Bachelor Dreams

Roe was a happy man living a flamboyant life. His friends John, Mac, Venu all had married and had one or two children but Roe never wanted to compromise on his bachelor dreams.

He was forty young handsome fit and healthy guy who was jolly at work had earned quite a good money and therefore had bought all the luxuries of life. He lived in the old by lanes of London and later he bought an old palatial bungalow which was lying abandoned for a very long time. He often called his friends in his huge palatial home and host grand parties. Venu was a guy who belonged to a well-known family of astrologers from India. Though he was a software engineer yet he had deep knowledge of his family tradition as well.

That day Venu had a deep intuition during the party and he took a stroll out into the garden while Roe, Mac, and John were pouring out their drinks after drinks. Venu sensed an eerie veiled shadow hovering around the old apple tree. He thought, one apple fall created Newton's law of gravity. But this apple fruit will certainly ruin all of Rod's bachelor dreams. She was young, beautiful and desirous soul seeking amusement and her lost pleasures.

Far at home, his grandma's stories had the mention of all sorts of ghosts, demons, witches and hags but Venu thought all these were only imagination and grandma only used them as a tool to make naughty children go to sleep. But today Venu was no longer a child and he wasn't drunk even.

That cold gush of breeze made him sweat profusely even in the cold night. He rushed back inside to his friends. He wanted to tell Roe of all what he experienced, but that beautiful hag followed him there too and made a gesture by putting a finger on her lips, that is to not say a word and go away.

Roe insisted Venu to have a drink and eat his dinner plate but Venu was gazing at another point constantly. Mac said today his wife is not keeping well and he would leave early; Venu also left along with Mac and so John finished his dinner and departed early that day.

The party was over quite early, but the night was still young...Roe suddenly felt a wave of loneliness for the first time. Usually, after drinks, he and his friends used to dance, sing and chat together past midnight but today by 10 pm all had gone to be with their families. Roe realized his richness was useless today. Nobody to share, nobody to talk to; three-four drinks usually were enough to set him to his mood but today all vanished immediately and a wave of monotony and gloom started surrounding him.

He decided to take a stroll in his huge garden which was full of ripe fruit trees, scented flowers and soft grass but Roe never had the time to venture out as he was very busy at his work and then partying at home.

Roe was wearing a neat hat over his striped suit. He liked to be dressed like a gentleman even during his casual parties at home. Walking around the garden, he came across that old apple tree and the cold breeze streak touched him too just like Venu had experienced! Bachelor Roe was not to be spared as the married Venu. She pounced upon Roe and he was simply alarmed. He tried to jump off the surrounding boundary wall of the garden in the fright and confusion. Her presence was irresistibly strong and Roe felt that she was simply overpowering him. He wanted to scream but his voice failed...

The next morning Venu visited Roe who was lying on his bed suffering from high fever. He called the doctor and when the doctor had gone after advising him pills and rest, Roe held Venu's hands with all his energy tightly and said: Dear Venu, my friend... I am fine, this fever is due to an unknown fear, I don't know how to get rid of it...

Venu asked about last night's chilling experience and whether he was attacked by the same veiled shadow and when Roe confirmed, Venu purposely laughed aloud to brush off this thought. He called up the other two friends and declared his judgment to Roe...Dearest Roe, for a long while, you have been pursuing your Bachelor Dreams, now it's high time you land on reality grounds. This fever no doctor can cure. Its cure is that you take a walk at the aisle with Jane who has started greying at so young age waiting for you. All the three friends laughed together and Roe pondered about Jane his school friend soulmate whom he liked as a friend but never considered to marry her as it would take away his bachelor dreams. But guess, the bachelor dreams were now over for Roe, thanks to the veiled shadow.