..||Arcanus- A Love Saga||..Part-4 on Page 15

A professional guitarist by 27, a rich musician by 35, a lyricist in later years of life, her plans were simple and less complicated. Love and marriage was not on charts as they don't work in her opinion. Adventure calls troubles; her philosophy was less interesting and more sorted, a happy go lucky girl who takes a day at a time.  Few good friends and Music, She could see herself leading quite a life. Nothing extra-ordinary was demanded and expected by her. She had seen her mother waiting for something extraordinary to happen her entire life and then ending up alone and messed up. So not repeating her mistakes was only lesson in life. People here in Carlingford were more of simple minds and small dreams and that's what she exactly wanted. Her soul resides in guitar and music of it.

It had been a long of day of dull August. After a lot of thought and discussion with friends and loved ones, her mother's shop of artifacts was now put to sale. Avleen had no interest in preserving those antique useless things and moreover she didn't have the art to preserve them like her mother. Settlement of this matter took her entire day. Sun was down and she called it a day.

Returning to home with favorite music in earphones, it had been a routine. Collecting grocery items from Johan's and hot coffee at Caf, it had been habit. In mystic nights, lights of mart and aroma of street food, it had been temptation to wander for more time on streets of Carlingford. Thinking about some new tune, she took the final turn towards her sweet home. Smoke coming out of chimney was communicating about presence of Mrs. Davidson. She smiled with sigh of composure.

She clutched Mrs. Davidson in arms when she was busy making food for her.

"Good Evening Mrs. Davidson"

"Good evening Avleen"

"You never forgot to scare me. Who clutches an old lady like this from behind to scare life out of her?"

"Apparently I do that to most beautiful old lady of Ireland"

"Oh shut up Avleen! Go find a man to flirt," Mrs. Davidson laughed.

Mrs. Davidson was a cook but more of a mother like for Avleen. She took out her guitar out of its cover and sat by window. Her mail box was open again tonight. She went to take a look. All the letters were on grass. Mail box was all fine when she got home few minutes back. "Who could do this?" she wondered and looked around.

Avleen walked few blocks to see if someone was around. Light posts were little fluctuating and wind was bit restless in its texture. She felt amount of fear building in her heart. She started walking back with quick steps. After collecting letters from grass quickly, she locked the doors.

"Sweaty in 8 degree?" asked Mrs. Davidson.

"I was jogging!" replied feared Avleen.

Avleen headed back to her room.

She wasn't fainthearted who gets feared with fluctuating lights, heavy winds or messed up mail box. She was finding it all weird. She looked at her wristwatch to check time. "common! Not again" her watch had stopped again. It was for consecutive third day when her wristwatch had stopped on 8:57 pm. She tore it off and threw it on floor, "This is third time in this week."

"Don't do that," Mrs. Davidson picked it up, "I will take it to clock shop tomorrow. Okay?"

"Do whatever with it. I don't want to see it again," said Avleen.

"Don't say that. It's one of favorite belongings of your mother Avleen," Mrs. Davidson reminded.

"Damn! It totally slipped my mind," Avleen took it back from Mrs. Davidson, "It's her only belonging with me." Grief covered her face.

It wasn't a year yet when her mother died. In 4 days, it was going to complete its first year. Avleen took the letters in hand to avoid the kind of stress her sad face gives to Mrs. Davidson. She started pretending to read them. There were applications forms of various music universities, few bills and one letter with mark of something unpleasant.

"A letter from England"

Her English father! Who else could send her letter from that country! She never wanted to even look at that letter but somehow she knew what it was about.

"Dear Avleen

I hope you are fine daughter. You don't receive my calls neither reply back my letters. I am sure you remember the date. Its Mehar's first death anniversary"

Avleen clutched the letter in hands with immense pain. "Did she want to read further?"

In her all happy life, his presence was only thorn. "His presence?" she asked herself. "His existence" Mind rectified the thought.

Avleen walked by her table and looked at her beautiful mother's picture. Side by mirror made Avleen find her mother Mehar's resemblance in her. It was hard to find much resemblance. Her skin tone was not anything near Indian. She had got Mehar's eyes though. Her eyes had this stubbornness shouting the point that she was only Mehar's daughter. Avleen had never seen her father, not even on Mehar's death anniversary. She started to receive his letters after Mehar's demise and those letters didn't mean anything to her.

Avleen tore away the letter into pieces without reading further and fed them to firebox. Blaze of fire or some disturbed emotions caused her eyes to flow while watching that letter burn. Temperature of room was cold despite of fireplace. It seemed like dropping every minute. Avleen walked out of room to the kitchen.

"It is so cold tonight. Isn't it?" asked Avleen.

"No! It's the same as it happen every other night." Mrs. Davidson replied.

There were lots of things these days where she is the only one to feel that way. She brushed the doubt.

Next Morning started at her Studio in college. Her guitar and music notes, she loved to be around these two. Early morning fog entering the studio through ventilator, hot coffee was steaming at table beside her. Looking at the clock piece, Avleen knew that next thing was Giselle's entry in studio, her best friend since childhood. They had been studied, laughed, cried and been together for every valid day of their lives. Giselle has been the only person who made her survive Mehar's demise.

Giselle entered the studio with a big good morning smile. Unlike every day, she had a reason to be at studio that morning.

 "Avleen! You have to come," Giselle insisted.

"Giselle!  Not on that day"

"My birthday comes only once in year and more importantly I know you would put yourself under a lot of stress that day. I don't want you to stay alone that night Avi,"

"I know! It's your birthday. But it's not the day for partying for me."

"It's not a party exactly. See! We are having a simple dinner. Just dinner," Giselle tried to persuade Avleen.

"Okay! Okay! I will come. Just for you," Avleen agreed.

Giselle knew that how Avleen was going to put herself under distress so she didn't want Avleen to be alone at all.

1 day to Giselle's birthday and her mother's first death anniversary. She could feel cold growing stronger in evenings. While returning to home that night she noticed mart was closed early. It was strange. Fog made streetlights little milky and vision unclear. She turned into a narrow lane to collect her watch which she had given to get repaired. Shop was still open. There was only one shop in entire Carlingford which could repair antique watch. Mr. Simpson was Mehar's close friend. He owned that one shop.

"Uncle Simpson!" Avleen Greeted

"My dear Avleen!" he replied with equal warmth.

 "Tell me you repaired it. Didn't you?"

"Yes! I did," he answered, "but I still don't know about the reason why it is troubling you?"

"Maybe it wants me to visit you every day," she winked, "most handsome timekeeper"

"Timekeeper?" he laughed out on tag, "you will never get serious in life Avleen."

"Never," Avleen said with a wink, "On a serious note, this wristwatch never ever stopped like this before. Shockingly, I still don't know how it works. It has no battery or key. But strangely it never needed anything. It never stopped before."

Uncle Simpson was put into a deep thought with her say as if he got reminded of something. He remained still and quiet for a minute. He looked worried.

"Uncle! Are you alright?" asked Avleen.

"Yes! I am alright." Uncle Simpson replied while adjusting his specs, "go home Avleen. It's late."

Avleen left the place. On her way to Home, she sank in thought of reason behind Uncle Simpson's worried face. She looked at the watch, it was ticking gracefully.

Again letter box was messed up and light posts in her lane were bit unstable that night. She decided to complaint about it as first thing next morning. She had a lot to do next day. Visit to her mother's shop to make a list of artifacts before putting them for sale and then she had to buy a gift for Giselle. She hit the bed early.

8:57! First thing she saw when she opened her eyes. "What the hell!" she blustered, "Sorry Mom! I have to let it go." She put it into her purse with a thought of leaving it in shop along with other antiques.

She coughed as soon as she entered her mother's shop. It was a wreck filled with dust. Wind chimes started ringing as soon as they breathed some fresh air. Avleen got remembered how they used to make noise when she used to enter quietly in shop to surprise her mom. Memories started to dance in front of her eyes. With almost everything in this shop, she had a small or big memory. Her Mother's soul resided there. She wanted to retain it sometime back but now these belongings had started chaining her. She wanted to let her go.

She uncovered so many unknown things about her mother's collection that day. She had almost null knowledge about artifacts and antiques. She had seen them as mere show pieces all this time. Her mother's note with every piece was something enlightening. Avleen wondered if she could find anything related to that watch. She started searching in timepieces section but she didn't find anything about that wristwatch. Her mother loved that wristwatch her entire life. She didn't let it slip her sight for a second as if something precious was in it. She put wristwatch back on her wrist with the thought. She closed the shop after cleaning it up and left for cemetery.

She wanted to meet her mother at this day in simplest way. Just few flowers and fragrance of place which she loved her entire life, Avleen brought these two. After spending an hour with her, she returned back and bought a gift for Giselle. Day was going fine and normal. Avleen was taking it easily. She kept herself busy and happy. She definitely didn't want to mourn this day. She had to come out of it.

 In night at Giselle's house, she just kept herself composed. Giselle's efforts of keeping Avleen occupied with something were evident. Avleen was appreciating it but all this was somehow making her sad. Extra efforts were reminding her of this day being abnormal. She took Giselle's leave early and started walking towards her home. Grief had finally won over her brave heart. She wanted to explode into tears. Temperature was dipping quickly and unusually. She kept walking quickly.

Walking down the lane, she was alone. Usually this place isn't this desolate in this time of year but it was desolated that night. Wind was fast enough to make her soft curls swim with it. Her white skin was feeling dryness of early winter. With final turn towards her home, she felt this strong presence of something. Wind became heavy and it started whispering in her ear. She being in total fear started walking quickly. She was trying to transcript those whispers. Mail box was open and letters started to scatter with wind. She ran to collect them. Light post right above her head was fluctuating badly and it blew off. A shriek escaped her throat because of noise of glass breaking above her head.  There was no smoke coming out of chimney tonight. She got reminded by it that Mrs. Davidson is on leave for 3 day. She was all alone at home. Door of mail box started making noise due to crazy wind. Heavy breeze with whispers was making each pore of her feel terror of unknown. After collecting the letters, Avleen ran towards the home and quickly locked the door behind her. She looked at her wristwatch, it was 8:57 and it started to work again but in anticlockwise. Avleen freaked out. She wasn't getting what was happening with her. Her wristwatch and all this had become riddle for her. She was in deep thoughts and suddenly all the time pieces in house started ringing. Avleen looked around. There were plenty timepieces in her house apparently. She ran to switch off one but all in vain. They were constantly ringing, belling and ticking. She covered her ears with hands out of frustration and walked out of house. Entire house was alarming. Lights were fluctuating badly. She was scared. Tears started flowing down.

"What the hell is happening?" Avleen screamed in anger, "who are you?"

"Shut up for God's sake."

Avleen was trembling in fear and cold.  She looked around. It was dark. No one was around. She couldn't find even a shadow around. She ran towards mart. Mart was open but desolated. All the shops, which were closed few minutes back, were opened and alone. She walked back towards her home in fright. But where was her house? There was nothing when she took that final turn. All she could see a dark piece of land. She looked around. Scary wind and darkness was accompanying her.  Everything started spinning in front of her eyes. Sounds of clocks were gone and atmosphere had this mourning silence. Avleen felt her knees losing all their strength. Within a minute, she was on ground lying cold. Sweat on her forehead started to vaporize with cold wind and she closed her eyes.

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