Atlantis

Prologue

The birds have left the trees,
the light pours on to me;
I can feel you lying there all on your own.

We got here the hard way,
all those words that we exchange;
is it any wonder things get broke?

~

The rain was a steady drizzle outside his room, slightly distorting the view of his poolside. He watched his plants sway in the gentle breeze, rivetted by their dance. The disturbance in the pool's surface was a music added to the sound of nature that had enthralled him momentarily before a ping of his phone brought him back to earth.

He shook his head and resumed rolling up his sleeves. Once done, he picked up the phone from his bed and typed a quick message in reply to Aman's query before pocketing the device. He casted a look around his room, trying to think if he was forgetting something. Finding nothing, he snatched his jacket from the recliner and made to leave.

The familiar interior of Shantivan glared at him as he descended the stairs--the beige walls, antique paintings, the greenery of the plants scattered across the mansion, and the eerie stillness in the air. Amidst the silence that had grown to be part of his once beloved home, it came as a little surprise when he heard a voice chime behind him,

"Chotte, please wait."

The sound of his footsteps died with a sigh but he did not turn around. A few seconds later, the face of his sister swarm in front of his eyes--a kind face pinched with concern.

She spoke with the tiniest smile she could muster, "eat something before you leave." She added quickly at the look on his face, "please."

Arnav looked away, uncomfortable under the stare she was giving him, uncomfortable at the precursor of tears that he saw in her eyes every time she looked at him, and at the pity that seemed to have been plastered in her expression for good.

"I'm not hungry," he said, still not maintaining eye contact. "I'll get something later."

"I know you'll be out all day, and--"

"Di, I said I don't want to." He raised his face to her at last, and immediately found himself irked at the moisture that brimmed in her eyes. He spoke as he briskly walked past her, "I'll be back in the evening. Please, don't wait for me."

He felt her stare on his back as he marched away and as he disappeared behind the front door. The hollow in his chest opened a little wider as he got inside his car and started the engine. He hated himself when tears surged up his own eyes, blurring his sight.

He managed a pretence of composure before he reached his first destination. The owner greeted him with his usual booming laughter and presented at once the assortment of sweets Arnav ordered every year on the same day from the shop. Arnav gave a tiny smile of his own as he thanked the elderly man and conveyed his greetings to the latter's good-natured wife before bidding them bye. Like every year they invited Arnav to visit more and like every year, Arnav made the insincere promise to do so.

He drove next to the florist and since he picked different flowers every year to go with the never-changing red roses, he spent a little more time there. This time, he paired them with sunflowers and dahlias, satisfied at the spectrum of red, faded pink, and yellow in his hands.

At his next stop, he took two of the three boxes of confection, stored the last one and the bouquet safely in the car, and began ascending the stairs of a temple he had grown used to visiting despite his lack of faith. He bowed his head in front of the Goddess he did not believe in, and turned towards the priest. The pandit-ji's smile was benevolent as he reassured him that the prayer will be conducted as per usual. He refused the offering the priest tried to give him and expressed his gratitude quickly before returning to his vehicle.