***A very very very lonngggg short story ahead. :p***
Playing with her long, black hair he said,
“Have you decided dear?”
“It was always decided hunz. Nothing else can be better than this. Isn’t it?”
“You know it sweets, I love every bit of it.”
She blushed some more and her cheeks flushed with some more red. But before she could enjoy this blushy bliss of her, he naughtily continued,
“Well… Ah! I love it even more than I love you”
Filling her cheeks with some air she made a face like a small balloon and looked queerly at him with pretended anger. He in return came lovingly near her face and repeating his last sentence, softly punched her cheeks to burst her cheeky balloon
“Get lost” and she threw a pillow at him.
With this, the small room got sprinkled with their hearty laughter filled with love and affection for each other.
Holding his hands she continued,
“In my land of dreams
Magic spreads, when flower blooms.
Love-friendship plays ‘round.”
“Hmmmmm!”
"The name of my book would be The Land Of Dreams”
“Perfect”
“Just like us together.”
***
Yamini was an aspiring poet. Writing in blogs and some magazines she has acquired a lot of fame. But her dream was to do something really big. It was to make a mark in the field of poetry. But only because you write well and you have the thing in you to make it big, it does not mean that your works will be published that easily. After submitting half a dozens of manuscripts to different publishing house, she had yet not been approached by any publishing house. But 'he' always stood beside her like a pillar of strength and never ever allowed her to lose hope. 'He' was the one who kept on instilling hope and encouragement in her each and every day.
Everyday in the mall they used to go to the up-staired Crossword bookstore on an escalator, holding hands, dreaming that one day they will use the same escalator to buy their own published books. There they picked books, randomly, and poked their nose deep inside to smell the words and to imagine how their own words would smell like on the pages.
Their inspiration and hope came from the escalator- one that rises up. Holding hands on that escalator, at least in their own world, this way they were ascending towards their dreams.
Good luck struck a chord with Yamini’s fate and one fine day one of her poems was published in a book called “Amateur Poets.” This was a stepping stone and their happiness transcended beyond leaps and bounds.
She hugged him as if she was not going to release him from the enclosures of her arms in eternity’s time period. Tears rolling down from her eyes drenched his shirt with wetness of happiness and aroma of being proud. Uplifting her chin with utmost love and care he looked deep inside her eyes and said, “I am so proud of you my li’l angel” and kissed her first on her forehead and then on her sweet lips. She hugged him more tightly while whispering once again the sweetest sentence ever, “I love you”.
“I love you too my angel. I love every bit of you.”
“wowwww! It’s a divine bliss. You and me, together in our land of dreams, forever and ever.”
“And we are now few steps closer to have our ‘the lands of dreams’ in our very own hands. You are destined to surpass even the sky, yamini. It’s just the beginning and very soon your individual book of poetry will be published.”
***
Few years passed in between and he had to go to some other state for some official work. Meanwhile Yamani continued writing more beautiful poems with her pen dipped in the ink of utmost passion and love. And finally the day approached when their “The Land Of Dreams” was in stores.
That day more than her, he was happy. On phone, they shouted, they laughed, they choked and they cried together but failed to speak anything except ‘I love you-s’. How much he wished that he had wings so that he could fly to her without wasting any second. How much he wished to hug her and caress her. How much he wished to be there with her so that together they can poke their noses and finally smell the fragrance of their own words!
Silently he sobbed. It was going to be the most memorable day of their lives and his heart sunk even to think that may be he can’t make it to it.
“Hey! hunz! Where have you learnt to cry from, you silly boy.”
“Yamani, just pray that I can make it to the book release ceremony. Even if it is just for half an hour only.”
“Without you I can’t even think of going to the ceremony dear. I can’t.”
“Darling! If they don’t give a leave for at least few hours, I am going to leave my job. I give a damn to a job that keeps me away from my angel, my happiness and my life.”
“Shhhhh… do not ever repeat these words hunz. My real “land of dreams” is somewhere where you are there with me. I have always felt ‘you’ in ‘me’ and ‘I’ in ‘you’. Our ‘land of dreams’ is there in our hearts and souls. It is not worldly dear rather it is divine. You are there always beside me, no matter wherever you and I are. It is always the “us” together.
“And when from my li’l angel has grown up, huh?”
“She is still your kid but whenever you become a kid, I have to take the role of your granny. See, no choices left after all.”
“I am proud of you yamz and I love you.”
"………."
“What happened dear? Shy huh?”
“Nahhhhh!”
“Then?”
“Ummm..Well… I love you too.”
***
Without him, it was almost impossible for her to step on the escalator to reach Crosswords. She couldn’t stop the hot gush of her tears from rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes were waiting for him and her heart was longing for him. Atlast brushing aside her tears but with a heavy heart she stepped on to the escalator. Midway, along with a deep breath she wished him to be near her. May be the wind carried her prayers and wishes to him.
Just then her phone beeped. The sms read,
“I managed to get a leave for a day. Take stairs. Come down. Fast. Waiting to take you up by holding you in my arms. – lovingly yours, ‘…’.”
Turning back she saw him. Her dream man was waiting near the escalator with his hands stretched out to her. She ran..ran.. and ran.. to be in her arms forever and ever.
~***~
Dear Yamini,
Long back i have written just some bits and pieces of this story (you can say a rough draft) for a competition but never completed it and never paricipated in that competition. i started writing it keeping in mind my dreams and aspirations. but today i have rewritten it for a special someone and that special someone is you, yamini. thanks dear, just because of you today i am able to complete it.
*** HE is unnamed because Yamz is still waiting for him. May the wait gets over soon .:)
i am glad to be a part of your celebration and i feel honoured and extremly elated to write a guest post for you, sharing a precious space in your land of dreams. i don't even consider it a guest post. i treat it as my gift full of best wishes wrapped in love and care fo you.
Congratilations dear. may you write many..many..many more beautiful poems. may all your dreams and wishes come true.
i am lucky to have you in my life and i do consider you my ANGEL.
God bless you yamini and please keep that smile always intact on your face. you are an epitome of liveliness for many of us.
(((HUGS)))
P.S : Thank you every body for bearing such a lonnnnng post. i hope i did not bore you much :p
But still i feel as if,
