Skip to main content

ELYSIAN FIELDS

Image
SANGEETHA KAMATH

 


I have no memory of who clicked this picture. I have no memory of even who this man sitting beside me is. Is he a dear friend, a husband…but then why don't I get the feeling that I'm a married woman? There was no wedding band on my finger when I regained my consciousness in a hospital room with strangers around me.

He is looking at me now, worry and concern writ large on his face. Fishing out the wedding ring from his pocket, he said it was removed when I was taken into surgery. He has been saying so for the past one week. Should I believe him? If only I could get one hazy fragment of my past, I would.

I turn my face and he sighs, slumping on a chair nearby. I return the picture to him apologetically. At the back of my mind, I do know that he must have been an acquaintance but in my current state of mind, I wasn't ready to accept just about anything, anyone told me.

****

And then the inevitable has happened. It is  time to go home. 'Nolan' is here to do the needful, signing papers and packing my bags. Anxiety swamps me as I'm in a dilemma. Going home with a stranger? I don't even remember who I am.

Nolan is very understanding and doesn't pursue the matter when we reach home. A pounding headache creeps in as I cross the threshold. The house seems vaguely familiar. The stairs…the balcony…that night…everything rushes back like a flood.

My intuition wasn't unfounded. In a scuffle and in a fit of panic, Nolan had thrown me over that fateful night when I had chanced upon that he was the mastermind behind a national conspiracy. 

Grappling at air, I had come hurtling down on the marble floor, lying in a pool of blood! Weak gasps racked my body. As I heard Nolan scream my name, his voice sounded as though trailing through a never ending tunnel. 

I didn't mean to…please…I'm sorry, please don't die…He had repeatedly lamented, holding my bloodied hands. My vision had blurred and I had slipped into oblivion only to wake up alive and drained.

***

I look at Nolan, restlessness and fear taking over anew. But I mustn't…I must keep pretending that I haven't regained my memory…as yet. I'm safe until I'm an amnesiac. But for how long…I must buy time. Who will believe me?

He's influential, powerful…formidable! He can pull strings.Some stories are best hidden behind happy photographs.

Someday, when the timing is right….maybe. But just not today. I bury the memories I've regained for good.

©️ Sangeetha Kamath 

Pic Courtesy:Image by 15806731 from Pixabay



Labels:

Comments

  1. Srivalli RekhaApril 5, 2024 at 1:25 PM

    Will it be a thriller or take a paranormal turn? Great going, Sangeetha. :) Keep writing!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'OWL'TASTIC

SANGEETHA KAMATH
                        ' OWL' TASTIC He sits in solitude as the sun slips by Rousing from deep sleep as the moon rises high Now is his time to party and play  With a hoot of delight he's set out to catch his prey Swooping on rats and cubs of tiny critters His noiseless wings span the fields, woods and pastures Wise old owl is his title to this day Black, white or brown, they're endearing creatures so I say Keeping him as a pet is a hearts delight When they cuddle up to you in the blinding sunlight Turning his head all the way, he's powerful and elegant—an acrobat of the skies!  ©️ Sangeetha Kamath Pic Courtesy:Pixabay
Post a Comment
Read more

FAIRY ROSE AND THE THREE WISHES (DAY 5, POST 2)

SANGEETHA KAMATH
While there was no dearth of dispiriting news floating around during the pandemic, this was one unexpected blow! How deeply I was mourning the passing of my former school headmistress, even as I put one more chapter to rest in the confines of my treasured memories.  I was fortunate to have 'Sister' as my headmistress in primary school. Although I feared her greatly, I was also one of those lucky few who got to see her nurturing side. She had made it a point to give me company every evening while I waited for my father to pick me up from school, which would inevitably be long after dismissal time due to his work constraints.   We're talking of the '80s here when there were no after-school facilities in my beloved hometown. I would constantly be the lone student in the portico and it meant a lot to have an authoritarian figure looking out for my safety and well-being. I was one those painfully shy nerds who by default went into the good books of the teachers and was in th...
Post a Comment
Read more

TAKEN (NaNoWriMo Day 8 )

SANGEETHA KAMATH
                                  TAKEN  The floor boards creaked and my footsteps echoed in the vast emptiness. Shafts of moving lights filtered through a skylight from the high ceiling. In the dim murkiness, I could only see towering silhouettes. Unrecognisable. Unidentifiable. Where was I and how did I come here? Was I in an accident or had I bumped my head, lost my memory and wandered off to this abandoned structure? I only had questions and not a single answer. I felt about in my pockets for a phone. I could do with some light in here. Luck was on my side. I turned on the flashlight and saw a litter of weathered wooden crates, soggy cardboard boxes and newspapers littering the floor.  I picked one up. The print was smudged and illegible. What on earth! It seemed to be a warehouse. Paint and plaster was peeling off the walls. Where was the door? I need to get out of here! I turned my flash...
Post a Comment
Read more

GATOS MEUS QUERIDOS

SANGEETHA KAMATH
Chapter 1                    Muay The Warrior Cat Muay Thai came to be called so for the feisty and spirited little thing she was, reminiscent of the intense and energetic martial art of Muay Thai . Her bold personality inspired me to give her a name that reflected her sass and vigor. Muay Thai's antics were the stuff of legends. She was a buzz of energy, always getting into mischief and mayhem. Whether she was chasing invisible bugs, leaping over furniture like an acrobat or wrestling with toys, Muay Thai was a force to be reckoned with. Her favorite pastime was "attacking" my hands and feet, using her lightning-fast reflexes and razor-sharp teeth. It was a game she loved, and one that always left me in stitches. Despite her tough-as-nails persona, Muay Thai was also a total softie at heart. She loved nothing more than curling up in my lap and purring contentedly, her eyes gleaming with adoration before snoozing into the deepest of sl...
6 comments
Read more

CHAPTER 5: THE JADE SHAMBHALA

SANGEETHA KAMATH
                              CHAPTER 5                        TYPHOON OLEA The window shutters started swinging in the light breeze at first. Xiu Ying stopped eating for a heartbeat and listened intently. Down below where the garden path led to the valley roads, the trees were speaking. The wind was more intense there as it rocked the branches and she could hear faint noises of a couple of branches cracking and falling with a thud. She dropped her chopsticks and called out to Moon Glow in a panic.  "Sim bu bu! Moonie Boo! Where are you, paopei! Come to mama quick. Here girl...tch tch tch". She rattled her snack tin to get her attention even as her heart was beating outside of her chest.  Oh that idiot! where is she! Xiu was perspiring and a cold sweat ran down behind her neck.  MOON GLOW!  Out crawled a sleepy kitten from under the c...
Post a Comment
Read more