Amaranthine Odes | ONC 2022

◻Chapter 01◻✔️

With no reply, her fast strides echoed in the aquamarine-veined grey walls. Tushant followed her once he locked the simple oak door.

"Kimaya! You look good today. This shirt and blue pyjama-"

"It is palazzo, and it isn't blue. It's azure!" She sighed and resumed her steps, quicker than before.

Better be silent! Tushant mused between his solitary slow strides.

He reached the steel utensil crowded brown table and drew the black wood ladder-back chair, making the floor howl its agony.

"Manners, Tushant!" Her nudges made him roll his eyes.

Even under the dim-lit amber lights of the buttercup chandelier, he could see her cheeks bubble.

She and her tiffs! He smirked as he reached for the white melamine plate.

"Just one? Did you dine already?"

"You think of yourself as the king?" She threw her hands to the sides as her cheeks turned crimson.

"Alright. Let me eat then." He rubbed his hands to conceal his irks.

He placed six idlis and some spoons of grated coconut chutney. Dipping the fraction of idly in thick white chutney, he mashed the flavors into a heap. When he lifted his arms to devour, he could hear her soft hums. He then knew what he must do.

He turned his hands towards her. She readily ate even before he could feed her right.

"Such a liar!" He held her stealing arm.

"Not than you," she said as she gobbled from her hand.

Before he could swallow his three mouthfuls, she had almost emptied the plate.

"I'm all set to sleep. I'm going up." She worded them fast, giving him no space.

"And next time, if you are late, then you will get nothing. That would be your punishment." She pinched his nose, making him scream like a five-year-old.

Rubbing off his tips, he opened the chafing dish only to find two more idlis left.

"You are such a devil in disguise, Kimaya!"

"No! I'm the devil's sister," her faraway voice answered. When Tushant picked his words, the thud of the door cut him short. Breathing out his erratic sighs, he chewed down the remaining in solitary.

As he washed his plates, he heard the harsh growling of his stomach. His eyes strolled over the stacked bottles and containers behind the glass doors. A wooden basket kept over the repaired melamine vase lit him up.

How about two oranges? Or three? A wide smile crept up his lips. Inclining the plate on the kitchen ledge, he rushed to grab the fruits.

He went through the curved lilac-walled halls to sit over the recliner chair on the veranda surrounded by the criss-cross grids. He took his hypnotic swirl cased phone out of his green cargo to see if anything needed his attention. Noticing that it was just another day, he turned on the violin instrumental playlist.

The wintery shrubs of euphorbia and pink sea petunias wiggled to the tunes of clement summer winds. He peeled the oranges and chewed the pulp relishing as the bass rang in his ears.

Appeasing his hunger, he rested his head over his crossed arms to watch around. Shifting his eyes in an arch from left to right, he could sense nothing different. When he rebounded his gaze to his phone, he noticed a silhouette standing at the third bolstered balcony of the opposite lawn.

Is it him? But when did he return?

He mused as he studied his deep ebonic eyes and unkempt curls merely visible from the glistening goblet glimmering under the yellow lights. Tushant kept looking at his clanky moves as he piled nine empty bottles in three rows.

"Nine in a night! La la la la-"

Nine in a night? Drunkard maniac!

His frisky thoughts tried to harmonize the spirit-spirited man's shaky moves to the upbeat bass he heard. As the tempo tiptoed faster, he saw him whirl with the swan-necked bottle. His lips pouted while his hands nuzzled the bottle.

Damn, his craziness is terribly funny!

When the music ended with a screeching rush of tunes, he heard a clink. He took off his earphones only to realize that his bottle had sought a cureless stage.

"Oh my baby, shit! You broke!"

His mourning expressions made Tushant laugh louder.

"Am I a harlequin to you?"

Tushant's laughs ceased into bursts of giggles. He slipped his phone into his cargo and tilted his head to calm down.

"Bloody humans!" He yelled and disappeared before Tushant could react.

That's rude! Such an arrogant brat!

Feeling too crammed, Tushant got in and locked the door. He turned off every light on the way to his room.

Alcoholic arrogance should be an unforgivable offense. Huh!

He shook his head to clear the upsetting thoughts. He then emptied his pockets and removed his coral-studded ring. Making his ocean wave sheets wrinkle-free for one last time, he sunk into his pudgy mattress, wreathing the soft cotton blanket. For one last time, he looked at the beige block prints on the faded amber walls. His eyes then fell upon the wall-fixed sundial clock.

Half-past twelve. Nothing ambiguous. Phew, Hari Hara!

A wave of relief relaxed his erratic beats. He turned off his coral night lamp, letting the quieting black settle everywhere.

As his heavy eyes curtained, a sharp, loud noise reverberated in his ears. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, alarming his lapsed lids. But he felt nothing odd for the following few minutes.

Perhaps a hypnagogic hallucination!

He took the bottle to guzzle down some water. Before the dribbles could glide down his gut, he heard some grating clinks. His little finger twitched with every frequency that echoed in his ears. Gulping down his panic, he bundled his sheets to the sides and unlocked his door.

But his heart almost stopped. He saw a wavy shadow creeping on the polished floors through the clearing of the raven wooden door, as the clock kept ticking.

FOOTNOTE:

Anna: Tamil word for elder brother.

Idly: South Indian cuisine made by steaming salted rice batter.

Chutney: Coconut paste containing some salt and chilies. It is garnished with oil-fried mustard, urad dal, and curry leaves.

Hypnagogic hallucination: Hallucinations are seen when the body is asleep or while trying to sleep.

Leave your musings and comments.

Ever in your memory,
🪢Yaris🪢