A long waiting…
December 25th: 8:00
PM IST, Mumbai.
There was a brief silence in another
end….
I had been waiting to hear the voice
from long time. We never spoke to each other in person even though we see
each other often. She always wanted to tell me something whenever I
crossed by. She never told anything either I stopped by her more than a sec.
Her glance is enough for me to fill in the day. An adorable smile, with a
yearning look.! Any writer will get inspired from the beautiful eyes, so I!
December 1st: 8: 00 AM IST,
Mumbai..
To start my next story, I wanted a
new environment to think through. My mom suggested to stop by my cousin sister’s
matrimonial house which is at Kerala. I could not attend her marriage due to book publishing. I thought this would be the best way to make it up
for her…
December 13th: 10:30 PM IST, Kerala.
Hello.......
December 13th: 12:00 PM IST, Kerala
Neetu, “stop stop don’t run. You might fall”. Neetu, my sister’s kid. She is 4. Her favorite game is hide n seek. After coming to this house, my favorite hours have been with Neetu. Working in Mumbai, a hectic lifestyle. There was no “my time”. Behind wheels, horns and a bad mashup tearing ear drums with no use of noise proof headsets, a competitive Mumbai!!
Here in Kerala with the stunning view from the window side, the scent of wet land, grey sky, pure air to breathe. what else a writer could ask for it. My mother used to say, in Kerala, every step has a story and I must agree with her. the beauty is spread over by the nature in every corner. However, She did warn me about the haunted bridge! My father said teasingly, once someone steps in Kerala, no one never steps out, even a dead person. They just hang around as Kerala is far better than heaven or hell, so to be careful. it was the lighter moment but in my writers’ head it stuck hard! Is it true? The constant feeling throbbed me.Eventhough this is my first visit here, it felt like I lived here for forever.
Another favorite time here is reading in the library which is down, by the bridge. the abandoned bridge!! I take the bridge to reach library on a cycle as it is the shortcut. On the other side of the bridge, she stands and smiles at me. The cycle wheel does not move without stopping at her for a sec, either I; On another a sec, I just turn back and start cycling not knowing how to start?
Neetu was not sleeping. She was
continuously coughing, and the temperature read 110 degree. My sister got
panic and decided to take her to the city hospital which is in end of the
bridge. Going through bridge was the shortcut to reach the main road. My sister
was hesitant at first but agreed seeing Neetu’s condition. The doctor ran
through a few tests and confirmed it could be cured with medications. The
injection put Neetu at sleep. While returning my sister did not allow me to
take the bridge way as it became late night. she was worried and said today is a full moon day. I agreed, But could not stop thinking about the bridge and
her smile! It is contagious and I was smiling...! My sister looked at me, do not take
light about the bridge and the belief about it.. I asked more about it.
"People here believe that, on the bridge,
a lady committed suicide on the full mood day as her lover did not show up
and also, she harms the bacherlors esp. on this day.."
I said, care to say in-detail. She
looked at me,
"Long time ago, Kayara, the princess
of the Mathur family, was in love with Prince, the mahout. Kayara’s father was
against the love story and decided to get her married with their distant
relative's son. They locked her in a room so that they do not meet and elope. Kayara
could not live without Prince, so she planned to elope with him on the
full moon day when the entire city gathers at Shiva temple. Prince promised
Kayara to pick her from the bridge and asked her to wait there.
As planned, Kayara waited for a long
hour until the moon set, but Prince did not return. The sun started raising. She
could not afford to go back her house thinking of the consequences. So, she
killed herself with a broken heard by hitting herself hard on the bridge. And
people say, that they buried her under the bridge.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I picked
and said hello.
"Prince... Kayara here…waiting for
you at the bridge".
December 25th: 8: 00
PM IST, Mumbai...
"Are you kidding me, Prince?", my fiancée
laughs at the other end…"Any other stories from Kerela.? Can't you write anything
better.?Listen, I am taking a flight to see you soon,else you might elope with Kayara
and I am going to tell you what want you hear from long days. Now bye..! Get
ready to catch the metro."
Suddenly, the wind thrashing my window
turned the pages in the diary and it stopped at...
" I am waiting for you for a
long, with a grief and for you to hold my hand and walk in with pride and for
the only true love" -- Kayara
Saritha Subramanian
Woo wow
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