Waiting on the shore
A dream stopped by
Waves were being adored
By others on this side
Little did the onlookers know
A soul floated inside
Disturbed by the way of life
Itself decided to die
Onlookers watched the man drown
They were silenced like they have always been
Nobody saved his soul
Everybody termed it as sin
Given up on reality
An idea said final adieu
Waves consumed the cloaked soul
Left the idea on the shore
Nishtha Pandey
Chapter: Purpose
Tears streamed down from Grant’s eyes, washing away the pain that had vandalised his body and corrupted his mind. As he placed down the last words Scarlett spoke to him, he realised how cruel he had been to the child wailing on the other end of the hallway. He gathered his sanity that was mingling with the broken pieces of glass on the floor and walked towards the child. She had sensed his presence and her tears stopped at once, she raised her arms to him, almost as if asking him to embrace her. Grant hesitated as he stood over her and watched her smile, he moved in closer and picked her to his embrace. Grant eyes became teary and a single tear escaped falling on the child, she felt a sense of warmth taking all over her. The silent tears they both shared marked the beginning of their “father-daughter” relationship. Grant stumbled on to the ground asking for forgiveness for resenting her, he caught her closer and said “Je vais toujours vous protéger, dans la lumière et dans l’obscurité, je ne serai jamais vous blesser, mon amour, ma Scarlett” and kissed her forehead
*5 years later*
“Papa! Papa! Look!” Scarlett called out to her father as she slides down the slide in the park. Grant waited at the end and picked her up before she could touch the ground and lifted her in the air. Scarlett felt like she was flying in the sky. Scarlett kissed her father and ran off to play some more. Grant looked up in the sky and said, “Tu me manques Scarlett, Je t’aime”
Scarlett stood over Grant and her daughter, smiling. Her purpose was over, she had accomplished what seemed impossible. She left behind a part of her soul for his love, and a father for her child. She walked towards the other side with the satisfaction on her face, and a memories of a lifetime.
Author’s note: Presence series is a very dear story to me, every character here is a part of my own. I tried to delay writing the end of this story, since I did not want this to end, but endings are also beginnings. With the 8th and last part of Presence, I bid Scarlett goodbye. I hope you all enjoy reading this, as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you for your love. -Nishtha Pandey
Dear You,
As I write to you, a part of me weeps through, the sands of time we travelled and the moons we conquered. All of this seemed so exquisite, it just made it so much harder to let go. The other part of me, faces the rising sun of distant future with my head held high. I can’t begin to wonder what was more unexpected, your arrival in my untamed lifestyle or the egress that ruined the dreams we saw together. Of course, this seemed like an untouched, virgin fantasy whose end wasn’t supposed to be as horrid and shattering as it ended. Unlike all the good things, the end dawned upon us too. Acceptance of second best is hard to come when the first was like the apple that Eve had tasted. Yet, here we are turning away from our destinies that were once meant to be together. Love has a funny way of making us believe, that we can live in a world made for just the two of us. Love also has a way of making us understand that that world can be shared with others as well, keeping a silent piece of it for the two of us. We shared our world with others, giving them the advantage of creating a void among us. Silence that was supposed to bring serenity, brought nothing but void. The happiness we shared brought the ease when we decided to part ways. It brought the ease in the trembling nights, where pillows were soaked with tears. Our hearts are broken, yet the future seems bright. Or we can at least hope so.
As I write to you, my mind wanders down the memory lane, of the beginning and the moments we shared. The shredded moments now touch our feet on the lanes of broken dreams. The truth has scarred our souls making us loathe the idea of love, but dear, the idea of love is but to hope that a ray of sun with conquer this darkened night. This goodbye seems like a tragedy, yet we have to embrace it with our enclosed hearts, a heart so broken it is afraid to be mended. We may seem to have fallen apart, yet we still reside in each other’s residue. The journey we shared was nothing but a joyride, a ride that punished us for being too expecting, for being too involved. We were nothing but traditional. We believed in love, in making memories that lasts a lifetime. In making love that made us live in the ecstasy. Yet, we hardly could make the castle of our dreams stand strong. It wasn’t too strong to endure the recurring waves of our shattering differences. These differences that made us pull ourselves in the vacuum of loneliness, the void we promised to fulfil. We distance ourselves from the refugee that we once longed for. The refugee from prejudice of our own kin, the disappointment of our shadows, the untraceable hatred of our own belief. The very refugee made us suffocate, smother what you called was “freedom” to you. My freedom laid in the warmth of your arms, the thought was being smothered by it never did cross my mind. Yet here we are, standing under the cold skies of despair.
As I write to you, my heart speaks a language of anguish. A tormented mind drifting in the waves of solitude, awaiting to reach the shore. A sly smile spreads across my face when I see you standing so close to me in the dawning morning light, my breath starts to shorten, as you start to recognise my face, and the memories we shared slowly start to surface. We walk to each other just the way moon plunges towards the stars that have fallen in the horizon, sharing a final moment that we will cherish like the untold stories that have lost in the ruins of times. Despite the tragic end to our destinies, a heartfelt wish to you. The warmth of our closeness brings life to the fading flame, only for a few minutes, until we exchange chivalry and bid each other that last goodbye that was unsaid until now.
“Wish you the success you always dreamed of, a life where your future seems bright like an untamed star, wishing you never give up on life and truth, wishing love finds you the way you found me, untamed and unbreakable, I will always remember you”
Your forgotten memory
Bleeding Parchments 