Hey all! Hope you are having a fabulous weekend. Thanks for all the encouragement you all provided to continue with the story. What started as some random thoughts is now taking shape as a story. Here is the third part for your kind reading. I am adding the first two parts in case you want to reread the story from the beginning. Let me know your thoughts.

PART 1 26-Oct-18

The sordid emotions from the past kept visiting her deviant mind making her restless and more she tried to detach from the horrid thoughts, it surged back with a renewed purpose. She did everything to detox her overthinking mind – read, played, danced, binge ate but nothing worked. The past never left her, often staring at her with a mischievous grin. Tired of its unceremonious visits she decided to accost her morbid soul. She hustled, screamed, pleaded but all she received was a silent stare with that infamous smirk mocking her helplessness. How she wished she had an option to denounce everything, go back in life and erase the past. Would she be able to conjure strength to confront the past?

PART 2 26-Oct-18

She could never forget that defying moment. The vivid imagery was engraved permanently on her mind. That fall evening when the gelid breeze was blowing from the north, sweeping the pale, green leaves along. The day was turning gray and the fast vanishing sun was casting tall shadows of trees on the cold cobbled streets. She walked with some purpose meandering the pathway lost in some deep thoughts. There was a weather warning, the storm was about to hit the port town. She could feel the gust of wind gradually gaining speed. She turned her attention to the dial, it was past 7:30 PM. If it was not for her demanding work, she cursed under her breath and paced herself a tad less than a dash. As she curbed along the path she witnessed a gray shadow hustling with a limp. He turned and looked at her for few moments before turning around and dissolving in the cold pewter evening.

PART 3 27-Oct-18

That face she could never forget for a lifetime. The cheekbone dropping deep, giving a ghostly touch to his aghast look. The unblinking hollow eyes fixated firmly on his frame and his glance sharp and narrow. His lips were thin without any expression and the long coat he draped appeared worn out and dilapidated. The gaze was brief and he turned around dissolving in the oblivion. By now the wind had gained momentum. The occasional thunders, the gentle drizzle all suggested the arrival of a bellowing storm. She pulled her focus back and regained her lost pace to reach her dwelling with urgency. And then she saw someone lying on the ground. There was no movement. The body lay still, immovable and lifeless. Her feet froze, beads appeared on her cold temple unceremoniously. In a complete subconscious state, she approached the desolate person. Little she knew this moment would change her, redefine her and accost her for that day and beyond.

———————–***********———————–

Copyright © Shantanu Baruah

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Shantanu Baruah and ckonfab.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.