F I C T I O N – F L A S H
Zara Jahan
Zayan couldn’t believe his luck. His girlfriend of two years, Erum, left him on Valentine’s Day. Pouring the last few drops of Jack Daniel’s into his mouth, he sat down hastily with his back against the cold marble of the bathroom.
Plip, plip, plip.
The steady rhythm of water dripping tried Zayan’s patience. He opened his eyes to turn off the tap. Instead, he saw Erum standing over him wearing the peach-coloured silk robe he had gifted her on her 19th birthday.
The drink is doing its thing already, he thought to himself. He made sure to block out the annoying sound of water and closed his eyes.
A low hymn woke him up for the second time. He sat up with all the strength in his body. He looked around to find from where the sound came.
“Not again!” Zayan muttered as he saw a feminine figure in the corner of the bathroom.
“Can you leave me alone? This is not funny, Erum,” he said to the figment of his overheated imagination. He rubbed his eyes in a bored manner and tried to eliminate the thought of his ex-girlfriend. He furrowed his brows once he realised what he was staring at. It was not Erum. No, it was not his mental projection of Erum either. It was a different person altogether.
The deity was illuminating and floating. She had long blonde hair and was dressed in celestial clothing. While Zayan tried to make sense of what he was looking at, the foreign entity came closer to him, leaving a trail of stardust behind.
He spat out, “Who…no…what the fuck are you?”
The sprite smiled in reply.
“Are you…like…some fairy or shit?”
She did not answer. She could not. Because she did not understand the language of the Sapiens.
She extended her glowing hand towards him. He looked nervously at the luminous body and retreated. She moved slowly, with the assurance that she did not mean any harm. This time, he allowed her to place her palm on his chest. Immediately, he felt a breeze of calmness and tranquillity take over him.
Zayan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel time passing by but something was comforting in that sentiment. Being dumped by Erum did not matter. Passing out on the bathroom floor after being wasted did not matter. The trickling noise of water dripping did not matter. He could swear that he was absolutely insouciant at that moment.
She looked at him as he took relaxed breaths and fell asleep. She knew that her job here was done. It was time to leave. Taking one final glance at Zayan, she flew to her next destination.
After all, Erum was not coping with the heartbreak too well either.
As a single parent to three cats, Zara often struggles to balance between being a part-time student and a full-time procrastinator.
beautiful