Deadly Silence: A Horror Anthology

Orange Ice Cream Scoop

It was evening and by the time our school bell rang most of the students had already left for their dormitories. I picked up my books; a pile of chemical studies and went out. The school nestled in a mountain region, the utmost divinity of what I saw when I stepped outside took me back by several emotions overcrowding my mind. For once and only once could I, a mere schoolboy with minds jumping from ' Van Der Waal's force ' to 'that girl who sat alone looking beautiful in the winter cold sun', noticed the beautiful painting.

As, I saw the orange clouds roaming around, playing with the wind. I strapped my coat shut. The air had a taste of itself. It felt sweet. The lush green lawn which lay in front, crafted nearly by the 5 gardeners who came either early in the morning or in the evening. The lawn felt like the plush bed when I sat down on it. I was not much of a social person and not did anyone find me much interesting. But it goes as they say, ' You are not alone on the journey to death. '

I let the books slide out of my hand as I began to feel the cold wind with same sweet taste. It the perfect sweetness, not too much nor too little. Just the amount I needed. The smell of the grass made me remember my home. I was born and raised in a place where there were lot of farmers and shepherds. My father is a mechanic, and my mother was a florist but gave it up when she had me. I remembered the time when I had gone walking with the sheep and how on coming home at 8:00 PM made my mother slap me and father to give a good amount of heated comment for me. But I had always fallen for nature. I never did cease to love it no matter what.

As I had been recalling all my dearest moments, tears had automatically formed and they fell on the grass like the dew of the warning of incoming cold weather. I wanted to be home. None of this study was going to take me anywhere. It was where I wanted to be, and it was where I belonged. I belonged among the poor peasants and shepherds not in this posh university where people would bring in all sorts of imported material to bloat in front of their friends.

The evening dawned further, with my weeping stopped and mind calmed, there remained one option in my mind. I thought, maybe I could do with some stroll. After all the weather is perfect and the moment is perfect. With perfection lies Harmony.

How wrong was I .

With my mind set on walking. I picked up my books and stashed them into the bag. Then cheered myself up a bit by reminding that Shirley will be very happy to see me. She and I had met just few days before. It was during the 3rd lecture when she had sat beside me. I passed her my homework which she had forgotten to do. Then our eyes met, and both of our hearts connected to perform the happiest symphony for both.

It was she who made me stay here. And, as she confessed later, it was my unique view on my surroundings which kept her in this university. I looked at the big clock, it was 6:55 PM. Shirley still had five minutes. So, I picked my pace and left the university grounds.

I chose the less trodden path as Robert Frost had pointed me to do. As I began to disappear amongst the crowd. I could hear people squeaking in hushed tones, '' They say a dog was seen killed near the edge of the cliff-side. It had big scratches on the belly. Poor Taby had gone bonkers when she saw its state. Horrible it was. '"

Pah! I said in my head at that time. They care if a small dog gets killed but they simply look away when they see poor suffering from food shortage. Damn them. I had been getting quite angrier sometimes. Maybe it was because of the cold. I share a room with a guy named Ricky. Ricky " Spermy" Farr was in the most respectable term, an utterly stupid boy who had the body like that of a giraffe with an enormous head. Which indeed made him look like sperm.

I walked on the stony path which was heading towards the back of the university. With my thoughts still on Ricky, I wondered about my anger. It had been due to the cold. Somehow my room was always getting shivering cold at times. It was as if, the whole room was the North pole. I had taken at least 5 big thick blankets with me from the laundry. But still it felt ice-cold. Slowly it had begun to increase too. Even after applying almost a splat of moisturiser. Within an hour my skin would already be ready to peel off. Even Ricky had felt it at times when he was in the room. After couple of weeks feeling the same thing, I had decided to complain to the Prefect.