The sound of the hooves echoes across the hall.
It is dark all around, except for the faint streak of light that falls like a beam on the floor, forming a silver line.
He’s on the horse, controlling the reign with his left hand.
With every passing moment, he seems to come closer.
He has a sword in his right hand, high up in the air.
And from nowhere, a voice sings…
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding,
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door….
Is this the highwayman ?
No. He’s the knight. Her knight in the shining armour.
He stops near her, and alights , his left hand firm on the reigns.
He puts his sword in its case, and extends his right hand to her.
A flash of lightening.
And she looks up at him, from where she has fallen on the floor.
On his extended hand is a piece of paper. It falls on her as he drops it, and she sees the words written on that.
She gasps, as another flash of lightening blinds her out.
Shreyasi woke up with a start.
She checked the time. It was ten minutes past three in the morning.
She got up from the bed and drank some water. Roshni was stirring in her sleep.
She switched on her bed lamp. In the faint yellow glow cast by it, she opened her book shelf, and took out her favourite book.
The Kite Runner.
She flipped through the pages, searching for something.
And she found it where she had left it, safe and sound.
The keepsake.
Her eyes glistened, as they welled up against her will.
“ What’s it, Shreya ? Reading , at this time ? Not sleeping ?”, Roshni asked, her sleep disturbed by the light.
“ Nothing, Rosh. Just…. just woke up, and took this,” she replied, keeping the book back in its place.
Roshni looked at her for a whole minute before speaking.
“ Dreaming, Shreya?”
Shreyasi shrugged, switched off the light and lay down on her bed, facing the wall.
Kith and kin, I had none,
Into the hollow, you walked in as one
Knitting together thoughts and notions,
We were bound by our emotions
Kindled in us were passions new,
Which we grew up to, as time flew….
Know, that you’ve been a boon,
Though we lost each other so soon…
To be contd....
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"Though we lost each other so soon" This would linger in my mind for quite a while :)
ReplyDeleteGood one, Sreeja. :) Loved the poetry at the end.
ReplyDelete*Shantala @ ShanayaTales*
Thanks for the most wonderful article, It simply portrays about how the highwayman and his armour has been being used in the war. Though i has been working as a research paper writer in one of the leading research paper service available online, i have been struggling hard to write articles with such quality which has been published here. Yes, on reading this article, i have really decided to join myself to you as assistant to learn the art of writing from you. Hats off for publishing such wonderful article. Eagerly waiting to read such more wonderful articles from you.
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