Chaotic Tangles!

20|| Clues

"Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace." - Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Manik pushed open the door and immediately felt all the tension leave his body, his shoulders relaxed and a smile began to carve its way up on his face as his eyes fell on the woman sitting on the bed with her back to him, her waist length hair dripping wet and scattered on her back. Manik shook his head and picked up the dry towel from the cupboard and walked towards her, startling her.

She looked up at Manik, a hazy confusion in her eyes that stayed just for a second or two before she gave him his favorite, full blown smile making him breath in relief. Very tenderly, he began to pat dry her hairs, while she let him, sitting quietly like an obedient child.

Manik couldn't help but steal glances every few seconds but she wouldn't look his way, her gaze was fixed on the window.

"Did you eat?", he asked, being done with her hairs. She broke her staring game and looked up.

"Aadya said she would bring me fairy cookies and magic powder cake. I have been waiting for her", she answered with an excited twinkle filling her eyes, the crease on her forehead smoothening out and in Manik's opinion, nobody could look at her and say she was one day older than her mid twenties. But then, she had always been beautiful. And when asked, her patent answer was love and kindness makes you glow, always.

Manik maintained his smile and quickly walked out of the room, into the kitchen and plated some Dal and vegetable rice - light and healthy, and went back inside, sitting beside her.

"You can have the cookie and the cake as dessert right? How about we get some food into your tummy? We also have medicines to take, remember?", he nudged her gently, and scooped a spoonful forwarding it to her. She immediately scrunched her nose at the mention of medicines but ate the food nonetheless. Post eating - both food and medicines, Manik helped her lie down and pull up the duvet.

"Don't close the window, Aadya hates knocking", she mumbled, already half asleep.

"I won't", Manik sat on his knees beside the bed and dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead, "Have a nice dream Maa", his eyes turned soft as he watched her fall asleep.

Suddenly, it all vanished in thin air - the bed, the window, his mother. It was dark everywhere. All he could see were flames, red and yellow flames that threatened to burn him alive. He stood up with a jerk, scared out of her wits.

"Maa?", he called out, his heart beats erratic as he tried spotting his mother in between the fire, but he could see nothing because the fire was hurting his eyes.

And then he heard it, the sob - a very familiar sob. His heart crumbled hearing her cries, each one piercing a dagger through his heart.

"Maa!!!!!", Manik screamed, trying to find her but failing miserably. The struggle continued for a few minutes before he could see her again, standing on the other side of the fire. Somehow it wasn't hurting her, she looked alright.

"Maa", his voice was desperate but his mother's eyes glared at him with burning rage, something akin that fire.

"You shouldn't have done this Manik Malhotra, you shouldn't have killed Aadya. YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED HER!!!!"

Manik woke up screaming, his entire body trembling from the intensity of that nightmare. Sweat beads formed all over his forehead, his shirt wet with perspiration too. For a prolonged moment, he was confused, but then his eyes fell on the clock kept by his bedside and he sucked in a sharp breath.