Destroyed In Love

The weather was pleasant as the cold breeze played lightly with the leaves as they danced to relieve the exposure to the high temperatures of the day. Tall trees, stony roads, old mansions and the countryside beauty of England amazed Alan. Being the chief editor of London’s highest selling newspaper was not an easy task. Though some were of the opinion that at such a position offered a well-versed knowledge of the happenings around yet Alan found it difficult to agree with this line of thought. Nothing was more stressful than flipping through hundreds of articles daily, managing the priority list of news, categorizing them and then delivering reviews to every department compiling news. There was simply no time at hand for anything, which called for a much needed break. Alan had already planned to visit one of his aunts in a countryside few hours from London.

 

He had always been close to his aunt who absolutely doted on him. She always looked forward to his visits and this was the peace he desperately desired. Thus here he was, comfortably seated in the park in front of his aunt’s home. He inhaled the cold pleasant air as it worked its magic all the way in his body. He had been rooted to the same spot for hours as his neighbours enjoyed around him. Maybe his mind was fixed on the girl sitting opposite to him at the other end of the park. Clad in a summer dress, there was a natural freshness and glow on her face that accentuated her features. She hardly focussed on anyone, her eyes were dreamy staring at the trees mesmerized by the beauty around her. That dreamy look was what struck Alan’s attention. Having observed her for hours now, he decided to talk to her.

 

As pleasant as her face looked to him, she was even merrier by nature. Every time, she looked him in the eye, her eyes would darken and her face blushed. Bold as an action it seemed to Alan, the more captivated he was by her beauty, her soft voice and the smooth conversation they were having. Day after day they met and talked and a week had almost passed signalling the end of Alan’s vacation. Sad by the fact that he could no longer meet Erena daily, he decided to inform her and hope for a positive reaction to future meetings. As usual they met in the park and it was the phase of sadness as the blossoming love had to face an inevitable separation, however Erena decided to introduce Alan to her parents.

 

Large patches of land crossed, the small houses were now replaced with old, large mansions, the roads got narrower and the trees denser as they reached the end of the road in front of a huge mansion. Some chapter from history had come alive. Swiftly crossing the path to the house, Erena opened the door for Alan to go in. As Alan stepped in, he found no firm ground for his feet. Strong gusts of air slapped his face as he was plunging downwards by gravity’s effects. Blinded by the speed, he forced open his eyes when he heard the same pleasant laugh. His Erena was dancing happily. Alan’s mind went into further shock as Erena sang the same song that he had heard while growing up. A song that warned of a charming soul residing in the woods and preying on young men.

The next day, the same newspaper printed the sad demise of their chief editor citing it as a suicide by jumping off the cliff at the end of the forest where once stood a mansion, which had crumbled down as an effect of the infamous landslide centuries ago. At the end of the news, there was a note, mentioning how his aunt’s neighbours had witnessed him talking to air for hours. For everyone, the stress had taken a toll on him but only Alan knew what Erena had done to him.