Love Dale

Dev and Arya were lovers since college days. Though both of them belonged to different caste and religion there was a lot of turmoil and ups and downs when their families got to know about their relationship. They decided to take the plunge and got married with the help of their loyal friends who stood by them through thick and thin. Their families disowned them which wasn't a shock though they knew this would be their reaction to the decision taken by them.

They decided to go away from all the chaos and settle down somewhere where no one knew them. They wanted to live a life which they always wanted - devoid of drama and unwanted noise. Dev was an excellent photographer and his photographs occasionally made it to some of the finest magazines. Arya was an accomplished dancer and Bhartnatyam was her forte. Due to his love for nature and serene surroundings he always wanted to have a house somewhere in the hills covered in mist and wake up to the chirping of birds and natural sounds of a river flowing nearby. The beauties of nature that he always admired.

And that's what exactly happened for them. Dev and Arya had found their dream home which suited their budgets, away from the city of blaring sounds and high skyscrapers. It was a quiet place, in the interiors of a remote village, abundant with love and affection of the local people who were untouched by the whims and fancies of modernity. It was a place of 'heaven on earth', blessed with natural beauty of hills, small streams, rivers that roared as they flowed through rocky terrains and in some distance was the house they fell in love with and in which they decided to start their life and call it their home.

The 'home' was a cosy one that had lovely interiors mostly of wood, a small yet beautiful garden which had the most exquisite flowers which one couldn't see anywhere in the towns and cities and it also had medicinal herbs and shrubs which the locals had planted which did wonders to people who ailed from common problems like the flu, toothache, headaches and it wasn't a wonder that the government dispensary which was located nearby hadn't had patients for a very long time.

Dev and Arya quickly settled down in their tiny home. They named it, 'Love Dale'. Love and only love existed in their den. No room for anger and fights. Arya was soon able to win the hearts of the local women folk and she encouraged them to send their daughters to her so that she could impart her dancing skills into them. Initially they were hesitant to send but soon the house was flooded with kids dancing to the chants of 'Tha, tha, theyyam' and the giggles of kids leaving the house as tomorrow's flourishing dancers. Arya was content with her life and she felt at peace.

Dev's office was a bit far away from where they lived though he carried on his passion for photography as his part time love. Sometimes this 'love' used to keep him away from home for some days or sometimes weeks and that was the only fight that he and Arya always encountered but she always accepted his undying love for his passion and always knew in her mind that his passion came first for him even after her. His 'nature love ' was her mistress which she had happily accepted.

Days went by, months went by. When one day she received a call from her best friend of college days that they would be visiting them enroute their trip to a nearby place. Arya was thrilled as no one visited them. She called up Dev and informed him of their visit to their home. Dev too was thrilled and picked them up from their point of contact. All of them had a lovely time reminiscing things of the past. Though Arya and Dev requested them to stay back for a day or two they declined as the friend's husband needed to attend some important meetings which was unavoidable. As they left Arya's friend held her hand in hers and said, 'I see happiness in you both internally and externally, stay this way always and I'm so happy that you have taken the right decision in marrying Dev'. Arya's eyes filled up with tears as she looked at Dev who was chatting away with the husband and replied back to her, 'Yes, I'm very lucky. ' Arya and Dev bade them goodbye as the friends left promising them another visit soon and they in turn inviting them to their place.

A Sunday.

Arya did not take classes on Sunday. She decided to clean up the house with the help of her domestic help. Though the house had three rooms and they used only two of them, the third one was reserved for guests incase anyone turned up and decided to stay back, though that never had happened in their case. There was a loft in that room and while cleaning it Arya saw a dusty little doll in the corner of the loft. It was covered with cobwebs. It came as a surprising factor to her cause they both (herself and Dev) had never seen it all this while they had stayed in that house for almost a year now.

Arya brought down the doll and found it very cute inspite of it being dressed in dust. She cleaned up the doll and it looked brand new and Arya found a new friend, a listener, a cute little company in the doll. She used to talk to it, rant to it about her worries, her little happiness, occasionally complain about Dev and sometimes laugh hysterically with her 'newfound' friend . The doll became her favorite and a lifetime companion.

One day while holding the doll Arya felt a strange vibration in herself. Something like a maternal instinct. She felt as though she was holding a baby and caressing it. She felt she was missing a child like presence in her life. Her body seemed to tell her she's ready for motherhood and she wanted to have a child of her own to cuddle and shower all her love on 'her' own child.

While teaching the kids and after the classes when their mothers along with the younger siblings came to pick up the children, Arya looked at amazement at the way the younger ones would giggle and be happy on seeing their siblings. She so wanted to hold one of them in her own hands and kiss and love them. That's exactly when she knew it was motherhood calling.

That evening she decided to talk about it to Dev. She looked her gorgeous self and while having dinner she seductively looked at Dev and at the doll which was placed at the shelf. After dinner as they retired to their bedroom Dev felt Arya was looking the most gorgeous and he never had seen her look more seductive as she looked that day. He pulled her close to him and began feeling her and she melted in his arms and as their lips met she whispered to him, 'I want a child'. He held her tighter and kissed her and whispered back, 'your wish is my command.' Their bodies became one, a perfect sex combined with love and lust for each other. As the cool winds blew from the open windows the warmth of their bodies were felt in their breath and soul. Pure magic flowed between the sheets as nature's most wonderful spark ignited between two people in love.

The next morning as Arya awakened to a beautiful sunny morning and turned to hug Dev he wasn't on his side of the bed. As she dressed herself and got out of the bed in search of him he wasn't seen anywhere around. She came back to her room and just then she looked at the mirror to see something written on it. As she went closer it read, ' Happy Birthday my love, wait for a bigger surprise by evening'.

She smiled to herself and had actually forgotten that it was her birthday today! She came back to her bed and was smiling away. She got up and went about doing her routine activities while the doll sat there. She waited for him thinking he would drop in the afternoon for lunch as she made a feast but that didn't happen. She hugged the doll and said she's very happy today as she's in for a surprise and can't wait for it. She cancelled the dance classes today and gave her domestic help a holiday too. She felt a strange happiness today like never felt before. The day turned to dark. She dressed her best as it was 'her day' today. She lit candles all over the house and wanted to feel all positive and have a cozy and warm dinner along with her love, Dev. Time was fleeting but there was no sign of him. Her mind and heart started fluttering. A sense of void started overcoming her. She had never felt this kind of fear before. In case of any late coming Dev would always call her up but then today why?! Her mind and heart did not want to think anything negative but somewhere it was creeping its way inside her. But then, 'wait for a bigger surprise' - that message was giving her hopes to hold on. She walked around the house in anticipation. She didn't know what to do, whom to call and all calls to him weren't getting through either.

Her happiness slowly started turning into anxiety. She walked towards the window a million times hoping to see him returning home. She opened the door and walked around outside with chilly winds blowing through her face and hair. She did this many times but to no avail. Just then the candles were melting one by one and the room becoming darker as she sat there watching and feeling her heart sink slowly and steadily.

Just then a knock on the door. Her happiness knew no bounds as she hurriedly ran towards the door dropping some things on the way, but to her oblivion. As she wiped away her tears and put on a happy face thinking it's Dev and opened the door, there was no Dev but instead at the doorstep stood his driver who wore a bruised look and bandaged heavily on the head and hands. He looked pale and who in search of words started blabbering something like, 'sir is no more. He died in an accident. Inspite of me telling him not to drive he was excited today and lost his control and.....'

She closed the door in disbelief. She did not want to believe that Dev was no more in her life. Tears rolled down as she sat there lifeless and emotionless. Few candles were left burning till total darkness prevailed in the home. She held the doll and cried as loudly as she could. Darkness overcame the whole house.

Next day as the domestic help came for her daily work she saw the morning paper and bottle of milk left untouched outside the house. She called out to Arya but there was no response. She peeped into the house through a small opening near the window and saw Arya lying on the bed with her wrists slit and blood clotted on the floor as the doll sat next to her lifeless body.

The help screamed and ran from there. The local police and people came in and took away Arya's body for final procedures. A beautiful life came to an end. The house was cleaned. That was the end of Dev and Arya's incomplete life which was yet to begin.

The house was later locked with all the things inside it intact. Days and months passed. The once beautiful house turned into a deserted and ugly one. The garden that once boasted of lovely flowers turned into a dry bed of thorns, weeds and creepers that made their way into the house.

The locals believed Arya's soul still lived inside that house and every evening she walked outside waiting for his return. The house bore a deserted look and the once beautiful property became a haunted one. People who have been called to clear the outside porch of unwanted plants and weeds claimed to have seen the curtain open and close on its own though no winds were blowing and the window being shut. As they went nearer and looked in through the gaps no one was ever found inside.

Occasionally the house was cleaned for it to be sold. The property dealers tried their best to get rid of it. The cleaners never found anything unusual inside and went about doing their job as told and left. Though many buyers did approach the property they claim to have felt some negative vibes coming through. Hence it never got sold.

The house still stands there like a testament of Dev and Arya's incomplete dream and love.