CHAPTER 1

699 Words
To my hero, my father and my beautiful mother. Amazing grace, How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me, I once was lost But now I’m found, Was blind but now I see. Richard had a beautiful mind. He was lying on his bed, eyes open wide and staring at the silhouette of the fan attached to the ceiling. He tried not to think of her. Because every time he did, his heart ached, bled and cried in anguish. He tried to block every thought, every uncomfortable thought that would steal his solace. Because, it was quarter past twelve in the night and all that he wanted was a peaceful sleep. He tossed and turned. Grabbed his pillow and hugged it tight. Then, returned to his favourite posture. Gazing at the fan once again with his hands folded and placed carelessly behind his head. He saw the blades rotate. Those sharp, furtive blades that could chop anything that came its way. After a few more minutes of struggle, Richard got up and walked over to the window. It was a new moon night. The sky was stark dark except for the handful of twinkling stars. That night was just like any other night. Yet, it was different. The wind that poked Richard on every side tried to poke him harder, so he would realise what great stealth lay ahead of him. Suddenly, his phone dinged. Bewildered, he saw the clock. It was twelve thirty. Who would message him at this hour? It was a w******p message from her.... Rachel.... Rachel Evana Louis. He gazed at her photo for a brief second before opening the message. Memories came gushing back to him. Those wonderful moments he had with her..... Her beautiful hair gently caressing his face, her soft eyes that were strong enough to penetrate into every nerve of his body, her crimson lips that uttered wonderful words..... He felt like pain had converged from all sides and taken a strong hold of his heart. His palm sized heart was fervently burning.... Burning for Rachel.... Yet, it was he who finished it. It was he who brought a bitter end to their relationship. How could he trust her after all that he had learned about her? He opened the message. Richard.... Richard.... Pls....don't ignore this.... I need you right now..... I'm in trouble... Could you come over to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil now?? Pls...pls...understand... I'll be waiting for you... At first he thought she was joking and then he read it all over again and sensed the panic in it. She really was in trouble. As quietly as possible, he snuck out through the back door and to his sheer relief, his parents didn't wake up. Rachel had nicknamed the great oak tree outside a nearby park as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because it was there he first proposed her. She'd said that it was a turning point in her life. He stood a stone's throw apart from the tree and looked around. The place was sheer dark. Everything looked still and in place. There was no sign of movement. He held his knees and panted. He'd run like a maniac for her and this better not be a prank. At that moment he heard a slight sound. A sound that could be taken amiss for anything as trivial as a cricket flapping its wings in the night. He looked up. The sound was from somewhere behind the tree. He strained his eyes and noticed something moving. And at that moment, he knew that it was something more than a prank. Fear possessed him from all sides. As a sharp breeze blew from the north, something told him that it was all wrong. That everything was out of control. Out of the dark, a silhouette of a figure appeared. The sharp object in its hand glistened in the darkness. Richard mustered up all his courage. Then, turned around and ran. Despite, his aching legs and throbbing heart, he ran. A day before he wouldn't have known that he'd crave so much to live and to breathe.
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