Abhira: One Shots and Short Stories

Part I: The Photograph (1.1)

Part I: The Photograph (1.1)

Abhimanyu stares at the photograph in his hand. It is slightly crumpled with small tears on its edges. The faces in the photograph have faded out a little, just like the memory that has been captured in it.

The passage of time does have that effect. It is evidence of how much a person has changed over the years. Time is an enigma. Some days it feels like it is running out of your hands, and sometimes as if it is at a standstill; not even a second has passed. It has its own way of meddling with the lives of people.

Abhimanyu looks happy in the photograph. There is a twinkle in his eyes and a look of pure joy on his face. That's a rare emotion to be seen on his face these days.

But if you look beyond Abhimanyu's smile captured in the photograph, you will notice his gaze fixed on the reason for his existence, his first and only love – his Akshu. To say that Abhimanyu loved Akshara more than the world would still be an understatement. All he ever wanted in life was to be able to give her the happiness she deserved.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather simply embracing it and moving on despite that fear. It is healthy to live your life with little fear in it. It means you are actually living and willing to fight – because you fear losing something."

Abhimanyu remembered Akshara's words as he sat near the window, staring at the rain falling in a heavy downpour. He hoped the pounding rain would wash away the pain within his soul. He longs for numbness for his constantly aching heart. Akshara's words lingered in his mind as he tried to decode the key to moving on. Moving on is easier said than done.

Moving on is a choice, a choice that he is not yet ready to make. After all it was their choices that brought them to where they are today. A choice – sounds like just another word, but making the right choice, the right decision, is the hardest part of life.

Whenever they found themselves at crossroads, there were always two paths that they could travel– the one which was the difficult path but perhaps the right one in the situation and the other – an equally dangerous path but a destination that their hearts yearned for.

It was all about choices and your resolve to take hard decisions. Abhimanyu's resolve wavered once, and he gave in to Akshara's choice of walking the dangerous path in the hope of fulfilling the void in her heart. After all, Abhimanyu had always lived for Akshara's happiness, and her happiness lay in walking the path less trodden.

It had started raining yet again. The dark and gloomy weather of the torrential rains seems to become Abhimanyu's best friend. He could sit and stare at the water droplets endlessly, allowing the rain's noise to silence his thoughts.

In a strange way, staring at the rain and thinking about the past of what he had lost doesn't seem so painful. His thoughts wandered to the decision that changed him as a person. He sighed and closed his eyes, content that he was in a place that he could call home, a place which still held the remnants of her memories.

Opening his eyes, Abhimanyu finds himself sitting on his bed. The presence of silence and an absence of sound haunts his very being. His room used to be one place where silence dared to enter. After all, his Akshu was a chatterbox who loved to talk his ear off. Her innocent ramblings and giggles would keep their room lively.

But now, silence had finally found a way to wriggle inside and make his room it's home. It no longer held the lively chatter or the vibrant colours but was rather painted in gloomy colours. With the photograph still in his hands, it was trying to communicate with Akshu's Abhi, trying to ignite the lost emotions. And it did ignite an emotion.

Abhimanyu was angry. An inexplicable rage had built inside him. He had bottled it up and shoved it inside for a year but wasn't sure how long he would be able to sustain it. His rage was not targeted at his beloved Akshu but rather at himself, at his inability to fulfilling his promise of always protecting her.

The consequences of his decision are unforgettable. The harshness, the cruelty, the hate and the pain – he is unable to carry them any longer. But yet again – his eyes are dry, and tears threaten to fall, but he quickly wipes them away. He needs to fulfil his last promise to Akshu.

Inexplicably, his lips curve into a smile. Remembering the last few months with his Akshu brings a sudden lightness to his soul. Abhimanyu slowly walks towards their cupboard and retrieves a small box; opening the lid, he carefully places the photograph inside.

Taking a last look at the photograph along with other reminders of her memory, he finally shuts the lid and puts the box back into the cupboard.

A photograph ingenuously does something that even the most complex mechanisms fail to do. Time is an entity that flows, an enigma that cannot be brought back once it passes. But a photograph – it captures time. It is a gateway to reliving those moments and reminiscence in the fond memories.

The photograph captures the last moments of Abhimanyu and Akshara together. Lost in each other's eyes with proud smiles on their lips and a look of contentment on their faces. Their hearts were full of happiness as they both held their bundle of joys in their arms – their symbol of love – Abhir and Mahira.

Abhimanyu has finally decoded the meaning of Akshara's words. He will move on in his life, embrace the pain and fear and turn them into his courage. Letting go of the past is the first step towards the future, but Abhimanyu has decided to embark on his future path while holding hands with his past. After all, we are our choices and our decision. 

One year back, Abhimanyu made a choice, and today he has made a choice again. To live his life the way his Akshu would have wanted him to. To live for their children.

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It was originally planned as a single piece, something I wrote at the moment. But after re-reading this, I feel it has the potential of being converted into a two-shot. Or another piece can be based on this writing which gives a glimpse into what transpired during the past year (or during Akshara's pregnancy), which led to Akshara's death and Abhimanyu being left alone.

Do let me know what you wish you read further.

Happy reading!