Love on the rocks

It was a small sleepy village on the foothills of the Himalayas.

The clouds seemed to float close to the land touching the trees giving a heavenly appearance to the place. A cold wind always seemed to blow by the roofs that sent a chill down one's spine.There was a stream flowing through the village dividing it into two - the northern and southern. The northern part was situated on an elevated ground. It consisted of cozy cottages situated in the midst of lush green trees. The inhabitants of the village were mainly farmers .The head of the village lived with his family- his wife, a pleasant lady in her 40s,a daughter, a lovely maiden whose youth left many a lad’s heart fluttering. The place south of the stream had mainly marigold farms and agricultural lands. There was a stone bridge over the stream connecting the regions.

The people there lived a simple life of farming and selling off the daily produce to the nearest city. After every day’s work, the people gathered in a small clearing near the heads house, around a bonfire and chatted merrily till the cold winds froze their bones.

I happened to stay in the village one night.I was on my way to the weekly cattle fair held in the city. I am a milkman who runs his small business with the help of an aged loving mother. We sell our milk to a chocolate company nearby and if we were lucky enough to get excess milk, mom would make yoghurt and sell it to the people in our village. Our cows died a few days back due to the black quarter. Since then our business was ruined and I had to undertake this journey to sustain our lives.

It was a two-day travel to the city. I travelled with some of the men from the village.We started early in the morning. It was a long journey and we were exhausted to the bone.So we decided to halt in the calm village and take some rest. The people there welcomed us with a warm smile and showed us the inn where we would spend the night. As the other men headed for a short nap,I freshened up and went for a stroll around the enchanting village. The full moon lit up the entire village and it was a sight to behold.The stream was sparkling bright, rushing and bouncing over the algae strewn rocks. I went near the stream and drenched my tired feet in the crystal clear water. I suddenly felt an urge to stay there forever in this wonderful village.

The children were either swimming or fishing near the stream. The women folk wore bright colored sarees and adorned their hair with the cheerful yellow marigold. They sat in groups talking in hushed tones wary of a stranger looking at them. I left the stream and reached a place where quite a huge crowd of men had gathered. The whole atmosphere changed and all men stopped talking, I wanted to see what seemed to cause the sudden change. It was the arrival of the village head probably-one could guess by his distinct attire and a huge turban.There was a general discussion about the day’s work and plans for some ceremony the next day.

As I tried to leave, I was drawn to a strange sweet scent drifting in the air and I turned my head to locate it's source. The very next moment the entire world around me seemed to come to a halt,as my eyes met hers,undoubtedly, she must be the most beautiful woman in the world. The way she moved, waved her hands created a disturbance in the space around. I thought I could do anything, anything to just see her smile. She was standing next to a group of girls chatting and laughing heartily. She had accessorised her hair with marigold which seemed humbled by its presence in her hair. I wanted to talk to the girl, win her heart and take her somewhere far away and start a new life together. I decided to wait till she was alone.

After what seemed like ages, she walked away from the crowd and towards the stream. I saw her glance at me as if beckoning me to follow her. I followed her trail without further ado. The cool breeze made the hair on the nape of my neck stand up. She crossed the bridge and stopped near the stream and turned around to look at me. My feet started to fail me, the ground slipped away, but she smiled kindly, held my hand and made me sit on one of the rocks. She sat beside me and started watching the moon’s reflection on the the stream. I noted some wound on her right foot. She took notice of me seeing it, covered it hastily with her saree and told me that there were lots of wild beetles around in the village.We sat in silence looking at clouds passing over the moon.

I mustered all my courage and asked whether she will take my hand in marriage. She gave a melancholic smile but didn't give an answer. She inquired about my village, family and the purpose of my journey. I didn't realise how time passed. It just felt like moments since we started talking but the moon had already started to set behind the mountains. People were going back to their homes,giving strange glances over. I realised it was time to return to the inn.

I asked whether I can accompany her back to her house, she refused and told me that her friends would be waiting near the bridge. I told her that I will meet her early in the morning and left the place after bidding farewell. I went to the inn and found the men sleeping soundly. I couldn't sleep peacefully and dreamt of the maiden and woke up hearing a sad, heartbreaking music.

I went outside to see what was happening.

A procession was to be seen.Women were carrying baskets of flowers. Men were playing a melancholic music with flutes.The village head and his wife were at the centre carrying some silk clothes. My eyes were searching everywhere for the woman that took away from breath, but she wasn't there.

I inquired the men what had happened.

It was then that I came to know th the daughter of the village head had died two days back due to snake bite in a marigold farm. So it was her, the lovely maiden.

My body started trembling.

I noticed few dried yellow petals on my shirt and realised that her presence would haunt me forever in this lifetime to come.