The story that has been.

And she killed him.

---Some time ago---

The night was young and she was sitting by the side of the road overlooking the ocean. People come for a stroll there. "Its always pleasant here in Bombay at this time of the year", she thought or someone said it to her. She was not sure; she didn't had any thought for a while that she was sitting there; calm, serene and in a state of total thoughtlessness. She didn't have that for a long-long time.
"I said, it’s always pleasant here in Bombay at this time of the year." Oh! It wasn't her; someone was trying to have a conversation.

"It’s Mumbai, sir". And he sat there by her side acknowledging his mistake. As if the mistake and correction had brought them together. So much so, that they sat there silently without saying a word. No one broke the silence as if they had all the conversations that needed for a life time and now all they need is the close proximity of each other.

She suddenly stood up and started, just a few steps later she turned and looked at the man. He followed, once again without a question. Oh! She had a calling. It wasn't her youth that chained him, it was something else. He traveled half the way around the world after half of his life to find solitude and she was sitting there in the same search, still they were. It seemed to them like their search is over.

After a while of stroll, she broke the silence. "Are you in the intension of having sex with me tonight, if so, its not going to happen." This might be the obvious doubt that had creep her mind and this may be due to sudden increase in blood flow because of the walk.

He didn't reply and continued the walk. At some level he knew that this question didn't came from her. Neither did she insist for an answer, she was worried that he may leave if she did. After all she found her solitude for the night. Now, she didn't want to break the silence anymore. The only sound that was around was the sound of the little traffic and that of the waves.

"Why were you sitting here all alone? Isn't it unsafe?" That brought her sigh of relief. "Ah! I don't care whether its safe or not. I was here for what I wanted. You too might have heard a lot about India and the recent developments around here. They do trembles the mind for a moment but then its heart's choice and it’s his search."

"Search for what?" He asked, even though he thought that he knew the answer.
"What did you come here to search? I don't think it was your long lost dream to walk the streets of every big city of the world and see how it feels being there at night; though I always thought of doing so, but not at night in the early morning. Always wanted to feel the streets of different countries in the morning and see the faces of happy men and women coming for a walk or a jog. Everyone looks so happy when they are out there in the morning. I have rarely seen a tensed face."

"So you want to see how it feels to be happy in other countries."

"May be!”

"Then why don't you go and do that?"

"I was waiting. I was waiting for you to come and ask this question." She replied looking into his eyes with a playful glaze, the word came out of her from some movie she might have seen lately. And with a smirk he rejected the reply. "I don't have that kind of money." She had convinced him now.

“Now what? What do you intend to do?”
“Do you think I have an answer? I haven’t thought of it anyway. And if I had even faintest idea what to do next, I would have not been here. Right?”
Yes he understood. How couldn’t he, he was there because he also didn’t had faintest idea what he was doing there and where from there? It was getting breezy. And the feel of breeze stroking their face from side made them realized when they were a kid and how they just ran through the breeze. He wondered how he could even run for so long back then.  And now he is old and tired. Only things that hasn’t change is the fact that, even back then he could run with anyone strange or known and he could run any unknown places. He used to get lost back then and he wants to get lost now. He stopped for a moment. Were those his thoughts? He carefully thought again. He can remember his childhood. But then they say that ignorance is bliss. He was able to connect to his childhood again but then the knowledge that he did make it short lived. Never mind, he thought. He was happy for the smallest of the moment.

“Hey! Have you ever felt like reliving the moment?”
“Why?” She asked.
“I just felt like as if I am a child again. Have you ever felt that?”
“You ask too many questions?”
“So what? Just tell me.”
“That’s a stupid question. You yourself have felt like that many a times.  May be you are feeling it after a long time.”
He was a little embarrassed. But that felt right. Again it was like the embarrassment that he might have felt at some stupid question he would have asked when he was just a kid.

“Don’t think aloud, you may spill your thoughts.” She smiled at him and he acknowledged.
“It must have been way past mid-night. Right? Today is my birthday.” She said.
“Wow!”
“Are you not going to wish me?”
“You already have your wish fulfilled. Many happy returns of the day!”
Thoughts were bouncing in his head like crazy balls. He was in total communion with his childhood now and was remembering some birthday party that he might have had or he might have been to.

She was wondering of some wishful thinking that might be fulfilled that night, for she believed that anything she wishes for tonight may be granted. She had few lonely birthdays but this was special. She had lonely before but she had found her solitude today, tonight. She thought of what she said to him about thinking aloud and gave a little smile to herself.

“What are you giving me for a gift?”
“What can I give you? You have given me the most memorable moment of my lifetime. My search is over, as you said. I don’t know what I have found. But I don’t want to do anything anymore.”

“Then give me your life.”
“It’s yours.” He has never been so submissive for he has been very successful, the kind of success normally people urge for.

 

“I would wish for the night to never end, the time to stop for me right now, right here.”

She took out a gun from her purse and shot him.
And she killed him.

 

He died happily ever after.