Down the road she went…

down the road she went

with a letter in her hand,

summoning the post master,

she told him of her predicament-

he who was gone to war

had not returned back,

what had appeared was a sheet

smeared with a blood like seal,

she who could not read a single word

plead before the kind gentleman

to tell her what it contained,

 ~

the bespectacled man read carefully

and told her, her son was well,

that was what the letter said

while he faced away from her,

he handed back to her the sheet

and confirmed that her son was fine,

he had reached his final abode,

away, safe from war and hunger,

 ~

she shrieks, cries, wails, screams,

clutching the collar of his shirt,

and befell on her knees,

praying for who was never to return,

he supported her up and

they looked at each other,

waiting for the other one to

break that ominous silence

but it remained all still

while the sun dipped into the sea,

leaving behind a trace of red tinge.

“Baby…”

Under the star light, he silently moved towards her.

She was sitting on the pier, gazing at the ripples of water, appearing on the sea surface. They were on a vacation and he was in a weird mood all the time.

“Baby”

She heard his voice and looked back. He had a sharp knife, clenched in his left hand with a mad look in his eyes. She was speechless, her mouth gasped open. Coming back to her senses, she shrieked.

“Listen, baby”

She wailed a long cry for help.

Lights switched on and people came pouring out, some spreading torchlight to brighten the night in front of them.

“What?”
“What happened?”
“Who was that?”
“Did you hear…?”
“Mom, I am afraid.”
“Hey, do you know?”

Rushing towards the location, they saw the entire scene; a mad man with a knife going to kill a young woman.

“Hey…,” a brave man moved ahead, talking to the man with the knife, “Throw that away. You can’t do anything to her now.”

“But…”

“Throw it away.”

He threw it away.

“And what is in you right hand. What are you hiding?”

He brought his hand forward to show a chocolate cake, resting on his palm.

A wave of shock fell across the peering crowd and the muttering started again.

“It is for my wife. It is her birthday; so I brought across a cake for her to cut down under the celestial light. It was a surprise,” he meekly said and started to cry.

.

* Written in response of the Trifecta Challenge: Light

Seconds before impact- A Very very Short-story

“No!” she shrieked, but there was nothing one could do when the things were set in motion.

“No!” she had closed her eyes, her hands were trembling and her voice was hoarse.

Time lost its meaning for her. 
“One…Two…Three…,” she was silently counting the seconds before impact.

And then, it happened.

She heard a round of applause and bitterly, she opened her eyes.