The black discs studded in the white of her eyes are motionless. It is as though they got stuck in a moment. She sits unsmilingly gazing outside her window at the continuous flow of heads below on the crowded street. The array of sounds the world underneath her generates is disturbingly soothing to her lost senses. She starts braiding her long and black head of hair into a strong garland of well aligned knots. She hears uneasy footsteps outside her door. A familiar female voice dominates the rest of the vocals in an authoritative tone. For the first time in several minutes, she attempts to smile. A half hearted, half real and half conscious hint of it appears and briefly holds a place on her full lips. Her relaxed posture seems to emanate a calm and serene essence into the partially lit room. The window she sits at is the only source of natural light the room has seen in all its existence. The door creaks open in a hurry as a familiar female voice shrieks behind her.
‘What are you doing? Aren’t you ready yet? How long will you take? It is time!’
She does not move. She continues to braid her hair which has now almost reached an end. In a few more minutes her long forest of shocking black will resemble the flowered headdress of a bride.
‘Are you listening to me?’ the voice continues as her gaze shifts from the crowd to the visitor’s face. ‘You have five minutes. Do you hear me?’
The visitor grunts in unhidden fury and walks out slamming the door shut.
Her smile recedes into a dull emotionless shot of stillness. She stops braiding her hair which looks spectacular in the sunshine that peers from outside the window. She walks up to the old wooden dresser and looks at herself in the foggy mirror there. She slowly starts removing the tough knots that had appeared so beautiful on her tress just moments ago. Short lived, once again.
‘This way, sir,’ she hears the voice from outside the door again. ‘Please go in. She is ready. We all know she is your favorite’ the voice continues with an unnatural giggle.
She turns towards the door and sees a familiar face there. She smiles again and walks up to the window to close it this time. No lights required for her anymore. She is a bride once again and her groom is someone else this time. Her braid comes lose as her hair starts dancing in the final gasps of air that enter the window she closes. Soon her window to the world is closed once more.
..ShaKri..
‘What are you doing? Aren’t you ready yet? How long will you take? It is time!’
She does not move. She continues to braid her hair which has now almost reached an end. In a few more minutes her long forest of shocking black will resemble the flowered headdress of a bride.
‘Are you listening to me?’ the voice continues as her gaze shifts from the crowd to the visitor’s face. ‘You have five minutes. Do you hear me?’
The visitor grunts in unhidden fury and walks out slamming the door shut.
Her smile recedes into a dull emotionless shot of stillness. She stops braiding her hair which looks spectacular in the sunshine that peers from outside the window. She walks up to the old wooden dresser and looks at herself in the foggy mirror there. She slowly starts removing the tough knots that had appeared so beautiful on her tress just moments ago. Short lived, once again.
‘This way, sir,’ she hears the voice from outside the door again. ‘Please go in. She is ready. We all know she is your favorite’ the voice continues with an unnatural giggle.
She turns towards the door and sees a familiar face there. She smiles again and walks up to the window to close it this time. No lights required for her anymore. She is a bride once again and her groom is someone else this time. Her braid comes lose as her hair starts dancing in the final gasps of air that enter the window she closes. Soon her window to the world is closed once more.
..ShaKri..
2 reflections:
poignant, reminded me of the senstivity of human life.
Thanks mouna. It is amazing how much can be delivered without making the character speak. Thats how powerful the medium of human emotion is. I am glad that came through effectively for you.
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