THE SCARLET WOMEN

Story 2 - m******e

'What's the matter?' he said. 'Why are you awake, may I ask?'

Mr. Christopher came behind me when I was lost in my past watching the stars. I felt invaded for a while.

"I couldn’t sleep."

"Were you brooding over something?" You don’t look alright.

He lit the cigarette and started looking above with me. We didn’t talk anything for a while.

"Scarlet?" he said. Now stop that thought inside your head. I know what kept you awake.

Then I took a long breath, to inhale the air of the present and make me alive again –I shouldn’t even have been dreaming about it, for God's sake.

'Were you keeping off trying to tell something to me?' 'Is that the reason that you cannot sleep?'

"No, Mr. Christopher". I just couldn’t sleep. I just feel apprehensive this time, I don’t know why. I see something coming for us, for all of us, maybe a great storm, a storm more destructive than before which we have been through. I see something darkest and grotesque following us, devour all of us, even our souls, and leaving us dead without any mercy. Sometimes I see the same in my dreams like I already have known it coming for thousand years. I shuddered a bit telling him –sometimes I see burning myself into the old fire and you…you…I stopped saying such incongruous things and began panting.

"Shh…Shh…he just left his half burning cigarette in astray after dropping some ashes on the floor and carried me. You don’t have to worry about such nightmares, my love. But you don’t believe me? –I was stopped saying further with a faint touch of his lips. I could easily smell the smoke in his mouth.

"I believe you". "We both already know much about each other and I think it's enough to start believing in each other undoubtedly". He slowly put my head on his shoulder and his hand over my beaver. The love we made this time was more than any moment to remember. He already has known how to calm me but my mind drifted further and further when he was inside me. I could feel his soul that moment, speaking to mine, in such voice which only we could hear, voices speaking things which were always left unsaid, voices of thoughts, fears, joys and grieves, I felt like we have known each other since a very long time, maybe we already have met a thousand years ago –I see the flames of the same old fire in his eyes. I became more devoted and yielding in him. At that moment, my heart was in a frenzy of both exaltation and terror. We both were monstrous and rebellion under the cover of beauty. He fell right to sleep after his long huff and puff but I still kept thinking 'bout that flame in his eyes. Was it real what I saw, what I heard? I found myself more nightmarish looking over his closed eyes and peaceful face. Do I see the same face in my dreams? Do we really know each other for ages? I don’t care much –as I know I'm in love with him. I smiled thinking about those silly things we do in our life being in love, like falling in love each time beyond this life and death. Sometimes life needs no reason to be happy.

I didn’t know when I fell asleep. It already was at the crack of dawn. He kissed me on my forehead and carried me to the balcony. For the first time, we saw sunrise together standing over there and covered in one blanket.

Since the moment I met him, I could not resist myself falling in love with myself more and more every day. "Well, I guess I knew the real meaning of being a narcissist. And then I think, I started learning to love again."

Love was just a four-letter word for me after it turned itself into hatred adding two more in it. But now I feel like the same love is inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams, like the sun and moon; they end but to begin anew. And also let us get familiar with its dark side, like the four seasons, they pass away to return ones more.

All of a sudden I wanted to cry till my eyes dropped out. I almost hated myself for doing that.

"C'mon. You cannot start your day like that". He just wiped my tears and carried me inside. Now I almost started loving myself for doing that.

"Oh Gosh, Look what on this earth is happening?" he said nastily. I never had seen him so furious in his face. He was so red like he was going to kill somebody.

"What's it, Mr. Christopher? What's there on the news?" I said.

"These are the people who took them away from me". The newspaper read "One of the greatest massacres of all time".

I realized that this war already has marched a greater distance of destruction. And this war has turned into g******e.

"Hell," he said. "I'll make them suffer this hell on earth. I swear I'm gonna kill them all". He started panting.

"Listen. Listen to me, Mr. Christopher. I know how crazy you're about them right now. But you have to calm down yourself now". I reached up from where I was sitting and hold him tightly. You're a savior, not a killer, 'I said. 'Don’t you know that?

It was hard to control him. I couldn’t say that he's not gonna kill. But I know he won't.

"Today I want you to come with me. I said by holding him. I want you to see us dancing". I knew he was not listening to me but still, I tried to get us back to normal again.  

The quantum of this unfettered anger could turn into violence if I don’t try to calm his nerves. Then I quickly grabbed whatever I could manage and we left for our dancing classes. I was scared again.

The dance was 'bout to begin. He was sitting there watching me dancing with other girls. Though he was smiling, I know he still was angry. And I respect his anger though.  "Alright, let's get started. One, Two, Three…and the music ".

"You just follow my voice and see in my eyes. I know you always could learn to dance." "First watch my steps, okay? 

'Okay.' He sounded modest. Now we were standing face to face.

"Sorry Scarlet. I can't do this now". "I've got some other works to do now". He abruptly stopped and left in a hurried way. I could hear a distant rumble of thunder.

"Mr. Christopher…Mr. Christopher…please don’t leave,' I shouted from behind but he already was gone.

The universe is deathless. It is deathless because having no finite self, it stays infinite. But breaking into infinity doesn’t make me deathless. The miserable part is not 'bout dying but 'bout dying not as a whole. We never were afraid of dying of this despicable war but we were afraid of our existence of desolation.

I ran to the sound of the doorbell. I knew he'll not leave me again alone. Somehow I felt respite after the whole stressful day. Oh Chris, Chris…I know you'll be home now, I ran to the door murmuring this. When I opened it, what I saw completely shocked me. It was not Chris standing there, but someone else.

"How did you find this place? –I asked shockingly.

"Oh my Scarlet, it's never been difficult for me to find you". –Julia said like a chandelier over her head. She was appearing so bright like she's carrying the light of hundreds of candles over herself. "It's really been long we haven’t seen each other. I think you already have forgotten me?"

"How could I forget you? How could I forget you being with me every time when I'm in trouble? -I said hastily. But today I don’t wanna you be here. Mr. Christopher will be home very soon?"

"Ah uh, Mr. Christopher. I think it’s the right time you can introduce me to him". She said smartly. By the way, where's he's been till now. I think it's already too late to get back to –so-called "Home".  Isn’t it Scarlet?

"Oh Julia, I always wanted to introduce you to him. But not this time, some other time. He must be kept busy in some work. He can be here at any moment now". "Will you please leave now?" –I asked her like this for the first time. And I really felt bad about it.

"What? –she asked surprisingly.

"You heard me". –I said. For this, 'I really owe you an apology'. "But please Julia, will you please leave?"

"Bang…Bang…suddenly we heard some round of fires in our backyard. I got frightened and blank in mind. I didn’t know what to do now. Julia seemed a little frightened too. Slowly, I walked to our backyard. Julia just started ringing some emergency numbers.

"Who's there?" I carried a baseball bat to protect myself. Everything was dark out there, except light in the corner. I moved slowly towards the light. Who’s there? –I asked again just to know I was not afraid, at least I'm not pretending to be.

"It's me, Scarlet. Don’t be afraid." I could see Chris sitting there with a gun in his hand. I could easily count the no. of shots seeing the holes in that mannequin.

"Oh my Gosh".  "Where have you been all this time Mr. Christopher?" He was sitting there like crying his anger out in tears.

"Please help me, Scarlet". "Please help me". He looked more frightened than me and then I hugged him.

"Look into my eyes, Mr. Christopher. I believe you are a brave soldier in this war. Everything's gonna be all right. Look…Look…I'm here with you and will always be."

"Now I want you to calm down and take rest." I gave him some water. He lied on the couch silently.

"Please Scarlet, Just stay here beside me". He said holding my hand. "Okay, Mr. Christopher." –I said and didn’t care about sitting on the floor beside him.

"I hope you'll forgive me," he said in a sobbing voice. I didn’t say and just kept looking at him.

The front door was wide open and I went to close it. I knew Julia already had left now.