“Zoe, live with me, here, in this cabin, it’s what you’ve always dreamed of.” These same words rang continuously in her head, to the point that she unconsciously shouted out loud, “My love, we will soon be reunited.
“Rakesh, who was already looking for a reason to confine Zoe to her room, found her statement perfect and managed to hide his pleasure.
“Young lady, you better stop daydreaming about that boy and start focusing on pleasing your soon to-be-husband when you go to his house. I will not have people telling me that my daughter cannot even serve her husband.”“Oh and, since you are not needed in household chores and you are thinking too much about the boy, what was his name, Zion, yes, you are going to stay in your room till I allow you to come out. Have I made myself clear?”
“If he considers me a young lady why does he order me so and not let me take my own decisions?” Zoe thought angrily while making her way to the first floor.Upon reaching her bedroom, she immediately sat at her beloved windowsill and soothed her rage by taking in the breath-taking view.
From there, she was looking at a tiny bunny hopping mindlessly in her garden, when she spotted light glistening above her. Her curiosity took the better of her and she started hunting for the source. She traced it to a camera placed discreetly on top of her window and all her anger, which she just managed to get rid of, instantly flew back. If that wasn’t enough, she heard a light click from her closed door and to confirm her suspicions, she went and tried to open it. The fact that someone, who she had a hunch was her father, locked her door and put a camera outside her window, bothered her. Okay, she did try to run away once, but it clearly wasn’t her fault! It wasn’t her who made the choice of getting married to a random person. The thought of running away again did not even click her mind, but, since her father thought so, she would please him and do it. She already longed to go to the beautiful cabin in the woods and even though she thought that no time was better than the present, she had to wait till everyone slept to go on her adventure.A sudden worry crossed her mind; if her door was locked, how would she be able to go out, and, she certainly could not escape from the window.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew and sang to her, “Come, come to me. I await you.” She was not sure if it was the wind or the words that sent shivers down her spine. She had almost given up hope of fleeing when she saw a bunch of keys on her bedside table. The keys, she wondered how they looked so familiar. Then it struck her!! Of course! They were the same keys Zion was holding at the cabin. How they ended up in her room, that, she could not figure out. Maybe he tied them to her skirt or slipped them into her hand. Alas, what happened, happened, she couldn’t do anything to the past so why waste time dwelling over it. At night, as she was staring at the stars, she wondered if maybe…no it couldn’t be….but if there was even the slimmest chance what she was thinking of, was true, she would regret not having tried it.
To ease her mind, she took the bunch of keys and meticulously searched through them and found one similar to the key of her room. She prayed that it would open and as she put the key in the lock and turned it, the click brought relief and joy. She was free, not completely but still, free. She tiptoed to the main door with a bag, full of supplies which she had been gathering since a few days, in case things got out of hand, and, chose another key. This time it did not open, she sighed with defeat and was about to go back, when she realized that there were still a lot of keys left. She prayed yet again and, to her relief it opened. She stepped out and closed the door behind her. Before she headed towards her adventure, unknowingly, her hand went to touch the door. It was not a normal touch, but one of recognition and gratitude. This was the door which she would know among a thousand similar ones because she grew up with it, she played with it and imagined it as a person whom she could always count on, one who will never let you down. A pang of guilt surged through her body as she thought that now, it was her letting it down, finding a way to escape it the same way a deer tries to escape a wolf. She reassured herself saying that she would come back one day, when there would be peace and happiness, when one will care about the other’s opinion and be kind and compassionate to everyone and everything. She turned and faced the path ahead; the one that would lead her to her future, the one that would take care of her and always be there for her. It was time for her to embrace her new life and love. She took few steps, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
Know the author-
Nismah has been blessed with a penchant for literature.Right from childhood she would enjoy flipping through her hard covered baby books or those of her elder brother.She enjoys a myriad of literary arts, be it poems,books, magazines,newspapers,BDs etc. Any book that falls in her hands is quickly sneaked away to that favourite spot where no-one will disturb and she has no peace till she turns the last page.Her meals to be quickly over; just hand her a book!She has proven her abilities by yearly achieving accolades in elocutions at school level thanks to reading.With the Covid-19 confinement she started writing thoughts about various aspects of life, in a diary, which later became her titles for her maiden blog.
To read her posts click here
https://nismahsameeralqasmee.blogspot.com
#story-writing
Blogger Community 