Continued from Another Sleepless Scribble
4:03 AM
It was another night. Just another one for everyone else; for nobody thought about it before they closed their eyelids for the day – before they surrendered to the dark, still, insensible night. However, the night was not the same for Shona. Shona, never sleeps. She lives in her own world and forgets about all that happens around her. She was sleepless again – again tonight!
Having nothing else to do, having nowhere else to go, having no one to speak to, she came out of her house and strolled in to the lounge – The Writers Lounge. She came in and saw the door closed. Was there anyone there? Well, she did not know. She hardly knows anyone in the lounge, apart from her love – her friend – her mate – her companion. She thought he might be there, somewhere in the lounge, still! This was the best time for him to be in the lounge, and hence, she strolled in – not to disturb him or anyone else in the lounge, but to get a mere glimpse of him. A word or two exchanged would be bonus for her. She crept in.
It was chilling in the lounge. Not a single leaf moved – not one breeze blew. The lounge seemed to be frozen. The lounge seemed to be lonely too – very much similar to Shona. She opened the door with utmost care. It opened slowly and a few rays of light and a few handful of air came in along with Shona. She closed the door behind her. It was pitch-dark. She stood there for some time and checked around her – nobody around – absolute silence. She walked towards the dashboard to check the various posts in the lounge, which were posted today. Her hands were trembling as she browsed through the posts. Her lips moved while reading a few. Her fingers got stuck to a few words and her eyes to a few pictures, but she moved on with the newer posts.
Suddenly she saw a post with her lover’s name on it. Did he post it? Her heart skipped a bit! Yes, it was him who posted this today. Oh! What a feeling! She felt him around while reading his post. It was a story – a simple story of a small village girl. She read the first words of the story, “I Love You Shona…” What? Shona? Was this ‘Shona’ the same as herself? Her heart skipped another beat! He has told her time and again not to talk about themselves in public. He has told her time and again not to relate his stories or poems with herself; but her heart – would it listen? It searches for her in every Cinquain he writes; it hunts for her name in every Acrostic he writes; it looks for her presence in every Haiku he posts. She never found a single post of his which was not related to her. However, he never wrote anything like this before. He never wrote about her anywhere. She was always incognito until this post! She could not believe her eyes. For a moment she wanted to hear his voice and talk to him. Oh! If only she could see him once – for once!
There was a message in the Shoutbox that made the noise to break her concentration. “Hi mates, how are you all doing? None here? Let me talk to myself then J” It was him! Oh! Was he here all the time? She would never know; but, he is here now – right in front. A simple message in the Shoutbox would link her to him. He will come to know that Shona is here too. What a coincidence! Her wish to meet him and to talk to him was fulfilled in couple of minutes time. Oh God, had known this before, would not she have ask him instead?
Shona stood there – unmoved. She did not utter a word. She did not go to the next page. She did not do anything that would tell him of her presence. She would not – for she was not supposed to. She was not supposed to bring him in public. She was not supposed to get close in public. He will not like that and may turn crueler towards her. She would not want that too. She remained invisible. She remained unearthed. She remained silent.
“Good Night Mates… Have a good time reading and a wonderful day. Have fun and keep rocking together.” Another message in the Shoutbox. It was him again. He was leaving. She wanted to call him. She wanted to pull him towards her and kiss him on his lips. She wanted to tell him that she loves him. She wanted to share herself – and everything she had; but she remained silent and he was gone.
She stood there for some time to ensure that he is gone. Once she was sure about his absence, she stood there for some more time. She would never let him know that she was here – feeling his presence and admiring the story he wrote with her name in that. The lounge was chilling, but her heart was beating faster and faster. She did not feel the cold. Her blood was boiling all the time. After a few more minutes, when he was gone, she looked around her again. Nothing has changed. He came and he went away, leaving Shona unnoticed and nothing changed around her. Weird it was, but that was normal, as he told her to be.
She did not break the promise – she could not. She was happy now. She was refreshed. She opened the door again with similar care and came out of the lounge and the door closed behind her.
