By the River
A Short Story: True Love crosses all the barriers
Joy was sitting by the river. Her soft blue gown was blending with the river and the sky. It was hard to tell if the river was trying to be her reflection or if the sky was twinning with her.
Every day, she tied her hair in a single braid, but today, she left them loose. All the women in the town were jealous of her long black hair and big blue eyes. No one had hair like hers. Men could not help but stare when she would walk, which was also one of the reasons behind the jealousy of women. They could do nothing to stop their husbands from looking at her. When she laughed, the whole universe would laugh with her.
Everyone wondered about the man who would be the lucky one to have this astonishing beauty.
Joy was waiting for someone whose heart would beat at the same rhythm as hers.
But today, Joy’s beautiful smile was nowhere to be seen. The universe was sad seeing such a beautiful creation wilting away. Her eyes were looking into the river, oscillating between happiness and sadness as if they were trying to search for something. There was pin-drop silence.
When her eyes shed a tear into the river,
The river said, “Hey there, what happened? Earlier, whenever you came here, there used to be a beautiful smile on your face. Your smile is the reason I taste sweet, and your happiness keeps my water clean. But today, you are making me salty with your tears. Have I done something wrong?”
Listening to the river’s voice, Joy was startled as if she had returned to the present from the lost world. She wiped her tears and apologized.
Joy said, “Dear River, please excuse me. I did not mean to spoil your water. You have always given me the solitude, good memories, and you provide water to the whole town. We all are blessed to have you. Please, forgive me.”
The river said, “Joy, let me tell you something. Every soul in this place, including me, waits for your visit because you are beautiful inside and out. When your heart smiles, it makes us all feel that we are beautiful too. But today, you are looking sad. So, we are wondering if we are the reason behind your sadness.”
Joy felt overwhelmed by the river’s words.
Joy said, “You know that you are my only friend with whom I share everything. So, there is nothing I need to hide from you. I met a man a few weeks ago. He was from a distant place. He visited my place because he wanted to buy some carpets from our shop. As my father was not in town that day, so I was managing the shop. When he looked at me, it felt that time had stopped. Our eyes looked into each other’s souls and instantly fell in love. From that moment on, we started seeing each other every day. We enjoyed each other’s company. He told me about the places he had traveled, and I told him about the simplicity and the beauty of our town. He stayed here for two weeks.”
Joy continued, “I told him about you and this place, and he promised me he would come here with me. But before that could happen, my father saw us together and disapproved of our relationship. When he asked me to go with him, I could not say anything because I got scared. It has been two weeks since he has gone, and I am regretting my silence. I know he still loves me. My heart feels it all the time. I want to tell him how much I love him and want to be with him forever. I want to tell him that I am ready to leave everything behind, but I can’t as I don’t have his address. I know he will not come until he hears from me.”
The river smiled and said, “You said your souls are connected?”
Joy replied, “Yes, we both felt that way.”
The river said,
“Then, you must leave all your worries and doubt here. When the two souls are in love, and their connection is strong, even the universe tries its best to bring them together. You have already dropped a tear into me, now close your eyes, say whatever your heart wants to say to the man you love, and touch my water. Feel it as if you are touching his face. Wherever he is at this moment, he will feel your emotions and the touch, if your love is true.”
Joy did as the river asked her to do. She felt him.
Far away, Noah was lying in the grass. He was looking at the sky and trying to find the moon that was hiding behind the clouds. His heart wished to see Joy’s face in it the moment the moon comes out. Suddenly, he felt the wind caressing his face. It was like some magic happened. The clouds scattered, and the full moon appeared.
Noah closed his eyes and whispered, “I am missing you, Joy. I can’t wait to see you. I have been waiting for this day to come ever since I got here. Thank you for telling me you are waiting for me. I am coming.”
©️ K A Simran 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this , explore a few of my other poems / haiku /stories.
