with her and to have her hand in mine. I followed her but the noise was deafening my ears, I smiled back at her and left her hand. I asked her if the noise was making her uncomfortable too and should I do something about it. She looked at me in amazement and kept walking.

I pressed my hands tightly against my ears and the noise disappeared. I could hear distinct voices now; I thought I heard piano notes and someone crying. Scared and worried I ran in the direction she had pointed to, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t her; I wanted to make sure she didn’t have tears in her eyes. I ran until I couldn’t see a thing, I was flooded by an ocean of white light flowing in from all corners and hurting my eyes. I focused hard and I gazed through the moon light to ensure it wasn’t her who was crying. To my happiness I found out she was not, she was sitting on a rock with a few letters in her hand and the bright moon light bathing her from everywhere.

My eyes were hurting , I forced myself to shut them , the noise had disappeared , I continued walking in her direction , I wanted to hold her hand in mine and tell her there was nothing in this world that could separate us and that I would stay with her till eternity . Eternity is a funny word I said to myself, when we all know we are mortals, we die and the moment is eternity for us, when the world moves far beyond that. I slowly reopened my eyes but to my amazement, the moon light had disappeared and so had she. I was standing in a fountain, an empty fountain with a blindfold cloth in my hand. I wondered if I had failed to recognise this fountain in the bright moon light earlier. I looked at the blind fold cloth in my hand and wanted to shut down my eyes with it again, hoping to go back to where I had come from, I hoped to go back to her.

I then noticed the cloth had two colours, black and red. I had blindfold cloth before, I said to myself, but never had I noticed the two colours. The red side of it was always in front of my eyes, as I tied it in front of my eyes but I had never noticed the black as it was on the other side. I wondered if I had been so stupid thinking the cloth to be red- a colour of love when everyone around me complained it was black – death symbolised. Frustrated I threw the cloth away and tried to find her in the fountain. It was an empty fountain, the water had long dried up but the dead vegetation beneath my feet made me believe it was a living fountain at some point of time. Then a surreal resemblance hit me, the fountain sure did look familiar I thought. I even saw a stone in front of the fountain , now I was scared , I jumped out of the fountain but I heard a sarcastic remark “ back to where you belong, back to where you left me to die “ . I turned and saw him, my friend, my old true self staring right at me.

I ran, I tried to run away but he followed. I got tired and my legs finally gave up , I stopped and looked around and I saw him coming , I had nowhere , no place to run to , too tired gasping for breath , I looked at him. He still was the same, empty and lonely. There were bruises all over this body and he was burnt. Burnt by sunlight I assumed. I felt sick, I looked at him and I told him I wanted to save him, I had tried to save him but it was too late by then. He kept staring and I looked at him carefully now, I thought I could see his heart, it was bleeding. I tore up my shirt and tried to wipe off the blood. I saw him crying, he came to me and shook my hand. the effect was instantaneous , I felt empty , I was all alone in this big world , I had betrayed my old friend , I had left him , looking at a love rainbow painted in front of my eyes . I was shaken, I felt a strong urge to run and hide myself. I wore my torn shirt all stained in his blood and cried in front of him. I told him I never intended to do anything I did; he kept staring as if trying to separate my soul from me. I ran but he followed. He still is following , I constantly tell my empty heart , I am his friend , I am his soul , I am him , when deep down inside I know the truth , I am “UNFORGIVEN”