That was her last day in the dream world she dreamt but never knew she could realise, not the last, penultimate perhaps. And the next day would be taking her to that same place she belonged to. She never had complains about most things in her life, nor was she satisfied, yet in a quest to change things. Her version of world was a beautiful imagination but at times when she envisaged the same she knew she had no clue how would that be, how could one bring it in real. She did miss her place and now when she would be reaching there and then, she suddenly felt nostalgic about the places she explored here.
An ironical smile flashed though her eyes. How strange it is, you visit a new place and a part of you goes away from you and wishes to stays at the place. That very own part of you, that you had been holding on to, pulling yourself together, and the best part,or may be the disguised worst part is, it never seeks your permission, perhaps you are happy to let it go knowing it would keep you here in this part of the world, simultaneously with your physical part being some where else.
She decided to walk for one last time, cross lanes, visit the church who’s windows made her eyes shine, eat the sandwich that saved her from starving, and sip the cofee from that cafe for one last time before she leaves. Something suddenly made her sad, her core was aching, as if someone she loved was going away from her and she had no right to stop the pain she is going through. The autumn had scattered all dried leaves around and the crunchy sound that once made her smile suddenly made her sad, as if the end of her stay was coinciding with the life of those leaves that have fallen to give way to the new ones. And then it suddenly started to rain. She changed her mind and decided to reach home. The days were beginning to shorten and a blush of darkness was further crowding the clouded sky. She was wet by the time she reached near home, suddenly not wanting to change and feel the cold air with the mad wind in the dancing rain. She laid on the lawn in front of her house and watched the sky dropping itself, hitting her face hard. Not even once had she seen her neighbours in her stay there but she could see yellow lights glowing inside, and an old lady was standing somewhere with the backdrop of a room that seemed to be the kitchen. She saw her too, and just came outside running in rain, shouting “Are you alright my dear?” “Have you fallen down?” She offered her arms to lift her, and she wanted to lie there but took the lady’s help instead. The rains make everything slippery “Would you like some tea??” she smiled and took took her inside.
The house was beautiful, like the one on the street uphill to the market. Often during her walks she noticed houses and trees she liked. There was this one lovely house with a dard red climber all over the house making it mesmerizing in the evening sky with hues of orange and pink in the sky, and a bit scary on the fullmoon night like a haunted house. She often though about how would the house look from inside. She visualised it once, in her mind, making it to have a huge dinning table with a white lacy cover and a glass vase with white lilies in it, the chandelier to be dancing with a dim yellow hallo and the fireplace just wishing to be lighted, the couch off white in color and a wooden center table with a glass top and crystalline ash tray on it, adjacent to the dinning table was a small store of glass walls holding books and banging sound of rain with a clear view of the sky took her attention. She blink twice, this is so much similar, “to the house of your dreams” the old lady smiled, giving her a pair of towels and her missing blue dress. “Oh I though I lost it” she smiled, “I wanted to return it to you but then you couldn’t see me every time I called your name ” she smiled, pointing her towards the bathroom “You know my name?” she asked, “I’m sorry, may I know yours?” “We would be introduced my dear, now would you please get rid of your wet clothes” she had a strict tone this time. When she was out she found the tea served, but she couldn’t see the old lady around. “Mam, are you in there?? ” no one responded, it wasn’t raining anymore, she had left her bag in front of the house, “I forgot my bag outside, I would be right back” she went out to get it back. She stepped out to see an old man struggling to cross the road, “May I help you”, “Oh yes, please my dear, I am looking for a church here with most beautiful stained glass window” “The one with largest graveyard?? ” “I like the windows too, it’s one of favourite churches in this town” she smiled, ” So when was the last time you went there?? ” he asked, smiling “Never” she said “Never!!” ” And it’s still your favourite??” he asked
” The graveyard scares me, but I believe in the day the sun lights the glasses from outside and at night the candles from inside, I just think that is how it must be and I feel that’s how I would like it” she smiled, “You need to take a right and then left and at the T – point a left again ” she smiled again.
“Is it too far young lady??” he inquired.
” No, just a 10 min walk”
“Then would request your presence till there your majesty, you too can see the church would walk you through the graveyard”
“And how would I come back??” she had a question on her face.
“Don’t worry you would find out once you are awake, in case you feel a ghost from the graveyard would take you away” he teased her and she smiled. She began walking with the old man just to recall at the gates of the church, she left the old woman’s tea when she turned to head back, she slipped and collapsed, perhaps was lost for a week until oneday when she regain senses just to know that she was saved by the churchman as the tea women tried hard to kill her.
The nurse told her that there are two fighting spirits in the house with the red climber, they can be seen by people only when they are most sad and broken and they show you things you are most curious about, or you yearn for, by any means, the tea women who used to be a tea seller, tries to kill the the victim with her Tea and the church man tries to save her by taking them away to the nearest church, nobody understands them as to why they do it but the church man is not always successful, she was expressionless less for some time, and how do you know it was the Mr Churchman and Mrs Tea, the nurse smiled and as she turned her face was a half patch each of the two fighting spirits.
She fainted again.
Manowara Chowdhury
Colorless Butterfly 