अंतर्नाद

(Read Part 1 here!) (Read Part 2 here!) -III- Jane had Maya on her phone's speed dial for a while now. Be it discussing the recently read book, any random article, songs, videos or just a small walk, Maya was that one person she loved to talk to. Vividly she remembered her as a reticent self, too shy to talk with. Their's was always a polite and brief conversation, but somehow, Maya's words always made an impression on Jane and she knew, the friendship would last long. Soon she realized, once Maya is in her comfort zone, she could express herself like no-one else. Then it was Jane who would sit and listen all along! Recently, she noticed, Maya was not herself. It felt like something was troubling her and she had no resources to deal with it. Yes, she seemed pretty lost. Unaware of the surroundings, no technical know-how, it felt as if she was just another being wandering according to the people's set of rules. After, a much needed long walk, Maya opened ...

(Read  Part 1  here!) (Read  Part 2  here!) (Read  Part 3  here!) -IV- Glad he was, that he decided to stop by -  just like that . Happy to let go of the ego they always had. All for the one cup of tea and that torn book they always had, only to realize, that he went away for quite a long!                                                                    ~~~~~~~~ "Hi! Prabhakar here. How are you? I am in town, and, I was thinking if we could meet today? I am leaving tomorrow." Of course  she recognized his voice, how could she forget, if he thought otherwise! "Sure, stop by around 6 pm, I will k...

(Read Part 1 here!) -II- So, what's your story? Unexpected. Never before she was asked such a question.  Did she have her story? Were her uncanny aspirations, her humble or the bashful self, all that defined her? Well, she was pretentious or sometimes atrocious too. Did it mean she was not typical? And at some point of time, she was unbelievably vulnerable. Girl, you are more strong than you think, Jane said. Slightly amused, Maya just smiled. Jane's such random comments, always caught her off guard, nevertheless made her comfortable. It was always a mystery how they could read each other's mind. Totally excited and at-home she felt with these words. Just the idea that someone does wants to know about her was enough to make her elated! Completely overwhelmed, she stood there tongue tied, much to the surprise of Jane. After a while Maya talked! There were always those questions of how, why, when and she was so used to dodge them all. Then ther...

-I- Maya was cleaning the tea vessels while Prabhakar was resting on the recliner. "And There Were None" was still in the book pile on her dusted desk. Curious, as always, he walked over the desk and started going through it's pages. After all it was the book over which they connected. Page through page he read, he could hear every other conversation they shared; every other argument they had. Pages grew old and they lost their touch; just like that . It was more than hard to catch over a cup of tea, for no specific reason at all. Still flipping through the pages, he saw a bookmark that read: Lately, it all has been a mess - a deep mess. Dishes - undone, wardrobe - unsorted, house - chaos. Time slipping by - with no explanation whatsoever. But still, whenever I looked back, I found you. Whenever I longed for someone to call my own, I talked with you. When I was struggling to blend in, you embraced me with wide arms. It...

They were sitting motionless on the extreme edges of the sofa, unable to digest what just happened. Speechless. He was staring into the infinity and her tender eyes were filled with volumes of tears more than they could carry.  Why? How?  Was it necessary? Wasn't there a way out? Where did it really go wrong?  Was it so sudden? Was it unexpected? They thought together. *** She was reading his favorite novel at the place where they first met. He bought his Irish Coffee (non-alcoholic), she had always loved that hazel nut flavor. Just when he was about to go around his seat, he noticed the book and the face buried deep inside it. A glance of the same innocent look that he has always held dear. Yes, they still visit their place. Should I go to sit with her and have a little talk? Is it still okay to ask about her well-being? Will it be alright to pull the strained nerves, yet again? It won't be that easy to let go, once again. I cannot see ...