The Swing

The swing swung on its own without a breeze and without no one to swing it.

The wife watched from the balcony, the swing swinging in the balcony, and wondered how is it possible that the swing swung with no one sitting on it, and no wind to push it.

But it kept swinging rhythmatically, moaning a creaky sound.

Skreee... Skrooonk... Skreeee..... Skroonk.. Skreee..... skroonk

One night, the wife woke up to a squeaking sound... Skreeeee.... Skoooonk..

Her husband was sound asleep snoring and filling the room with his nasal noises. But the squeaking sound was distant and timed. And then, she realized that it was the damn swing swinging in the breeze. Slowly, it became fierce like someone was swinging fast with full force... skree... skronk... skree. skronk... skree... skronk...

She covered her ears with pillows unable to listen until in the wee morning hours, the sound faded, and she woke up with a splitting headache.

Next morning, she asked the husband whether he heard the squeaking sound of the swing. The husband said that he did not hear any such noise. They saw the swing stationery in the garden, and the husband told her not to worry. Perhaps it was the wind or a cat.

But the wife was determined to get rid of it, and so, she summoned a labourer to wind the swing and throw it away in the corner of the garden. The job was done and there would be no squeaking sound, she thought.

But that night she woke up to a creaking, squeaking sound... the swing was swinging again. In a fist of anger, she marched to the balcony to see it swinging. It stopped in mid air for a few seconds, and then continued swinging... Skreee.... Skroonk.... Skreee.... Skroonk.

The wife spent sleepless nights hearing the skreeing and skronking. She saw the swing swinging with sound effects during the day. She was being hypnotized by the swing until one day she was reduced to the skree and the skronk.

One night, the husband woke up to a mild squeaking sound and was alarmed to find her wife absent on the bed. He looked for her everywhere in the house. She wasn't there. She was on the swing, swinging like a lifeless body on the wooden, rickety swing. And every night after that she woke up and swung on the swing until the husband was so scared that he changed the house and also the city.

The swing now awaits a new family to occupy the house swinging its monotonous tone.... Skreee.... Skroonk.....Skreeee.... Skroonk...Skree....