Up In The Air |✅|

Choice-Part II

Akanksha Thakur could think of nothing else.

'...What?' She finally found her voice. She had no idea what expression she had on her face right then.
Karan did not step back.
'At least,' He said, 'That's what they say in movies.'
Akanksha choked on nothing and Karan burst out laughing.
'H--ey!' She exclaimed through coughs.
But then Akanksha stopped.
There it was again... His laugh...
A laugh that just-- did not sound right. It did not sound like him...

She stared at Karan for a long moment.
'What?' Karan spoke up.
'I'm pondering.' Akanksha said, 'You're not the same as you used to be.'
'Oh my god, Akanksha. I thought you knew me best. Haven't I always been like this?'
She backtracked as Karan looked away.
He did have a point...
'I still wonder...' She murmured. And this time, Karan's sharp ears did not hear it.

The following Friday, Akanksha experienced a similar scene near the Sagar Railing. This time, thankfully, Karan wasn't really crying. But anyone who passed by could point out immediately that his face suggested particular unhappiness.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a moon to comment on and the isolated area was dark except for the bright but pale glow from the lamp at the end of the street.

'Waiting for someone?' Akanksha said instead. She wasn't really expecting him to answer that.
'Yeah.' Karan did not even turn to look at her, 'Been waiting for you.'
Akanksha smiled at the sea and the salty air without any reason.
'You really love this place, huh?'
'Yeah. Because of what happened here.' Now he looked at her, 'Remember? '
'How can I forget?' She took her place beside him, hands on the railing.
Karan exhaled noisily.
Which only led to Akanksha asking something without thinking.
'Missing your parents?'
Karan stiffened.

Akanksha could've kicked herself. Why are you reminding him of his gloom?

The girl fumbled through her treasury of words to find a better string. But Karan spoke up before she could say anything further.
'Yes. But let's not talk about that.'
'Yeah, sure.' She was only too eager to comply.
'I have a story in mind. Wanna listen?'
'Um, okay. Go ahead.'
She was expecting an anecdote. But she received something entirely different.

'Once upon a time, there was a spirit. A good spirit who lived by himself near a lake in a park where human children loved to spend time with their parents. His name was Mon and he loved to look at the human kids play around everyday. He could see them. But they couldn't see him. They could see him only when he converted himself to a human. But he could do it and convert back only once in his lifetime. And spirits are immortal.

'One pleasant evening, he came across a woman, who sat on a park bench beside the lake, alone. She would look at the fishes frolicking about in the lake and sigh from time to time. She started to come every evening. Mon observed her for a few days and realised she had no friends. Just like him. The woman was beautiful with pretty hair and a pretty face. She didn't deserve to be lonely. Or so Mon thought. He really wanted to hear her voice. He started to place flowers--a bouquet of fresh roses-- on her bench minutes before she would arrive each time and surprise her. Though the woman never smiled. Slowly, slowly the feelings grew inside him as he watched her everyday.

'One evening, he could resist it no more, so he decided to use his gift and converted himself into a human. He waited for the woman to arrive and then went over and talked to her. As soon as the lady opened her mouth, Mon was mesmerised. She had a lovely voice. He thought-- "How could anyone in the world allow her to be alone!" "Are you the one who placed those flowers everyday here?" The woman asked him. Mon said yes and the woman greeted him with the brightest smile. And that's when Mon realised he was in love.'

Karan paused and stared at the dark sea.
'What happened after that?' Akanksha urged and only then did he continue.

'The two met each evening after that. Mon always awaited her arrival eagerly. With a fresh bouquet of roses in hand each time. The woman too had started falling for him. She never got to know that he was not a human. Well, Mon never told her. Mon never converted back to a spirit after the first day he had met her, because obviously he wouldn't be able to become a human again and the woman would never be able to see him again. She had been happy that evening. The evening they had met. He did not want her to be alone once more. And then again, he too had been lonely. Always.